John Temerian’s day job is chasing ghosts—specifically the ones with scissor doors and V12s. As the founder of Curated, a Miami outfit that buys, sells, and services vintage exotics, he’s logged hundreds of chassis and countless late-night leads. Still, a Lamborghini Countach felt like a once-in-a-career catch.
The car in question: a 1978 Countach LP400 S Series 1, the coveted early “low body” spec, finished in Blue Tahiti and wearing gold Campagnolo Bravo wheels.
According to Supercar Blondie, it was delivered to the U.S., then vanished in the 1990s and reappeared halfway around the world—parked for decades on the second floor of a small Japanese dealership. Enthusiasts whispered about it; the owner wouldn’t budge.
Temerian kept pressing. He tapped a friend in Japan to make offers, then dispatched veteran inspector Chip Davis to document the car top to bottom—warts and all—to build a practical case for purchase. After months of steady outreach, the owner finally agreed to sell.
When the Countach reached Miami, the surprise wasn’t that the lead panned out. It was as if little time had touched the car.
The Lamborghini Countach still carried its factory paint, interior, carpets, and trim, and showed about 6,000 miles. Early small-gauge Stewart-Warner instruments were intact. “Every time I am around one, I feel as excited as I felt when I was eight years old,” Temerian said. “It looked like it was a year, maybe two years old. It blew my mind—it was surreal.”
Context matters here. The LP400 S ushered the Countach from the ultra-clean LP400 “Periscopio” look to the flared arches and wider stance that defined poster-era Lamborghinis. Series 1 cars are the rarest of that shift—fewer than 30 “low body” examples were built—and survivors in untouched condition are even scarcer.
The plan isn’t to restore the car to what it once was. Curated will address age-sensitive mechanicals—likely sending the car to Italy for careful servicing—while preserving its finishes as they left Sant’Agata.