Countach, the ultimate supercar

You are right. The parking garage of the Carlton Hotel in Cannes in the 1980s was a place you could always find a Countach. Or two...
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Paul I think that garage was across the street, and was used for the Hotel's VIP guests.

 

Pictured at the historic 115-year-old train station at San Juan Capistrano, pic by Margaret.

1038 is going to a new home, and the interior will be put back to the original Bianco leather and then its epic restoration will be complete!
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Well, I drove this car for 2 days and significant mileage and I can say there were no 'rubbing' issues at all. Ditto clearance.

Having said that, I avoided the very big pot-holes!!

 

Excellent point.

 

Another pic of 1038 in San Juan Capistrano.
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Before anything is done, we will try and fully establish what is correct.

So far, I have contacted the upholsterer who removed the blue-and-white interior in the current restoration and installed the tan interior. He has a lot of experience with classic Lamborghini interiors. He is absolutely adamant that whilst the blue dash & carpets were original, the the blue-and-white leather parts he removed were not factory original. We surmised that when the car received its two-tone paint application by Carlini, the seat bolsters and door panels were done in blue to give the interior a two-tone application also.

This took me back to the Factory production register and here is what it precisely says:
"Bleu Tahiti/Bianco". It does not mention anything about Bianco and Blue interior, whereas if you look at some other Countachs on the production register there is a mention for example of "Bianco Rosso" in the case of a two-tone application. The records are all we have to go on.

I contacted the man (J.D. Felter) who collected it at the Sant Agata factory for HRH the Prince Turki Al Saud and drove it out of the gates on April 13th 1979, and he recalls the blue dash & carpeting with white leather. So his recollection jives with the factory records. We learn as we go along, and with Lamborghini history you have to be open-minded. So it looks like the leather parts need to simply be white.. like Ive suggested before, it appears the two-tone application for this car was simply an era in its history that we can describe as its misspent youth!

 

Excellent description of the current state of affairs!

As it relates to what is perfect, a long time ago I decided that for me and for those I advise, these classic Lamborghini deserve to remain whatever livery the original artists created them in. That is perfect.

 

1121038 is the only one of the 27 small-gauge cars that was built in Blue Tahiti/Bianco.

 

I used to be the latter, but somewhere along the line, I guess I jumped ship, and and am now the former! LOL.

The reason the change occurred for me is that I begun to regard these the classic Lamborghnis as works of art. If I owned a Picasso that needed refurbishment, I would never say "you know, I would have painted that sky white instead of blue, so I'm going to go ahead and change it". I would simply respect the artist, and restore it as original.

I tried restoring a classic Lamborghini (my first effort) in a non-original color, and quite frankly I tired of the following question EVERYWHERE I went:

"Are those the original colors??"

As soon and I answered "No, but...", even before I could start my long-winded explanation, in most cases I would see a look of slight disappointment and waning interest, and after a while this begun to make me reflect. Subsequently, I owned another classic Lamborghini in an unusual color, and each time I was able to answer "Yes!" to the same old question and and leave it at that, I was filled with pride & satisfaction. It was a totally contrasting experience for me, and this is what set my resolve and made me understand that as Custodian, it is my duty to Preserve rather than Change. Of course, this is my personal experience, and all IMVHO!

On the other hand, I completely understand, different strokes for different folks, so I still say, do whatever makes you happy!!