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Movie cars often lead an illustrious but short life as one of the stars of the film. Cars used in cinema see unbelievable abuse and stunts, but the original, pristine car used for the main shots is usually not the car used in stunts. Normally, a stunt replica would do the dirty work of crashing or being damaged. In the case of The Wolf of Wall Street, the Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary in the iconic quaaludes scene was apparently the real deal.
Piecing together previous coverage from the time reveals an interesting story. The film, directed by Martin Scorsese, features a couple of cars from the ‘80s and ‘90s era it’s set in, including a Ferrari Testarossa, an R129 Mercedes SL, and the apparently real Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary. The scene in question involves the movie’s main character, Jordan Belfort, an infamous stock trader that got rich through less-than-moral trading schemes, driving his Countach home after taking quaaludes. Leonardo Di Caprio plays the character well.
Quaaludes are an ‘80s drug to the bone, apparently, so the movie’s reference to them in its party-heavy portrayal of Wall Street bankers mixed with the car equivalent of a brick of cocaine makes plenty of sense. What doesn’t make sense is the need to use a real Countach, especially one as rare as a 25th Anniversary. It goes even further: the example used by the film allegedly had 7,000 miles and was one of 23 white over white built for the US.
According to a commenter on IMCDb who may have worked for Scorsese, the director “would not go for the way the car crumpled” and that they “tried to use a kit.” I’ve watched the film many times and never looked too closely at the wreckage, but you can be the judge.
So, the next time you watch the film, suppress the urge to scream, vomit, or run with the knowledge that yes, that is a real Countach. I will now say a solemn prayer for that car.
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