Vintage supercars can be a handful because they don’t have traction control or stability assist like modern vehicles. The driver’s right foot is the only thing determining how much power goes to the rear wheels. If someone applies too much throttle, there’s no technological safety net to rescue the car from a slide.
Police in Cuxhaven, Germany, recently responded to a crash scene where an 83-year-old driver wrecked his Lamborghini Countach on the A27 freeway at around 1:15 PM local time. He struck a van hauling a trailer. The incident forced the closure of one side of the highway until 5:15 PM while the cops towed away the two vehicles and cleaned up the leaked fluids.
What Happened?
The Countach driver was going about 111 miles per hour in the passing lane – a legal speed on this stretch of road – when he noticed a vehicle ahead was traveling more slowly. The Lamborghini owner braked hard and swerved. However, he wasn’t able to avoid hitting the van towing a sales trailer in the main highway lane.
A 1985 LP5000 Quattrovalvole in good #3 condition currently goes for $604,000, according to Hagerty’s valuation.
The collision caused the Countach’s passenger-side front tire to burst. The driver lost the ability to steer and hit the guardrail. Judging from the single crash photo from the Coxhaven Police, the classic supercar suffered significant damage to the front corner. There’s a severely crumpled fender. The busted wheel’s suspension also appears either broken or badly bent. This Lamborghini uses a tubular space-frame chassis, which might require repairs after this incident.
The crash also caused the van driver with the trailer to lose control and strike the guardrail. The model came to a stop across the road, which blocked traffic. However, the incident was severe enough that the vehicle’s axle broke.
The van driver suffered minor injuries and had to go to the hospital, according to the police report. The elderly person in the Lamborghini was fine. The cops estimated the damage cost at the equivalent of $221,000 (200,000 euros) for the Lamborghini and $5,525 (5,000 euros) for the other vehicle.
What’s A Countach Worth?
The Coxhaven Police only released one image of the crash. Judging by the Countach’s styling, we believe this one is either the LP5000S or a later LP5000 Quattrovalvole variant. Both of these models are worth far more than $221,000.
A 1985 LP5000 Quattrovalvole in good #3 condition currently goes for $604,000, according to Hagerty’s valuation. An LP5000S from the same year would be $430,000. The rare, early examples of the supercar can sell for $1 million or more.
TopSpeed’s Take
It’s a shame to see a Lamborghini Countach suffer such extensive damage. These cars are now highly collectible, making them increasingly rare sights, even at many high-end vehicle meetups. Assuming the owner can restore the supercar, it’s going to be off the road for a while during the repairs. The good news is that there are no serious injuries in this high-speed crash.
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