Perhaps the most iconic supercar of the last 30 years, the most powerful variant of Lamborghini’s Countach never officially made it to North America. The original was certainly a flamboyant creation when it was introduced in 1974, an instant poster classic which adorned many a teenage bedroom wall. The Bertone-designed supercar grew ever more extravagant as engineers sought various measures aimed at keeping it pinned to the road in response to the ever-increasing power output from its refined V12 powertrain.

Bored-out to 5.2 liters for 1985, the V12 was also given four valves per cylinder, for a total of 48, hence the moniker “Quattrovalvole”. European-specification Countach models gained six Weber downdraft carburetors located on the top of the engine, rather than from the side, while North American models received Bosch's K-Jetronic fuel injection system in order to comply with more stringent emissions laws. About a dozen Quattrovalvole Downdrafts, as they are known, made their way to North America via the then-burgeoning gray market, where original owners quickly paid a hefty premium for the roughly eight percent jump in horsepower to an impressive 455.

This car was auctioned off by RM Auctions in August 2009 at the Portola Hotel & Spa and Monterey Conference Center, Monterey, California.

455 bhp, 5,767 cc four overhead cam alloy block and head solid lifter V12 engine with six Weber downdraft carburetors, five-speed manual transmission, four-wheel independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 98.4".

Source: RM Auctions
Photo Credit: Copyright Darin Schnabel