Countach, the ultimate supercar

I read "Countach turbo S".
And what does that golden crown logo stand for?

 

Many thanks!! That's what i have found on this topic already... I will do with it for the moment but if someone as a better scan of those image or tell me where i can find them, i will be grateful!

Guillaume

 

They are in the 'Countach' book by J.M. Borel

 

Ok Jasper! Thanks!

Perhaps you can scan them for me

 

I guess the blue LP400 in the following Pictures resides now in switzerland?

 

Yes and No, since we found some Picture on FB showing a blue LP400 in Switzerland but with different mirrors.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I have no idea who gets the photo credit for this image. I just saw it on a feed in my Facebook page today and thought it was too cool not to share!

Mike
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

What a really great picture. Thanks for posting it.
Do you know where and when it was taken? In Switzerland?

 

Rallye Racing, german Magazine, that's Max Bobnar's collection with his first Turbo 1121160 and Miura SV 5110 still wearing the Torino number.
Also the red one is still in switzerland but I don't know the vin nor Location.

 

Thanks Raymond!

My gosh, I could only dream about a collection like that!

Mike

 

what red one? countach or miura ?

 

Agree, very cool Mike.

 

the miura, the CT on the left I don't know, Max had so many as a dealer...

 

I would settle for the 350/400 and Esapda. Brilliant photos!

 

Dear friends,

as usual, I am amazed by the depth of knowledge (and enthusiasm) that permeates this thread. I follow it daily, wondering how much better my Lamborghini books would have been if I had known you before I wrote them; communication, sadly, was not so easy when I wrote them and my sources were largely limited to personal communication inside the factory and with other Lambo owners, Club members, etc. The extraordinary exchange of communication and information between Lamborghini enthusiasts and Countach connoisseurs is a great example of how the Web has really helped us all expand our common knowledge; I say this, believe me, without the slightest intent of being witty or sarcastic. I really think that it is, and I would like to thank first of all Joe for his knowledge, experience and for the ability to keep this list more or less under control (not always an easy feat....)

I think that I must try to give some little information back to you all, out of gratitude, so I try. Remember the first '1120001', the LP500/400 Giallo Sole prototype used by Mr Wallace during the 1971-1974 road tests and smashed at MIRA in 1974? Yesterday I had a talk with longtime friend Giampaolo Stanzani about it.

Forget about finding its remains. If anyone ever offers you the wreck of that car, it's a fake. Somebody can and will do this, of course: even famous German manufacturers have recently endorsed the very dubious 'discoveries' of some people (Germans of course...!) claiming that they had found the remains of this or that VERY historic (read: valuable/expensive) car, etc. B***it.

'1120001' was wrecked at MIRA and the remains were scrapped shortly afterwards because that car was just an empty shell with an engine made out of scrapped (not working) parts, second-rate suspension members, shot shocks etc. It was meant to be slammed against the wall so it didn't matter what was inside the block, just how the chassis would fare in that crash.

Speaking of this, MIRA accepted to test the car based on the first platform-style chassis (meant to be the basis of a monocoque costruction, you remember) whilst signing the drawings of the tubular-chassis car....but that's another tale. Anyway, there was no interest in saving anything of that wreck. Second-hand Lamborghinis, at the time, were not worth so much anyway.

I must guarantee you that if that wreck had been in the factory 'graveyard' after 1977-1980, when I almost lived there, I would have seen it and I would have surely tried to save it, as I did with my Silhouette, the Urraco Rallye, 350GTV and so on. It wasn't there. It was scrapped before.

I did ask MIRA to get the permission to use some of their pictures for my forthcoming Countach project and they agreed. The date of the crash test was a mystery until now.... But these pictures revealed us that the LP500/400 was crashed in date 21 March 1974. Well, it may not be the Fall of the Berlin Wall but I just needed to share this info, completely unknown to me until now, with you all true Lamborghini enthusiasts.....

Have a nice day/evening,

Stefano

PS the last picture was included just to remind us all of that Countach (1120228?) that had an horrific crash but both doors would still open/close, proving that the MIRA test results were not unfounded.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Thanks for posting the detailed info and pics.
I am sure all here that's into the Countach appreciate it.

 

P.S.2: I used a pic taken from Joe's postings (thanks Joe...) to illustrate the crash but the date is not there (obviously). We found it in one of the pics officially released by MIRA to us for this book, and I shall be happy to publish tem....one the people in the publisher's office will make an acceptable scan for me. Cheers!

Stefano

 

Thank you always for your insight, Stefano.

Your years of Lamborghini history from the "inside" are always welcomed! Love the photos!!!!

Keep 'em coming!

Mike

 

Nicely written...I can feel the pain.

 

Stefano thankyou for this post into a part Lamborghini history.
Input such as this is what makes this thread magical. We thrive on this sort of insight.

 

yes. so refreshing! and these little stories cannot be better sourced. Thank you Stephano.

 

These are the stories that we live for. Thanks a million times.