60 Minutes Drives The 1987 Countach

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/60_minutes/video/?pid=YbfZ4mtNI8s8SEkXvwnDa7s3UVKDqozx

Runtime: 12:29

In April 1987, Morley Safer visited Sant Agata Bolognese, Italy to experience the Countach.

Two Swiss brothers took control of Lamborghini after the company filed for bankruptcy in 1978. Lee Iacocca sought a halo brand for Chrysler, and Lamborghini was acquired in 1987.

The new Lamborghini Diablo, the fastest car in the world in 1990, was priced over $100,000 higher than the already stratospheric $120,000 Countach. With American demand for exotic cars in decline, Chrysler sold the company to an Indonesian conglomerate.

Automotive historians and enthusiasts tell different versions of the story behind Chrysler’s involvement, ascribing different motivations to design and managerial decisions.

Eventually, Audi (under Volkswagen) took ownership in 1998.

More history:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamborghini

http://www.lambostuff.com/history-of-lamborghini.asp

http://www.lambocars.com/history.htm

1987 article on Chrysler’s acquisition of Lamborghini:

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/24/business/lamborghini-goes-to-chrysler.html

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