At $45,000, Would You Fake It Until You Make It In This 1987 Lamborghini Countach Replica?

With real-deal Lamborghini Countachs crossing the auction blocks at over half a million dollars, it makes a lot of sense to get the juice without the pulp in a replica like today’s Nice Price or No Dice 25th Anniversary shop-build. Let’s see if the price and the liberties taken will sour the deal.

A good rule of thumb is never to ask whether someone exhibiting a bit of belly is, in fact, pregnant, unless you see a head and arms poking out between their legs, saying howdy-doody. Similarly, should someone ask you, “Do these pants make my butt look fat?”  the proper response is, “Drat, I’ve suddenly gone blind. I knew I shouldn’t have drunk that moonshine.

The 2018 Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo we looked at yesterday had a big butt and wore that look with the aplomb of a Kardashian. It also had an asking price of $88,777. That might have been half what the car cost when new, but it seemingly wasn’t low enough for the majority of you, as it fell in a 63% ‘No Dice’ loss.

We need to point out at the outset that today’s 1987 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary edition is NOT a real Lambo. At first glance, it’s hard to tell this is a replica, and the seller says in the ad that it uses “real glass, emblems, exact body to a real one… so exact no one asks me if it’s real, they just hate me for cutting the roof off a $400,000 vintage lambo.”

Yep, the roof comes off. According to the seller, they stand over six feet tall, and a closed Countach is just too cramped for their frame and their expansive lifestyle. The open roof allows their hair to flow gloriously in the wind.

Let’s then get down to what, exactly, this thing is. The seller lays it out fairly succinctly, so perhaps we should just let them do the explaining:

This thing is not built on any other car like a Fiero kitcar or replica… it’s a tube chassis, like a race car built ground up by a pro-street racing shop as promo-vehicle… has High Performance Corvette V8 with custom bracket to accept a AUDI-5speed gearbox all mounted in the back of the car. Suspension, steering, brakes all 4.9L corvette, new carb, STREET LEGAL CA smogged and registered till 2026.

There’s a lot of puzzling information in the ad. First, there’s the seller’s claim that the engine is a 4.9L Corvette V8. That’s not a thing. Peeking into the engine bay gives us a look at the mill, which appears to be an old-school 350 CID carbureted Chevy V8. It could be something similar, but that’s the best guess. The engine bay is a bit of a mess. Still, amazingly, for something as cobbled together as this seems, it has an impressively solid appearing frame supporting the engine and suspension. It also seemingly has A/C.

The seller says the drivetrain, coupled with the car’s light weight (that tube frame is topped with a fiberglass body), gives the car “a demonic power to weight ratio that roars with straight 3″ headers.” On the downside, the ad warns that the Audi box’s gearing results in high RPM highway cruising and, consequently, overheating. That makes it more of an around-town car, where it’s better to be seen, and seen-in, than on the highway.

Another peculiar factor is that the ad states the car’s title is salvage; however, the seller claims it’s registered as a Vette and was smogged as a Fiero, without any explanation of how this discrepancy is resolved.

While this car’s exterior is spitting distance from a real 25th Anniversary Countach, making it just as expressive, the interior is where all decorum and subtlety take a holiday. It’s upholstered, not in leather, but in full Fredricks of Hollywood red and black animal print. Is that tiger? Giraffe? Who knows? Into that environment, two off-the-shelf bucket seats have been installed, and it’s obvious that the passenger seat has received significantly more sun than the driver’s side. Those seats face a dash full of flat screens along with a set of basic instrument dials. And yes, there do appear to be a pair of two-by-twos supporting the windscreen on top of the dash. Hey, nobody’s perfect. At least there are the required Billionaire doors.

Test drives will not be offered because the seller claims the clutch is stage three and is too temperamental for the unfamiliar. Should anyone with a penchant for adventure be in the Los Angeles area, however, the seller is willing to offer ride-alongs. For anyone outside of the area, the seller is willing to send videos. One can imagine that they will feature loud exhaust notes and scantily clad models draped over the car’s matte black lines.

Okay, is this car for you? Ha, ha, of course not. I mean, you have a sensible haircut and wear pants in public, don’t you? No, this is for the crazy people out there who must be seen at all costs and need to drive a car that fuels the fire of that extroverted lifestyle. To do so, the seller asks $45,000, and demands—in all caps, no less—DONT LOW BALL ME.

We would never lowball anyone who would drive a car as outlandish as this. After all, who knows what they might do? With that in mind, what’s your take on the Faux-borghini and that $45,000 asking? Is a tenth of the cost of the real deal a good way to get the Countach lifestyle with a few concessions? Or is that price just as audacious as the car?

You decide!

Nice Price or No Dice:

Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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