Fans of The Wolf of Wall Street have a chance to get their hands on one of the movie’s more memorable props: the rare Lamborghini Countach driven by Leonardo DiCaprio during the 2013 film’s iconic “quaalude crawl” scene. Estimated to go for between $1.5 million to $2 million, the white-on-white luxury vehicle will be auctioned off by RM Sotheby’s in December, as announced today (August 3).
The Countach was the vehicle of choice for the high-rolling, infamous financier Jordan Belfort in Martin Scorsese’s film—versus the Mercedes driven by the real Belfort that night—and the 25th-anniversary edition Lambo co-starred in the darkly hilarious two-minute sequence in which Belfort’s downward spiral comes to its climactic crash. In the scene, DiCaprio, playing an extremely inebriated Belfort, body crawls across a country club lobby and rolls himself down a flight of brick stairs to reach his Lamborghini.
For the curious, a second car (rumored to be another Countach, not a replica) was used for later scenes in the movie, which show the Lambo heavily damaged. Car enthusiasts and automotive journalists alike express dismay whenever the rumor that Scorsese used the real thing resurfaces because of the rarity of this vehicle. The 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary edition going to auction is just one of twelve sent to the U.S. with the Bianco Polo and Bianco exterior and interior. It is also the most advanced iteration of the Countach, featuring improvements put into production by automotive engineer and businessman Horacio Pagani.
The Wolf of Wall Street Countach will go on the block later this year at RM Sotheby’s fourth New York sale, held during Sotheby’s annual Luxury Week. “Scorsese, DiCaprio, Lamborghini, and New York—all make for an incredible pedigree,” said Gord Duff, global head of auctions at RM Sotheby’s in a statement.
RM Sotheby’s moves further into the luxury world
RM Sotheby’s specializes in selling collector cars through both live and online auctions and has handled the sales of seven of the ten most expensive cars to have been sold at auction. Now, the auction house is further ramping up its presence in the world of sports, exotic and luxury vehicles via a new partnership with Motorsport Network, a media and technology company focused on the motorsport and automotive industries. The two companies announced the launch of their joint venture, Sotheby’s Motorsport, an online auction destination that will sell vehicles priced between $100,000 and $1 million.
“The high-end segment of the automotive market, which accounts for $20 billion in annual sales in the United States, deserves a superior level of service, confidence, and client satisfaction than what is currently offered by many online auction sites,” said Chris Perry, CEO of Sotheby’s Motorsport, in a statement. The auction’s listings will be accompanied by high-resolution images of each vehicle’s specificities, driving videos and third-party inspection reports to deliver “a true luxury experience,” according to Perry, with “white-glove service from start to finish.”
Sotheby’s Motorsport will offer twelve cars during its inaugural auctions. A 2022 Ferrari SF90 Spider with only 300 miles on the odometer will be one of the first vehicles to go on the block. Bidding, which is no-reserve, will kick off on August 15 with a starting price of $100,000.
