When Ferruccio Lamborghini introduced his exotic Countach prototype at the 1971 Geneva Auto Show, the car’s wedge-shaped styling—created by Marcello Gandini of the Bertone Design Studio—seized the attention of automobile cognoscenti and the most casual of onlookers alike. The powerful mid-engine sports car was wide and low with sharply angled panels, “scissor” doors, and a forward-placed passenger compartment to allow for the large V-12 engine. The body was light and strong with aircraft-grade aluminum skin over a tubular space frame.

Once production began in 1973, the distinctive styling put the Countach in its own class. The combination of standout design, performance characteristics, and its stratospheric price tag quickly earned the Countach its “supercar” status. There is perhaps no more widely recognizable or iconic supercar than the dramatically styled Lamborghini Countach, the poster car of a generation. To ensure that the Countach remained jaw-dropping throughout its entire production run, Lamborghini continued to improve the model mechanically and evolve it stylistically. In 1982 the LP5000 S (also known as the LP500 S in some markets) sped onto the scene with a 4.8-liter V-12 rated at 290 horsepower; the car’s appearance grew even more extreme, gaining a dramatic rear wing.

This Countach LP5000 S, one of 321 examples produced from 1982 to 1985, wears the sinister combination of Nero Tenebre over a Rosso full leather interior. A tag in the door jamb indicates that it was imported to the United States by Sports Car Studio of Ormond Beach, Florida in November 1983. In the nearly four decades that would follow, the Lamborghini apparently saw limited use—with the odometer displaying just 14,451 kilometers (~ 8,980 miles) at cataloguing—and, importantly, a high level of care. Consequently, it has survived to the present in remarkable condition, down to the period Alpine head unit with cassette player tucked into the strikingly Rosso interior!

Few cars have managed to capture, and hold, the public’s attention like the Lamborghini Countach. Decades after its introduction, it remains a sensational work of design, engineering, and performance. This well-preserved Nero Tenebre over Rosso 1984 LP5000 S example offers an exciting opportunity to put a car at the center of countless enthusiasts’ dreams into your personal garage.