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Four historic Lamborghini masterpieces - at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este
A significant list of classic Lamborghini models participated in the 2024 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. This year’s competition, which has run since 1929 and is now one of the oldest and most celebrated in the world, welcomed a cohort of four cars produced in Sant’Agata Bolognese, confirming the growing attention commanded by Lamborghini’s classic cars. A 1967 Miura P400 was on show in Cernobbio in Class D, titled “Faster! The Arms Race On The Road”, and Class H, called “The Need For Speed: Supercar Stars of The Video Generation”, included a 1976 Countach LP 400, a Countach 25th Anniversary, and a 1999 Diablo GT. The selection encompassed a period of more than thirty years, involving all the most iconic V12-engined models produced in that period. It is also the first time the youngtimer Diablo has been shown at Villa d’Este, confirming the increasing appreciation of this model as a classic car and sought-after by collectors.
“It’s important to point out that at Villa d’Este, of the four Lamborghini cars presented, one has already received the Certificate of Authenticity from Polo Storico and two are currently in the process of attaining it,” said Alessandro Farmeschi, Lamborghini’s After Sales Director. “This demonstrates how the work done by our specialists is gaining increasing appreciation among collectors. It’s also worth mentioning that it is thanks to the archives of Polo Storico, our in-house department in charge of managing all of Lamborghini’s history, that we can verify with certainty the condition of our cars, from the very first 350 GT to the last Diablo produced in 2001; we can certify whether its current condition has remained exactly as it was when first delivered, and reconstruct its history.”
Worthy of note is the success achieved by the Countach LP400, awarded by the jury for its V12 with the ‘il Canto del Motore’ trophy for the best sound, and the Diablo GT, which, in its debut as a model at the Villa D'Este competition, won the ‘BMW Group Ragazzi’ trophy. The Diablo was voted, during the public open day at Villa Erba, as the most iconic car in the competition by the under-16 audience.
Each of the four cars presented by their owners at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este has a unique and fascinating story that deserves to be told.
Lamborghini Miura P400 (1967)
The Miura was unveiled in 1966 and was so extraordinarily groundbreaking in its styling, mechanical solutions, and performance features that, in order to define it, journalists had to invent a new word: supercar. The Miura P400 of December 1967 in competition at Villa d’Este was originally shipped to the United States, sold in the local market through the California-based Bob Estes dealership. With exterior color Rosso Miura (red) and Nero (black) interior the car has just been subjected to a complete restoration by its owner, who also requested that the car be certified by the Polo Storico Lamborghini, which is now handling the application.
Lamborghini Countach LP 400 (1976)
The Countach is one of Lamborghini’s most iconic models, produced in five main series up to 1990: the LP 400, LP400 S, LP500S, LP 5000 Quattrovalvole, and 25th Anniversary. Delivered on 24 December 1976, through the Milan dealership Achilli Motors, the Countach LP 400 on show at Villa D’Este is one of the most recognizable because of its original color combination of Viola (purple) with Bianco (white) interior. The car, with its Lamborghini V12, was awarded on Saturday 25 May by the jury of the Concorso di Villa D'Este with the ‘il Canto del Motore’ trophy for best sound.
Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary (1990)
The Countach 25th Anniversary was created in 1988 to celebrate the first 25 years of Automobili Lamborghini and was the Countach version produced in the largest number of units. Released on 27 February and delivered on 27 March 1990 at the Portman dealership in London, the Countach 25th Anniversary competing in this year’s H category is one of the few cars in this series produced with right-hand drive. It features a special color combination with exterior in “Arancio 1120106” (orange) and Champagne interior. The exterior color alone made it unique, as it was created for its first owner who wanted it to be the same color as his first Countach, an LP400 in the Arancio (orange) color. But since this color was not offered for the Countach 25th, it was recreated for the owner and renamed with the VIN of his first car. Thus only one Countach 25th exists in this color. The car has been driven very few miles, has never been restored, and was recently certified by Polo Storico.
Lamborghini Diablo GT (1999)
Only eighty Diablo GTs were mass-produced. The GT originated from the combination of many of the solutions used on the GT2 racing version, mounted on the base of the Diablo production model to create a road-legal car featuring extraordinary performance. Thus it is no coincidence that at the time of its unveiling in March 1999, the Diablo GT was the fastest production car in the world, with a top speed of 346 km/h (215 mph). The Diablo GT competing at Villa d’Este, number six of 80, was released on November 18, 1999, and delivered to its first owner through Touring Auto in Milan. Its original color combination, still present, is Titanium Silver with interior in Alcantara Blu (blue) and exposed carbon fiber wing. It had also been specified with the optional short gear ratios (17/43) and provisions for a car radio and rear camera. The car is in the middle of the analysis process by the Polo Storico Lamborghini to obtain the Certification of Authenticity. The Diablo, which was present at the competition for the first time, was awarded the ‘BMW Group Ragazzi’ trophy at Villa Erba.
