Man finds rare 1986 Lamborghini destroyed in a garage – then he discovers hidden surprise on the dashboard

AN iconic Lamborghini that was once near-destroyed in an unfortunate accident has since been beautifully restored back to life.

The lovely Countach, one of the most legendary Lambo models ever built, is widely regarded for its beauty, performance, and retro charm.

This example, which is a Countach LP5000 QV from 1986, is notable for being the first comprehensive restoration job carried out by Lamborghini itself – even predating the establishment of their official heritage department, Polo Storico, which only began in 2015.

According to Petrolicious, this Countach, finished in Rosso Red with a fetching Brown dashboard, began life in a dealership called Autolynn in Ontario, Canada, and was bought by a real estate agent.

Then, in the summer of 1988, they seemingly took the car for an afternoon drive and, upon returning home, parked it in their driveway.

But later that day, smoke began to rise from the engine bay and ignited a fire, which badly damaged the car’s engine, body panels, and interior, scorching the seats and causing significant smoke damage.

Written off by the insurance company and, with the replacement parts considered too rare, set for the scrap heap, the car was history until a Canadian collector decided to give it a new lease of life.

The next owner, whose details are undisclosed, said: “I called every Lamborghini dealer in North America, faxed lists, and made countless calls, only to be told that parts were unavailable or would take months to arrive.

“The factory had shifted focus to the new Diablo, making Countach components nearly impossible to find.”

However, a call from a lawyer in Toronto, Canada, who represented Lamborghini and heard about the man’s enquiries and wanted to inspect the motor for themselves.

In 1989, the car was shipped to Milan, Italy, and Lambo’s sales manager, Ubaldo Sgarzi, took receipt of the car and outlined his plans to restore it.

At this time, the Countach had already been discontinued by Lambo, with the Italian supercar maker now focussing on the Diablo model.

In fact, the production line for the Countach had already been dismantled, which meant many of the parts had to be handmade or specially ordered.

This racked up the cost of the project to over $240,000 – some $30,000 more than the price of a new Diablo at the time – and took two and a half years to complete.

The owner, armoured with a pile of invoices, receipts, and correspondence for the rebuild, said: “The documentation is immense.”

Completed in 1992, the car, along with the restoration, was moderately tweaked in some aspects, including a wing added at the request of the owner, which makes it even more of a one-off example.

Now, years later, the car is up for auction – with its asking price unlisted.

Likely to command a premium thanks to its high restoration costs and its place in history as Lambo’s first restoration project, the car also boasts just 15,742 miles on the clock.

This comes as gearheads can pick up “supercar after supercar” as thousands of luxury vehicles are auctioned off from a vast car graveyard.

The cars are set to be sold after being salvaged in the wake of a pair of devastating weather events.

Around 17,000 cars have found their way onto lots in Florida alone following hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The twin storms, which brought winds in excess of 140mph and torrential rain, forced thousands to evacuate their homes.