Few cars define the wedge-shaped excess of the 1980s quite like the Lamborghini Countach, and few examples of the breed are as desirable as the carbureted European "Downdraft" QV. One spectacular survivor of that rare group is now bound for RM Sotheby's Monterey sale this August, where it carries an estimate of $900,000 to $1.1 million.
The "Downdraft" name nods to the breathing setup that separated this Geneva-launched 1985 variant from its American cousins. While U.S.-bound cars wrestled with a power-robbing Bosch fuel-injection system, the European LP5000 QV breathed through six Weber 44 DCNF downdraft carburetors. The payoff was roughly 35 extra horsepower, lifting the 5.2-liter V-12 to 455 hp, along with crisper throttle response and a sharper edge to the whole driving experience.
On paper that translates to a 0-60 mph sprint of about 4.1 seconds and a top speed near 195 mph, numbers that still command respect today. RM Sotheby's positions these carbureted cars at the summit of the Countach range, prized for their power dome engine cover and the chunky, non-U.S. impact bumpers that purists adore.
Finished in Nero Tenebre over black leather, this is one of just 300 such cars built and, more remarkably, one of only 13 carbureted QVs originally brought to the States. Built at Sant'Agata Bolognese in July 1985, it was first delivered to Portman of London, a British Lamborghini importer of the era. The car was reportedly earmarked for Stanislaw Zagorski, a New York collector better known as the graphic artist behind album covers for Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Isaac Hayes, Cream and more.
Its ownership trail runs through a Massachusetts caretaker who held it from 1986 to 2011, then prominent New Jersey collector Richard Molke, who promptly commissioned a full engine rebuild. Molke later handed the car to Southern California marque specialist Dugan Enterprises for a complete chassis rebuild and repaint, a job that alone topped $600,000. The current Northern California owner has continued the work, pushing the total restoration outlay past $700,000, with the engine rebuild accounting for more than $77,000 of that.
Today the odometer reads 33,010 kilometers, roughly 20,511 miles. The sale includes thoughtful extras, among them a second set of OZ wheels in gold to contrast the original silver set and a spare engine cover without the rear wing, giving the next owner room to display the car in different configurations. Documentation runs deep too, with a copy of the handwritten build ledger, the original owner's manual, the tool kit and a thick file of restoration invoices and photos.
The Countach will cross the block at the RM Sotheby's Monterey Auction, held at the Monterey Conference Center from August 13 to 15. For collectors chasing the most potent and arguably most charismatic Countach Lamborghini ever sold, this freshly restored Downdraft may prove hard to resist.
