Countach barn find story

So I read lamborghinichat from time to time. Always entertaining and so many pretty pictures. A few weeks back, I read phrogs thread about his quest for a Countach project car to restore. I did not have one, but I had somewhat recently seen a car that fit the description of what he described.

As a bike shop owner and all-around motor enthusiast, I have quite a few friends in that world. Last summer, there had been a black/black LP400S2 (VIN 1121252) in for service/repair at a local shop where my good friend is a tech. The car was rough around the edges, and my friend was having difficulty getting a straight answer from the owner as to what sort of work had been done in the past, service history, etc.

The first step to recovery was rebuilding all 6 carbs. The owner was unable to explain the soldered up fuel delivery jets but once that was taken care off the car ran ok. Strong, even compression across the board but still issues. An oil leak from somewhere and more than likely a clutch disc frozen to the flywheel or seized on the splines. Lots of issues/questions! At that point the owner was out of $$$ and flatbedded it out of there.

End of story, right? Not yet. phrogs thread popped up some 6/7 months later and I read it thinking to myself, "Why not try and track this one down in my spare time?". I had snapped some pics of the car when it was in for repair on my cell phone. One of them had the license plate and since I am a WA state vehicle dealer I could check with the state for info with the plate number.

The owner's name and address were dead-ends. I could not find him on the internet and what info I could find was more dead-ends. However, the state told me that the lienholder or legal owner had just become the only owner of the car. No more was this person listed as the owner, either legal or registered. It was just in the name of the bank now and no one else.

So I googled the bank which was a bank I had never heard the name of. This was no ordinary bank, no sir. This was a pawn shop in the greater Seattle metropolitan area. They had a website, I went there and read all about them. Evidently they had been doing this sort of thing for some time and did very well. A licensed WA state vehicle dealer as well. Hmmmm.

I phoned there Saturday 2/23/08. I spoke with the shop manager and I said I was calling about the Lamborghini. Big pause. Who are you? How did you know about this car? Are you an attorney? Etc., etc. I explained I was just a guy who had done some homework, tracked this car down and was interested in purchasing it. The man then sounded pleased to hear from me and mentioned the owner of the shop would very much like to talk to me. He would be in Monday the 25th.

Monday 2/25/08 I rolled into the shop with my gal in person. The owner was there although he had not yet heard about me from his manager. After some awkwardness, he warmed up to me and we got down to business. As fate would have it, my timing was essentially perfect as the shop owner had agreed to a 6-month "re-pay" or "re-claim" time period with the former owner of the car. I happened upon the scene of this trainwreck on day 175, 5 days before the end of 6 months. The official last day the former owner could re-claim the car was 3/1/08. Apparantly the shop owner had some history of doing business with the former owner of the car and he was ready to end things with him and his former car once and for all.

Before I arrived, I had wondered how the negotiation would go. I had no idea what the shop owner had loaned out on the car although I would have loved to have that info. I'd just have to wing it. Imagine my surprise when the shop owner pulled out the contract he had with the previous owner of the car to show to me. He indicated the amount he had loaned out, and once I had steadied myself he explained that normally they get 18% in addition to the original amount loaned out. He then asked if that figure (original loan plus 18%) would work for me. I remained calm and said yes it would. There was then a long pause from him, as if he knew money was being left on the table.

I broke the awkward silence by stating, "Should I say something now?". He nodded. I said, "Why not mark that up a grand and I'll pay in full right now? Assuming the guy does not come in by 3/1/08, thats my Countach." We shook hands and I wrote a check. Later that evening at his warehouse, he showed the car to my gal and I and it was more or less like I remembered it from summer '07. It was safe and secure surrounded by propane bottles, outboard motors and chainsaws.

So after a long-ass 5 days, I went to the shop Saturday, 3/1/08 1 hr before closing and the shop owner, shop manager and I waited to see if the former owner would show or even call. He did neither. My car! While I was there I was so delirious I bought 2 barely ridden Yamaha Banshee ATV's. I think the shop bought 2 Rolex watches and a diamond ring just in the last hour of business. I'm in the wrong biz!

My plan is to restore this car with a friend at his shop. We are going to pull the drivetrain and do whatever it takes to make it 100%. While that is out, off the shell goes for body/paint/interior. I can hardly wait to order $563 rear tires from the Tirerack!

I was able to piece together some of the ownership history as well. Owner #1 was a well to do businesswoman in the Seattle area with her own country/western radio station. Her and her husband upgraded to a pair of Diablos in the 90's and the guy who eventually pawned the car came onboard. From what I can tell I am owner #3.

Please, if you have interest in purchasing this car as she sits, save your interest for later. It is a solid 99% chance I am putting her back on the road myself. In the 1% chance of that not occurring, phrogs has spoken up for her. He and I have chatted on the phone and (clearly) in his debt I forever am for starting a thread that put me down this path. If it ever happened that I put this car up for sale and phrogs took a pass, everyone here would get a fair crack at it.

Wish me luck!
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Yeah that has to stay methinks

 

"Decent" may be a stretch, but really she is not all that bad. No musty smell on the inside, nope. Smells kinda "leathery" like my 328 did.

 

Yeah thats what I thought too. WA state has it registered as an '82, not that it matters.

I'll have to fill in the blank space on the registry now. "1121252 - PAWNED!"

 

I think I'm safe

phrogs... not a word!

 

Aren't these what I need? It says in stock:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1.jsp?width=345%2F&ratio=35&diameter=15&startIndex=0&search=true&pagelen=20&pagenum=1&pagemark=1&RunFlat=All&x=58&y=9

 

The sticker is some sort of cartooney, angry bull complete with "snorting" effect. That may have to go.

 

I'll take that as a complement

 

Not weird, no. I've been high/faint feeling ever since I left the pawn shop.

 

You have no idea how great she is. She tracks a Honda CBR600, street rides a Ducati 748/853, daily drives a Miata and has a real Canadian spec Integra Type 'R for nice days. All this before I met her!

Here she is scrubbing the 'lambo seats and detailing the interior while having a work meeting on her Bluetooth with Uncle Bill and the boys at Micro-Squish.
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Yep, ready to spend $$$ we are, no doubt. I'm budgeting $15 - $25k for the drivetrain/mechanicals depending on how crazy I want to go and how much of the work I'd like to do myself.

I was commited to another $25k for paint and interior although as I go over the car in detail today I could see myself driving it just like it is cosmetically. One thing I ended up not liking about my 328GTB was the thing was so minty perfect I was afraid to drive it anywhere. This thing I could leave parked right in front at Home Depot and be happy I didn't have to walk so far.