Celebrating its 20th year as the most exciting collector car auction in the world, Russo and Steele returns home to Scottsdale on January 15 at the epicenter of Arizona Car Week just south of the North 101 Freeway and Scottsdale Road.
One of the nation’s premier collector-car auction houses, Russo and Steele will provide hundreds of top-quality collector cars for a variety of buyers at their new site. Featuring the equivalent of five football fields of tents with easy access off the Scottsdale Road exit, acres of contiguous and close proximity parking will greet attendees along with valet parking directly at the main entrance.
Russo and Steele Collector Automobile Auctions is thrilled to offer an ultra-rare 1985 Lamborghini Countach QV Downdraft at its 2020 auction. Known as the most powerful Countach variant ever built, this particular model offers 455 bhp and was used as a factory press car and was the photo subject of the Downdraft brochure distributed at the 1985 Geneva Salon.
Fewer than 1/3 of all Countach models built were Downdraft variants and this model is without question the very best example of this variant to ever be presented at public auction anywhere. It is 100 percent fully restored by California-based marque specialists at a cost of almost $300,000 to exact original specifications down to brand new Pirelli P7s and Ansa Sports Exhaust, which are all period-correct. It even comes with original books and all tools complete.
Built in February 1985 in Iconic Bianco Polo Park with Rosso livery, this Countach Downdraft was the very first to be imported into the United States by Al Copeland, car enthusiast and multi-race winning offshore boat racer, and owner of Popeyes Chicken nationwide restaurants. It was kept in Copeland’s New Orleans car museum for 15 years resulting in just 9,750 miles on the odometer.
“This is probably the most beautiful example of a Countach Downdraft you will see anywhere,” said Drew Alcazar, President and CEO of Russo and Steele. “Even by today’s standards the car is quite powerful and even though it’s almost 35 years old, it’s design is timeless and the stuff of supercar fantasy.”
For more information about Russo and Steele, visit www.russoandsteele.com.
