Countach, the ultimate supercar

Fantastic interview of Paolo Stanzani. He explains the birth of the Countach. Really worth seeing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnbujasMMWE

 

After 30 years, FINALLY I have seen the 500 mile from new Countach LP5000S, which is at ddclassics in London after being purchased as part of a 27 car collection with Talacrest, and after being for sale for many years at Amari Supercars. Thank you to all the guys at ddclassics - they offered to take a photo of me with the car, and I thought why not, and felt like a little boy again!! The photo maybe makes me look like one of the headless horsemen of the apocalypse, but the car looks great, and was sitting near to a RHD Testarossa with 1300m on the clock! Nice.
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1976 Lamborghini LP400 - Symbolic International
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The listing implies the original order of black / black was modified. Was this car not delivered in its current livery?

 

http://supercarnet.digiweb.jp/Boom/Boom-countach.htm

Produced in black/black. See 5th row, right side.

 

thanks for sharing this link, great video and great history!

 

There are some more! I missed them yesterday:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkaPotkJABA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFIAVQr8L54

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApcSHVTr8UE

Stanzani tells his first day with Ferruccio, visiting Pirelli in Milan and the first two lessons learned this day. AMAZING!

 

Noticed a couple Countach's at Gullwing:

5000S:
1984 Lamborghini Countach LP 5000S -

25th Anniversary:
1989 Lamborghini Countach -

Mike

 

Interesting. I thought Drew sold it. Or did Peter (Gullwing) buy it? Or is he now doing private treaty?

 

does somebody know which VIN is this LP 400 => https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/lamborghini/countach/1976/304065

since Techno Classica Essen ended, there are more Periscopa offered actually than the 3 previous months...

 

Thanks Joe !

 

Hello guys,

Anyone knows the Countach QV intake and exhaust camshaft degree?

Is it 280/260?

Thank You very much.

 

After lots of research, and thanks to people like Del Hopkins, Gachon and Pluquet (for those of you who know them) and a few more enthusiasts... We've been able to gather different parts of #1120268's story!

Originally painted Rosso - Bianco and delivered on June 30th, 1977 to Berlinetta Italia Ltd. in the UK, the car was registered with temporary UK plates [QP1217] and sold to the Saudi Royal Family shortly after, in July 1977.

(scanned document kindly shared by Derek Del Hopkins, from Berlinetta Italia Ltd.)

The Black&White photos show 1120268 outside the Embassy House Hotel, 31-33 Queen's Gate, South Kensington, London, SW7 5JA, in October 1977. (posted by Joe Sackey earlier in this thread)

Later this LP400 was sold/exported to the USA. We don't know when the LP400S modification was done.
We could find a registration in Houston, Texas, from March 26th, 1985. It was bought from another person from Houston, meaning the car might have already been there for a while...?
At that time, the interior wasn't White anymore but "Tobacco".
In 1986, the owner had troubles trying to convert it to US-specs since the car wasn't really legal.

(the 3 first color-photos show the car before receiving its "rear bumper", if we can call it this way)

The car was bought by Hervé Gachon in 1986 and exported to France where he had it restored, while keeping its 'S' guise.

Hervé kindly shared lots of photos, including some when the car was in Miami, still in 1986 (near the Ferrari BB and the Corvette) and later in Lyon, and around the Savoie county (French Alpes).

During the restoration at a workshop in Toulouse (South of France), the interior was changed to Black (featuring brand new red Sabelt harness), the suspensions were changed and individual mesh covers were added to the carburetors (instead of the 2 big covers).
He also bought some spare parts from an ex- Lamborghini agent of Yverdon in Switzerland, to complete the restoration.
Note that the turning signals have been completely removed from the sides of the car.
Hervé said: "the previous owner had cut the body pannels around the wheel arches, that's why I didn't restore the car to its original narrow shape."
He sold it in 1989 to another French person.

There are also several pics of 1120268 from the '90s available, posted earlier in this thread.
During the mid-'90s, my good friend Maxime "RBM" even had the chance to sit in it... alongside a 5000QV!
He tried both of them and told me 1120268's engine was feeling higly tuned and this LP400 was incredibly fast and felt more fierce than the QV!
It was confirmed by Hervé that the engine was tuned during the restoration.

Around 2000, this Countach was sold and restored to its original 'narrow' guise... and repainted 'Full White'. The mesh covers have been replaced by a standard cover on both sides of the engine. Note that those covers were taken from a Front-V12 Lamborghini engine.
Funilly enough, the lateral turning signals haven't been restored back... And with the side mirrors (not being replaced since the '80s), it is the only way to recognize the car!

Pierre Pluquet saw it in Monaco and shared some interesting photos of it.
On one of them, we still can see the 'S' badge at the rear.

This LP400 is now in Switzerland and seems to be rarely driven.
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Good detective work Victor

But you wrote it is now in CH, are you sure ?

it belonged to a friend in Monaco... and a week ago when I spoke to him, he didn't mention he sold it !

 

Hi Olivier.
This information of last sentence I wrote was taken directly from the ILR:

"2007 - Now with Yves S., Monaco.
2007 - This car is this month sold to someone in Switzerland.
The car is now presently in Switzerland."

It would be good to confirm in which country this LP400 resides now... if you can.

 

Victor, that was great reading. Love the detective work. I appreciate that post

 

I ring him, it is in Switzerland by now, mea culpa, my confusion came from the fact he had 2x Lp400 white/white...

 

Thank you!

I've learned so much from this thread, thanks to the great enthusiasts among us here...
now I'm happy to share with you what I could find after all these years of research.

More to come, soon.

 

Well, I see two 2x Lp400 white/white in the last photo....