Lamborghini · Countach to Diablo

The dossiers

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  Countach LP400 — 157 built; the original narrow-body Gandini wedge with no wing and no arches; the purest visual form, the highest collector premium, and why chassis-record verification comes first

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  LP400S and LP500S — the wide-body era begins; Pirelli P7 fitment demanded the arch extensions; LP500S with 4.8-litre engine; specification changes that define early-wide-body desirability

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  5000 QV and 25th Anniversary — the Quattrovalvole four-valve head brings the engine to maturity; about 455 PS; Anniversary bodywork by Horacio Pagani; the two variants that bracket the original Countach era

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  Diablo — the successor at last; 492 PS, a claimed 202mph, 5.7-litre V12; the early rear-wheel-drive cars as the purist's choice, and the VT's four-wheel drive

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  Diablo SE30 and SE30 Jota — ~150 SE30s for the thirtieth anniversary, and about 15 converted with the 28 Jota kits made; why factory conversion documentation is everything

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  Diablo GT and VT 6.0 — the culmination: GT with ~80 cars and 575 PS, VT 6.0 with AWD and 550 PS; the two closing variants that ended the Diablo era at its technical peak

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  Murciélago: the bridge — the Audi-owned successor that resolved the Diablo's compromises; how the corporate transition stabilised quality and confirmed the Diablo's generation status

The era

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  Marcello Gandini and Bertone: the LP500 prototype of 1971 that became the Countach, and the visual language that made Sant'Agata synonymous with the mid-engined supercar

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  Ownership from Ferruccio to Audi: the Swiss owners, bankruptcy, the Mimrans and Chrysler, and how Chrysler's money made the Diablo possible

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  The V12 from Bizzarrini to the Diablo: two valves to four, 3.9 litres to 6.0, and the gearbox-ahead-of-engine layout that defines Countach ownership

Buying & ownership

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  Countach verification: checking the chassis number against the factory records before any money changes hands

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  Inspection priorities: timing chains and tensioners, the Countach gear linkage and carburettors, Diablo oil leaks, clutch and electrics

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  Acquisition costs: specialist inspection, chassis documentation and the first full service

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  Configuration: original colour, the no-wing Countach, SE30 Jota documentation and the manual Murciélago SV — what moves the price