The top one is in the factory courtyard and the bottom one is again simply marked "1975" so I'd hate to speculate.
In that vein, here it is at the factory in late 1981, and its Giulio Alfieri delivering a special-order Rosso Rubino Metallizzato/Bianco Countach LP400S S3 to a VIP customer. Can anyone say who it is? Note the color of the Lady's blouse - to match the color of the car? Anyway, fascinating set of images. Note the Countach also has a white leather dash-board (hello sun-glare!), and white wheels. Pristine & perfect new engine bay. The bottom image shows a customer Miura with the Rosso Rubino Countach in the background. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
It is indeed the LP400 Prototype and yes it was originally green. Whilst I'm making no declarations, predictions or promises, after seeing the Miura book and the 288 GTO book become as successful as they have, I'd say a Countach book would make sense. After all, Ive got 30-years-worth of material!
The photo of the engine bay is very interesting! The cad plating really did have a string gold finish.
Indeed the bright-work when new was impressive, not only the cad-plating, but the clamps, lines etc. Unfortunately all tarnish with time.
Could the first two photos depict the original LP500 prototype during modification closer to LP400 production standard?
I just had a look at Bellu page 200. Turin 1974 was the launch of the P300 and P200 and there was a light [P300] and dark [P200] Urraco side by side on that same stripy shiny floor. No doubt in my mind your LP400 pic is at Turin '74.
Yes, of course but there are levels of finish. I've seen different restorations over the years and this photo straight from the factory floor is a fairly good representation of the finish level.
Yes and No, the old colour Image doesn't really Show the finish, also the weber carbs had a different finish than the throttle mechanism.
Here is a factory 4-liter engine-assembly image from 1981. It shows us a few things, even though it isn't a particularly good or high-resolution image. You can see that the cad-plating is fairly bright & yellow. But also note that the wrinkle-black of the cam-covers has a semi-gloss sheen to it, and is quite textured. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here are some more 1981 factory production images which mostly speak for themselves. They illustrate how hand-built the process was, and how small, spartan and simple the factory was at the time. By this point the Mimran money had arrived and they were rolling. Notice in the 3rd image, the first two cars from the left are in fact RHD cars. Whispered secrets were that Alfieri had a 5-liter engine waiting in the wings... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I agree you must do a Countach book, and knowing the power and allure of the Countach it would surely outsell the Miura and GTO books!
Joe: Did you notice in this photo that all 3 cars have the front trunk recessed (like we discussed in the other thread) like the original Prototype? Is this just because the trunk lids are sitting on there and not mounted yet? Mike Image Unavailable, Please Login
I think the GTO book will be difficult to beat. Those three letters GTO when combined with the word Ferrari are a must-have for many. But a Countach book would be good too. One day maybe.
Ha ha! Please continue to upload whatever you have and so we can all run a discerning eye over them! I'm trawling through the Miura thread for the third time and it's interesting to see the old Miura factory production photos you and others uploaded before the Miura Bible was published. These early Countach production photos are certainly whetting appetites for what could perhaps be the definitive Countach book.