It’s true that car collectors are happy to spend a lot of money on a classic vehicle that is both stylish and individual and it seems that a 1982 Lamborghini Countach fitted bidders’ needs perfectly at auction recently.
The classic marque sports car went for a whopping £337,120 at Historics at Brooklands, breaking the record for how much this model has sold at auction before in the UK and almost trebling its reserve price.
At the time of auction it had approximately 8,500 miles on the clock and had been sat in storage for around 23 years.
Historics auction director Edward Bridger-Stille said: “Interest in the Lamborghini Countach has long been eclipsed by other marque sports cars but this emphatic result demonstrates that it’s now very much on the collectors’ radar. It’s also great that the car’s creator, Marcello Gandini is now receiving the recognition he so richly deserves for such a landmark in automotive design.”
Who could blame bidders for wanting this piece of supercar history? It was the Countach that started off the wedge-shape that is akin to many supercars and was one of the first to show off such an angled design. The Countach also pioneered the cabin-forward concept that pushed passenger seats forward to make room for a bigger engine.
For Historics, the event held on June 7th at Brooklands Museum is the largest auction that the company has held to date. A total of 149 classic vehicles went up for bidding and there was a separate sale of 100 vintage motorcycles.
By the end of the day, a sale ratio of 67 per cent had been clocked up and an excess of £2 million worth of classic cars had gained new ownership.
It wasn’t just the Countach that saw a strong sale at the event, many other vintage vehicles sold for high prices. For example, there was a 1969 Wood and Pickett Margrave Mini Cooper S which had no reserve placed on it but went for £40,320.
There was also a 1933 Lagonda Three Litre T7 Open Tourer, which after a competitive string of bids eventually went for £105,000.
A black 1961 Porsche 356B Convertible was sold at its top estimate of £140,560, while a 1954 Austin-Healey 100/4 also went for its top estimate at £49,840.
One car that looked particularly perfect for the sunny and breezy day, with its open top and bright red finish, was a 1960 Alfa Romeo Giulietta, which went for an above estimate price of £52,800.
As well as high sellers, some bidders were also able to snap up a bargain. One of the best was a 2002 Bentley Arnage LWB, which was nigh on immaculate, elegant and came complete with a twin turbocharged BMW V8 engine. It sold for only £29,700.
The winning bidder on the auction of a 1996 Ford GT40 Recreation by Tornado also got plenty of value for money as he took away the car for £35,000.
There was a nice little portfolio of affordable classic cars that sold at Historics. These included a 1988 Lotus Esprit Turbo, which sold above its estimate of £7,000 and went for £8,400.
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