1988.5 side skirts

Are you able to remove these? Also, I've seen both white and black 'caulking' on a white car, what's correct?

 

Drew, either white or back caulking is correct so far as it is in keeping with the caulking on the rest of the car.

Of course you are able to do anything. But its not worth removing the side skirts for 3 reasons:
- They are functional towards rear brake cooling and removing them means you have an 88.5 that does not have the main feature it is special for.
- You will have considerable bodywork with front & rear spats missing and sills to contend with.
- You are devaluing an 88.5 car.

Don't let anyone tell you some 88.5-era cars came without side skirts. From late 1987 to the point of Annivesario production they were all built with side skirts.
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Not that anybody really cares about this, but its always interesting to see people willing to convince themselves & others simply in order to validate the particular circumstances of the car they own.

For example, the 1986 USA QV with aftermarket side skirts being discussed over on that other LP forum

There is one simple way to show that they were a special build by the factory for that particular car: post a factory build sheet proving it.

 

What is the opinion on these skirts? I know they are aftermarket skirts, but is it possible that they were factory installed? I already plan on removing them ( I have all the flare extensions)
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No, not factory provided. But who knows,.... it is possible the factory may have had a good customer that said, "...hey while you are working on my car can you put these rockers on?...." I doubt it, but it is possible, but I don't think it matters because the market has deducted value on cars with these sills compared to the original configuration.

 

Beautiful car!

 

Some owners claim to have removed these sills only to find the car is Not
painted underneath them. That would prove that the factory did indeed install them imo. There are also a few stories going around from original owners, that they ordered their new cars to include one of the "styles" of sills. I think there is an aspect of this detail yet to figure out..?

 

Dont think the factory would have fitted them at all. If fitted they would have to be type approved etc which is why the rear wing came as a kit to be installed by the owner

As Joe said, show the factory order or invoice from the dealer showing these as extras. In the absence of that........well the factory fitted mine with a special 650bhp engine! lol

 

Does anyone know how I can get a build sheet from the factory?

 

Thank You

 

From what little I can see under them, the rockers do have paint on them.

 

From what I understand, the factory build sheet is as allusive as Big Foot. If not, the Ford Grabber blue ( I don't know what Lambo called it) Countach with the special suspension & engine factory mods would have been easy to prove. Pontiac has the PHS service, Chrysler has theirs, etc. A business suggestion to Joe S (Roy or anyone else interested) would be to offer a similar service. It would put you more in touch with owners (and potential buyers) & provide a needed service, and make a little $$$. You could call it Lamborghini Historical Service. If you need my email address for the kickbacks let me know .

 

First, nice car..who cares what it has or does not, it's still
a Lambo! Second I don't care about "claims" of so called
factory build sheets, most don't exsist or are total fabrication
by so called "experts" to sell a car they represent and make
it appear special. Third, I have had at least 2 Countach cars
that had side skirts from the Swedish/Norway Company attached
to both cars. BOTH when removed where "un-finished" on the
underside behind. COMMON sense says they were added AT the
factory. If not the cars would have been finished under them.
I am sure it was a "cool" option that was offered at the time,
just as we know they would do anything a customer wanted
if they paid for it, much like the COPO order muscle cars back
in the day, Which as well had very little "documentation".

 

Ooooh my car!!!
I must admit i prefer the curve of the Countach without the skirts but I would never remove them, that would be daft, these are what define this as a limited run Countach (88.5).
I also have my wiper fixed now so i can drive in the English summer time!!!!!!!

 

Well-stated.

 

+1 Vic. The white car above represents the only factory side-sills that Countachs were built with at Sant Agata besides the Annivesarios.

Best,

 

BS..splitting hairs here..A statement that the 88 1/2 and Annivesario cars were the ONLY mass produced car DESIGNED from the factory with the body moldings-skirts would be accurate..but to say they are the only "Factory" equiped is mis-leading at best..

EVEN in today's modern world you can STILL have Lamborghini add anything you want to your car for custom..IF you pay for it. In the past few years there have been ONE off colors, provided for and choosen by customers, special interiors and YES a few wings and other body additions as well on both Gallardo's as well as LP640..most "Custom" requests have been to the Roadster cars..

So it is and was a practice to have items added to YOUR car at production time..maybe not a "specific" factory built item..but it was "put on" at the factory, by the factory...

Remember, back then NO ONE knew their car would some day fetch more then they paid for it..or would be a collector car..it was just a NEW COOL car they wanted and did what their hearts and pocket book wanted..

I am sure 25-40 years from know..the same will be said about some of the cars that leave the factory now with one off additions..

Point is, regardless what "Dress" the car wears now, or what store it was bought in, it is STILL a Lamborghini Heart beating under the "Dress of Choice" from the then first owner...

I cant begin to count how many "one off Ferrari's" had off the wall stuff added when they were built..so it's NOT just a thing for Lamborghini..its for multiple car makers of the time..back when you could actualuy BUILD a car they way you wanted...and not just a assembly line cookie cutter knock off..

Today's owners of these cars need to quit loosing sleep over what "someone" else thinks.."It's YOUR car and YOUR money"..enjoy as you wish..and if someone does not like it..SIMPLE..have them pay you all the money you want for it and let them change it...till then...it's YOUR car AND it's not some others "free" paint canvas...

Its a CAR! Not a life support system...you will still wake up tomorrow and enjoy YOUR lifestyle and YOUR toy's...UNLESS you have decided your value in life is only what some other "Arm chair" Cowboy thinks you and YOUR items are worth..

 

The aftermarket skirts on the red CT ( great looking car btw ) look to be supplied by a canadian company called ARDEV based in Ontario at the time.. My friend in Ottawa has the same skirts on his '87 QV and was told it was a dealer installed option and not done at the factory. Maybe some experts from the canadian section may be able to provide more info about them but i think they look great on the CT.

Cheers..

 

This is correct, thanks for sharing this. I looked into this about 20 years ago and found out that Ontario-based ex-Canadian Lamborghini concessionaire Eugene Carrier was respondible in part for having these 86 & 87 QVs thus fitted.

 

I purchased a 1987 QV in 1987, that was from Ontario, Canada...it had these rockers.

 

This is great to get some first person input. I wonder where all the original lower
flare pieces ended up. Seems to be a market for them now.
How many styles were there? I can think of three....
the Vent, the Block and the Ledge (for lack of any names - this what they remind me of)

Any others?
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There's more. The white 5000s sold at BJ years ago had a different one. At the time, this mod was the rage. While almost zero Lambos were around me as a kid, I do remember seeing a few 930's that had the boxed rocker panels & some had the vents (Testarossa style).

 

You are probably thinking of the Koenig version?

 

Here were the ones Koenig offered, from Raymond's page:

http://www.countach.ch/tuning.html

Mike