Countach Downdraft 1985 to 1988.5

Thank you, I have passed this on, along with your personal guarantee of fitment

 

The wingless JLA12399 has aged exceptionally well.

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HLA12065 on the Lamborghini UK stand at the NEC, you can just about see the gold flake
in the metallic paint.

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Great image of FLA12863 cruising @ Brooklands

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FLA12863 all shiny & new (or almost new) @ Portman Lamborghini's
George Street showroom.

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FLA12863 was also the High Performance magazine's test car when almost new in early 1986, and race-car driver Tiff Needell confesses to winding the revs to 7,000 and dropping the clutch. Several times. He also described it as a "rocket sledge".

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Here is a better view of the Australia-spec rear side-marker I was referring to in a previous post https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/145669146/

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I missed this, excellent, I'll have my wife check Costco as well.

The owner of the car I'm trying to help draws my attention to a potential issue.

The first image is the aftermarket Walmart reflector.

The second image is the factory Carello reflector.

See the difference.

Not only is the Carello piece slightly thicker, but, more importantly, the Walmart piece is very square-edged whereas the Carello unit is round-edged.

He fears there will be fitment issues as the receiving lens plate has a recess machined with rounded edges so the Carello piece fits snugly within.

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The lens plate with the recess machined with rounded edges, you can see traces of the machining tool which created the rounded edges.

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On a factory original car, the Carello reflector fits snugly into the recess, and portrudes from the
lens plate because of it's thickness.

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Here is a better image of the factory Carello reflector with markings, I am being told that there are some suppliers who have obscure genuine NOS lighting components, such as Euroautoricambi, Autoepoca, Vintage Interior Car Parts, etc.

That said, we havent tried them for these units yet, I'll report findings here as I receive them.

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Another thing I am being told by someone who should know better than I is that it should be noted that the correct components originally used during production by Nuova Automobili Lamborghini SpA for all lens & light components for the rear lights of the Countach QV (Downdraft) are Carello, and not Altissimo, Olsa or Aric as you see in many post-production applications which are claimed to be factory specification.

To be sure, I went out into the garage and checked our unmodified car, and I believe he is correct - all Carello.

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For clarification, I am speaking of just the rear light clusters of the Countach Downdraft (1985 - 1988), which means amber turn-signal lens, red brake lens, white reverse lens, and red reflector, these should all be Carello-marked units.

That said, you sometimes see units in place in the rear lights of some cars retrofitted in recent times, which are manufactured by Altissimo, Olsa & Aric, all of which I am told are post-production application.

FWIW, you can still get Carello units if you really want them.

 

Glad you got that straight!

So many numbers to keep track of, I find myself confused often.

 

I should say that personally I appreciate any & all specific parts recommendations and parts cross-referencing, because parts for our cars are not easy to find.

One thing I should clarify with all due respect, the percentage of components that Chris Dugan sources from domestic retail outlets or home hardware stores for his restorations is roughly somewhere between zero and zero, rest assured! I've known Chris for 15 years, work very closely with Chris on a weekly basis, and am overseeing @ 6 separate restorations with him right now, so I'm really familiar with his working operation http://www.duganspecialties.com/ & http://www.duganspecialties.com/ferrari-service.html

There are a few people reading this who have actually taken the time to make the pilgrimage to Dugan Specialties and visited with Chris Dugan, any of whom can confirm what I'm saying. That said, I personally would have no problem with someone doing whatever they have to do to their car to keep it running or in good order, but please let's not start assuming that everyone uses their local hardware store as their primary parts resource! My wife would give me the look if I asked her to pick up some hose-clamps or carburetor jets for one of our Lamborghini or Ferrari projects next time she pops into True Value for light bulbs for the house!

I often hear this mantra that "it is the same" or "from a few feet away you wont notice", and I understand this thinking, but for me, I feel like a collectible car worth anywhere from half-a-million to a million, only the right component will do. I have learned that if you really persist, you can find anything. Perhaps my standards are influenced by the people I deal with who hold me responsible for some of the cars in their collection, they would kill me if I casually said to them "oh, its the same thing" when it clearly is not. Also, as these cars become more revered, I have noticed that many young enthusiasts including those who do not even own a Countach know exactly what is correct, you'll be surprised!

Yet still, a person can do whatever they wish to their car, I understand that.

Thanks, I will try Eurospares, and, Chris & I discovered during the restoration of our Countach that there are some specialists in Italy and Australia which I have mentioned above who are really good at getting NOS Italian car stuff for sensible amounts. I know, this will cost more money than at the local Ace Hardware, but, sometimes money (which can be replaced) is not the most valuable thing, it is time, time spent having to look again because the part was wrong, didn't fit right or look good, or, because the part needed to be modified to fit or work, the latter all a huge hassle. I think you understand the thinking of getting the right components that fit and work correctly, for a valuable collector car.

Here below is GLA12997 when it was being restored @ Dugan Specialties (pic by Chris), nary a hardware store bolt in sight!

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Going back to my previous comment about Carello components being factory-correct for a QV, here is a car whose USA/Middle East safety panel has been retrofitted with the European look, and they sourced Carello components per original factory application, looks good.

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Much discussion about rear reflectors but on a different subject they (along with other specifically-placed components) help corroborate correct ride-height.

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Tadek's Downdraft with original big wing affixed, someone said to me recently:
"When it comes to Countach wings, size matters!"

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