The Lamborghini Countach is the quintessential 80s car. Designed by Bertone’s Marcello Gandini, the same mastermind behind the Miura and the Espada, it had the wedge shape and pop-up headlights that helped define that automotive era. The Countach began with the LP400, which packed a 3.9L V12 with 370 hp. The LP400 was superseded by the L400 S, which downgraded the engine to 350 hp but added wider tires, its signature fiberglass wheel arch extensions, and an optional V-shaped rear wing.

Another update came in 1982 in the form of the LP500 S, which increased the engine size to 4.8 L and updated the interior. The 500 S is oftentimes called a 5000 S in some markets, but it is not the same as the LP5000 Quattrovalvole that came after it. Only 321 examples of the 500 S/5000 S were ever built, sealing the rarity of these already highly sought-after cultural icons.

This particular example of a 5000 S, Chassis # ZA9C00500DLA12593, was imported to the US through Rarewala Enterprises in California and sold to its first owner, who was located in Illinois. It originally wore a Blu Acapulco paint job over a Champagne interior. Through comprehensive research and speaking directly with Marcel Wallenburg of the Countach Registry, we do believe that the first and original owner of this car was Walter Payton, of NFL fame. 

Payton played for the Chicago Bears for a stunning 13 seasons, racking up numerous accolades and leading them to a super bowl victory in 1986. In 1984 he was given a Countach as a bonus by one of his biggest sponsors, the Kangaroo Shoe company, after breaking an NFL record for rushing yards. He was widely known for his iconic Countach, finished in a dark midnight blue color (Blu Acapulco) and wearing a license plate that read “WP 34”, which he would drive around Chicago, often getting himself in trouble for speeding. The Countach was still a rare sight in the US at this time as any cars that were brought into the country had to undergo a rigorous process to become federalized by companies such as Rarewala Enterprises. According to Marcel Wallenburg, there were only two 5000 S examples produced in Blu Acapulco that were imported into the US. The first was this car, shipped from the factory in July of 1983. The second example was not completed and shipped till early 1984. The first entry on the CARFAX for our car listed here, DLA12593, shows the first owner residing in Arlington Heights, Illinois in November of 1984. Walter Payton famously resided in Arlington Heights, located on the north side of Chicago, and would be seen driving his Countach around the area routinely. In addition, we uncovered a newspaper archive from the Journal Gazette of Mattoon, Illinois, dated Wednesday, October 14, 1987, discussing Payton’s car being up for sale at Lake Forest Sportscars with 19,000 KM and an asking price of $79,000. This coincides with the second CARFAX entry, which shows DLA12593’s second titled owner residing in Addison, Illinois, in December of 1987 and 19,000 registered kilometers. Another excellent supporting fact is that when Payton owned the car, he had aftermarket speakers installed in the door, which are visible in one of the iconic Kangaroo Shoe posters, with the driver-side door up and Payton perched on the sill. Mr. Wallenburg was kind enough to reach out to one of DLA12593’s previous owners, who resided in Germany and owned the car when it still wore its original Champagne interior, to ask if the car had these unique speakers when he owned it. It took a bit of digging to find some old photos, but sure enough, the same unique aftermarket door speakers were present on the car during his ownership. So while we do not have defacto proof, such as an old title with his name and VIN on it, the puzzle pieces do align to the extent that we are extremely confident that DLA12593 is the famous and long lost Walter Payton Countach. For a better breakdown of all the evidence surrounding our conclusion that DLA12593 is the famous Walter Payton Countach, please watch the video above or check out the pdf in our documents section, both of which break down all the evidence. 

It appears that Payton possibly traded the Countach for a Ferrari Testarossa at some point in 1987. It looks like the Countach resided in the Illinois area for another 2 years until 1989, when the car made its way to Texas before being exported to Europe, where it spent the next few decades and was repainted red and then white, likely sometime in the late 1990s. About 10 years ago, this Countach, now residing in Germany, underwent a full restoration and repaint. During the restoration process, the U.S. specification side reflectors were filled in. This change can be viewed by looking at the inside of the quarter panel from the trunk area and while it does not detract from the current state of the car, it does provide evidence that in the past this was a U.S. specification car. 

The comprehensive restoration involved the removal and complete dismantling of the engine, with every individual component being cleaned and refurbished or replaced before being reinstalled. The body was stripped down to bare metal before the current black paint job was professionally applied. The interior was also reupholstered in black leather to match the new color of the body, with the seats now sporting contrasting blue piping. Every step of the process was photographically documented and bound in a hardcover book that is included with the car.

In May of this year, the engine and gearbox were serviced and certified to be in perfect working order before the car was later sent from Wang, Germany, to Lamborghini of Copenhagen in Copenhagen, Denmark. We imported it back to the US in August, where we treated the undercarriage to a steam cleaning and replaced the battery.

As it sits, this is a low-mileage and well-sorted example of a pre-QV Countach. With a storied past and freshly sorted mechanicals, this is one of the better ones to own and provides a great avenue into Countach ownership. And given the potential provenance of being one of the more famous Countachs in history, having been likely owned by the great Walter Payton, there is certainly an added value to this already wonderful example. 

Upon purchase, the owner will receive two keys and the book detailing this car’s restoration.

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