Countach, the ultimate supercar

Logistics.

 

Alright then, for you. Just another old Lamborghini...

These images shot Wednesday December 16th (yesterday) after a test drive.
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

 

The one-and-only.

 

Correct. It was directed at Rob, teasing him a little because he has a severe liking for LP400 in orange.

 

LOL, good one!

Will you still be around late Jan?

 

Very good!

 

Thank you. I think they seem to find me. I had followed this particular car for exactly 10 years, and lets say my acquisition of it in the recent past was not a chance encounter. I thought perhaps I would get its history in order and sell it onwards, but I made one mistake: I drove it.

It was built for that serial collector of the 60s & 70s Albert Silvera who only ordered factory one-offs, and insisted on them being delivered personally by men named Enzo Ferrari or Ferruccio Lamborghini. Apparently he always got his wish.

The 28th Countach built, 1120056 was completed with a factory tuned engine (done for the works by Dallara) and it cost 28% over the odds as a result of ts tuning. It was completed on January the 23rd 1975, then delivered to Silvera on the 27th a few days later. The Certificato di Garanzia (warranty certificate) was issued that same day.

The car was shipped to Silvera's home in Paris, then to his Port Au Prince home in Haiti. Finally the car was transferred to his mansion in Miami, entering the USA on diplomatic plates courtesy of Silvera's status (the car has since received USA DOT & EPA releases - on file).

The car exists with factory documentation attesting its unique status, and the plaque which adorns its interior confirming its special build was noted as being there in the December 1975 issue of Car & Driver. I was motivated to contact Giampaolo Dallara to ask about the car, and to my pleasant surprise he wrote back clarify the work they did to the engine. 'Motore Potenziato' (tuned engine) is the reference.

Claudio Zampolli tells a wonderful story of Silvera: "Whilst I was working at the Lamborghini factory, whenever Albert Silvera arrived, he was in the company of a woman so breathtaking in beauty that the entire plant stopped work just to stare.... Ferruccio Lamborghini would have the main gate call him to announce Silvera's arrival. As Silvera walked in to the delivery area to collect his new special-order Lamborghini, the Commendatore would already be dowmstairs, polishing away at it. I guess Silvera was good for business!"

I need to take more images of the car itself as it exists today, interior, engine etc, but this will have to wait till after the holidays...

 

1120056 on the cover of Car & Driver magazine exactly 34 years ago - December 1975.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Almost 20 years.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I don't suppose anyone noticed that the final touch - the front hood's Lamborghini shield - was not there in this publicity shot.

 

Albert Silvera was all of the above. I suppose you could simplify it and just say he was an 'affluent car guy'.

If you wish to get into detail, Silvera is best described as a wealthy hotelier, diplomat, sports car fanatic and old-time playboy (and not necessarily in that order!).

One of the many businesses he owned was the exotic and infamous El Rancho Hotel near Port Au Prince in Haiti, jet-set destination during the 1960s and 1970s to the likes of Liz Taylor & Richard Burton, Mick Jagger & Jerry Hall etc.

He was also Haiti's Director of Tourism at a time before the country slid into its current state, of course.

He special-ordered most of his Italian cars directly from Enzo Ferrari or Ferruccio Lamborghini, all built to one-off specification with special appointments. His Diplomatic Status allowed him to import his one-off Ferrari and Lamborghini Supercars into the USA in the 1970s without modifying them, running them as he did on Haiti Diplomatic plates.

In the 1970s, Ferrari specialists Cresswell-Baumgarten in Fort Lauderdale were responsible for the maintenance of the entire Silvera car collection at both his Miami mansion and his Port Au Prince residence.

When I first acquired 1120056, I asked my self the same question: WHO was the late Albert Silvera? I did lots of research and spoke to a few people who ought to know more, and recorded my findings exactly as I received them. The quotes below help piece together the jigsaw puzzle of what turns out to be a person who was a complex and interesting man.

Writer and Silvera friend Timothy Benford wrote in a published peice: "Albert Silvera was one of the wealthiest, and most influential people in Haiti. Easily a millionaire by any standards. He had a penchant for beautiful and expensive cars.... You have to understand who Albert Silvera was and that he was someone who was used to getting his own way. He had been Haiti's Ambassador-at-large for as long as anyone could remember. No matter who was in power in Haiti since the 1940s, Silvera used his wealth to charm his way into their circle... During the German occupation of Paris in World War II, Silvera spent almost a year in the City of Lights on a "diplomatic" mission and had a Wehrmacht chauffeur and a Mercedes at his constant disposal.... he had been a "spy-agent" working with Wild Bill Donovan and the OSS (predecessor to the CIA)". Benford goes on to recount a funny story about Silvera's impatience at getting one of his Countachs from Europe to Haiti. Sounds like any car-guy I know, anxious to take delivery of his new machine.

Larry Edsall wrote in Autoweek : "Albert Silvera a Haitian Diplomat and well-known car collector not only wanted a new Ferrari 275 GTB, but he wanted to receive his car personally from Il Commendatore (Enzo Ferrari himself).... Silvera, the owner of the acclaimed El Rancho Hotel in Port Au Prince, ordered his 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB through Luigi Chinetti Motors of Greenwich Connecticut. But, this was no ordinary 275 GTB.... Silvera not only wanted the long-nose car with the optional six-Weber carburetor intake-manifold setup, but he specified his to be painted electric blue ('Blu Silvera'), and that it have a Rosso leather interior!... Silvera had Scaglietti add headrests and armrests, removable seat cushions, and a removable dash cover, snap exhaust setup, Borrani wire wheels, brightwork on the fender and sail panel vents, velocity trumpets, and a special rear bumper indented to display the (diplomatic) license plate.... Silvera won his audience with Enzo. When he went to pick up his car, he was wise to take along several young women. Ferrari's sales manager immediately brought Il Commendatore out for personal introductions all round"

Claudio Zampolli told me personally, and I posted earlier: "Whilst I was working at the Lamborghini factory, whenever Albert Silvera arrived, he was in the company of a woman so breathtaking in beauty that the entire plant stopped work just to stare.... Ferruccio Lamborghini would have the main gate call him to announce Silvera's arrival. As the client walked in to the delivery area to collect his new special-order Lamborghini, Commendatore would already be there, polishing away at it. I guess Silvera was good for business!"

Tim Stanford spoke to me by phone: "I worked with Al Roberts at Cressman-Baumgarten and we were responsible for looking after Silvera's car collection. I remember the orange LP400 very well, one of the first Countachs in the USA. All of Silvera's cars were one-off specials from Ferrari or Lamborghini. Ferrari named the special colors after him, such as Silvera Blue etc. I remember he always reminded us he had diplomatic immunity so speeding tickets were not a problem. None of the cars needed to be modified to conform to USA regulations and they were all maintained in European specification just as they were built. I remember the special plaque in the LP400 noting its build just for him".

Al Roberts also spoke to me by phone: "At my time with Cressman-Baumgarten I remember the 'orange Lamborghini' very well. It was brand new, and we kept it that way. We looked after Silvera's Miami car collection, but he also flew us to Haiti to service the cars there such as the Miura SV Jota (4990) etc. The 'orange Countach' stayed in Miami often though, and he always used it when he was in Florida. The interior was brown, a leather trim color he really liked as a couple of the Ferraris including a 275 GTB I remember were special trimmed that way. I remember the orange Countach was tuned by Dallara for the Lamborgihini factory and it was very fast. Silvera was an accomplished driver though, but not hard or abusive. Our job was to make sure everything operated absolutely perfectly. He was an old-time playboy who dressed in sharp white linen suits"

I tracked down his daughter, Elisabeth Silvera Ducasse, and she e-mailed me: "My mother Gladys was involved in specifying the colors of some of my father's unique cars, and she even sketched some of the bodywork changes he wanted so they could be carried out" She runs the El Rancho hotel and somewhere there is a treasure trove of letters & documents recording this man's special relationship with the Ferrari and Lamborghini factory. Perhaps a trip to the El Rancho hotel to meet Elisabeth might be in order.

Of the special Lamborghinis built for Albert Silvera, the most prominent are Miura SVJ 4990, Countach LP400 1120056, and Countach LP400 (S) 1120222.

Hope these ramblings help paint a better picture of just who Albert Silvera was. Once I speak a little more with his daughter Elisabeth (and her sister Lolo), I will post some of the 'stories' they will no doubt have of their flamboyant father.

 

Link to the 12/1975 C&D article

http://www.joesackey.com/Galleria/Car%20and%20Driver%2012-1975%20(1120056)/

Link to some interesting documents (scroll to bottom of the page to see the docs)

http://www.joesackey.com/Galleria/Books%20and%20Tools%20(1120056)/

 

Martin S who owns 008 says Seasons Greetings to everyone from South America where the car is doing well and being driven!
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

John:

Paint: This car's paint is very similar to Miura 4170 that you recently purchased. 70% of the paint is original (Ive had this specialist-checked), complete with the typical 'shrinkage' that characterizes old lacquer paint, as can be seen on the roof and around the NACA ducts etc. At least 30% of the car has been repainted, as evidenced by the fact that the paint is much nicer than the rest, and these parts look like separate small repaints of their own (I wouldn't be surprised if some sectional work was done on no fewer than 3 seperate occasions). It is what it is. It is also due for a good color-sanding & polish and this is in process now. The original paint has never been stripped to bare metal and a repaint done, so in the traditional sense, it has not had a full repaint. It would be fair to characterize the paint simply and accurately as 'mostly original'. 'Paint not perfect' would also be fair, although the original parts are 35 years old, and this car was built for 'go' and not for 'show' anyway. Whilst a stunning looking car overall, I doubt I would be confident enough to show it, even after one of my own details, although the previous owner did bring it to Quail Lodge the year before last

Color: This car's paint color is really just the same red-orange used for many many Miuras. As we know, the Miura color is called "Miura Rosso", but is in fact reddish-orange , or just orange to most of us. 1120056 is variously labeled as "Rosso Speciale" (warranty certificate) and "Rosso Dino" (order sheet) on the car's original factory paperwork, so even the factory couldn't decide what to call it! In most normal light it really just looks like orange to me and I refer to it as such. In the shade it looks to have more red hue. I have noticed that the tinting process of C&D magazine in 1975 makes the car look more red than orange.

Interior: The interior is still the original Tabacco (brown) leather. 100% sure of that. Ive had that specialist checked also. It has clearly been 'connolized' though (air-brush redyed) because unlike the paint, it exists in immaculate state. One thing that is nice about the car is that all its original fittings & components are very well preserved.

Docs: The Dallara letter that I have is posted in the link above, but I have more docs & correspondence which I will post on my site for all to see sometime soon. My discussion with him is ongoing and the file on the car's work is being sought. For now, written confirmation of the factory's own assertions by the man who did the work, one of the greatest motor-sports engineers who ever lived (Le Mans, Indy 500, World Rally etc etc) is far more than I could have hoped for when I got this car. I cannot describe how happy I was to get his e-mail. Either Dallara or Silvera's daughter will have the complete file on the car's engine work and I am yet to retrieve it. I will be following up on this and plan to visit them both. The other thing that I will do is post a detailed photo-shoot of all aspects of the car (body/interior/engine) sometime in late January as this has been set up in conjunction with an upcoming magazine article.

Hope this helps.