So I was asked by to come and inspect the BB that RM has at their facility just this past Monday and heres what I found. The car was purchased new in 81, DOT converted and delivered to the owner and it was never used on the road from then to now. The odometer shows 715 kms which is essentially what it was delivered with, still has plastic on the seats, sills and unused tools, unused hammer etc etc. What I found interesting about the plastic on the seats is it has the build sequence number for the car written on the tape stuck to the plastic. That was a cool sight! Aside from the conversion this car is absolutely untouched. Front grill screws are incorrect as is the horn hose and no fog lights due to the conversion. Rear bumper problem is also obvious. The paint is great complete with orange peel, the seats and carpet are as new which is to be expected. The suspension and underside are less than perfect with a dent in the lower battery pan from a jack, cob webs everywhere and just the effect time has on plating and finishes when climate control isn't ideal. It does have a film of rust preventative everywhere so when you touch anything other than the exterior red it feels sticky. The car doesn't run simply because it hasn't for decades so a full engine out service is needed, fluid flushes and hopefully a full DOT removal to return it to original state. Once thats done its tough to know what to do with it. Drive it and roll the odometer up or park it and have a time capsule. Maybe don't even service it, maybe don't touch it and just tuck it away again? Tough call. I took 250 pics of this car because its a great reference for other restorations. We discussed hammer prices and originally I figured $250-$300K but after seeing it I think it could be more. RM feels $400-$500K is possible. They could be right, not too many 715km boxers out there for sale! The boxer owner also had a 79 Countach S side draft car that was used a total of 1km since delivery. I took a few shots of it but my interest was the boxer. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Heres the contach S thats also available. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Whoa! That is some time capsule, too bad about the bumper/conversion, but that is relatively minor. If that car was a non Federalized car, my vote would be just leave it the time capsule that it is (since I don't have a vote and no one asked, easy to give one, lol!) While it is quite a treat in one sense to see a time capsule, saddens me more to know this car has basically never been enjoyed. More of a pity to me. Looks like a Miura sitting next to it, fitting!
What idiot would buy these lovely cars and never yes them!!!!one wonders about stupid people with stupid money...
wow! weird find. takes all types of owners. the shocking element to me is that despite the car having never been used, it looks sloppy and in disrepair. i understand sitting around in non climate controlled environments is part of that, but it just looks like the build quality was severely lacking. when i first got mine, it had similar looks to it, but then it was completely torn apart, renovated, and put back together again. so much of the roughness was dealt with, and i thought we were just putting things back to factory standards. this shows me that the factory standards of the time were piss poor, and we were actually improving on them quite a bit. for so few miles, the tires look pretty bad. is that also from just sitting around??
The tires and rims have that sticky coat on the inside which makes them look bad but they actually look like new on the outside and treads. Build quality is what I expected, I knew they were far from perfect. Even the orange peel varies throughout the body. This pic of the drain hose from the filler neck made me laugh. The guy (or gal) that adds the black-out at the end of the build bumped the hose with the brush. Maybe I should do that on the 76? Image Unavailable, Please Login
While the BB looks painfully original, the bits of corrosion are sad to see. I am curious if the owner will leave it or harm the originality and 'fix' it. As an '81 it must be one of the last BB carb cars, or? The CT has a smog pump? Odd for a 1979 4.0 Euro car with Euro plates. Someone needs a coolant swap (and probably more than a few rubber hoses). Still, that is probably worth near 2 BBs. Where / when will they be auctioned?
personally, if the 365BB being offered at rick cole's auction is the same one that was at Cavallino and we're talking the same hammer price I would much rather have the 365BB for several reasons.
Over my many years around cars of ALL kinds and brands I've always seen full resto cars to be over restored. Every low miles unrestored cars I've looked at were NEVER as nice as restored cars. Once they leave the assembly plant they are out in the elements, on the transporter, on the dealer parking lot, etc, etc. A restored car is most of the time done to perfection in every aspect and détails and after that is treated like a collector piece jewel. Even a 0 miles unrestored car would not look like a restored one.
I'm always curious what the story is on a car like this. Did the owner intend to use it, and then life got in the way? Or was the idea to pack it away as a time capsule? 715km seems like a bit more than delivery mileage-- did he drive it Europe for a few days before sending it home?
I can tell you my father is one o f these types. He still has his original couch he bought brand new in 1965 just after they married. It is still in plastic, and it is still NEW.... But in the basement now This character type is really a sickness .... They find pleasure in keeping things new and not using ...that's their pleasure. Just to have it, not to drive it. The lambo beside it supports this persons thinking and continuation. I also suspect, he was freaking out at how close the car was getting to 1,000
Goodyear says after five years tires are "done", rolling or no. The rubber compounds are expired, so "yes". WTF on that hole? The paint is failing, from age, just like the tires....not orange peel.
Wow --- Nothing says "1979" quite like that particular color of orange on a car, a major kitchen appliance, or a shag rug in the rumpus room !! A real shame that poor CT looks as though it is probably rotten from the inside out, however ---- use it.... or lose it
