A rare 1977 Lamborghini Countach LP400 owned by British car collector and dealer Simon Kidston was involved in an unusual overnight incident in Scotland after the vehicle appeared to start and move without anyone inside.
The car had been parked outside a large Scottish residence when it unexpectedly set off during the night, traveling under its own power before coming to rest against a wall and into nearby bushes. According to Kidston, no one was behind the wheel at the time, and security footage supports that claim.
The Countach avoided major damage by a narrow margin. Had it turned slightly to one side, the front of the car could have struck the wall directly. A shift in the opposite direction may have sent it down a slope toward a nearby river. Instead, the car stopped before a more serious outcome occurred.
The vehicle involved is a 1977 Lamborghini Countach LP400 Periscopio, considered one of the purest versions of the model. Early LP400 examples lack the aggressive aerodynamic additions that later Countachs became known for, giving the car a closer resemblance to the original design concept.
Kidston comes from a family deeply connected to historic vehicles. His uncle was associated with the Bentley Boys, and his father had a background as a pilot, race car driver, and Royal Navy officer. That lifelong exposure to machines, however, did little to prepare him for this particular situation.
After the car was recovered, minor damage was found on the underside of the front chin. That damage has since been repaired.
While the incident sparked jokes about ghosts and haunted supercars, Kidston believes the explanation is mechanical rather than supernatural. The prevailing theory points to a short circuit caused by extreme humidity interacting with the car’s electrical system. The Countach had been left in gear, which could explain why it moved forward, paused, and then moved again before stopping.
In the end, the incident served as a reminder that even legendary machines can behave unpredictably, especially when old electronics meet damp weather in rural Scotland.
Shawn Henry