Countach, the ultimate supercar

I am going with underneath another vehicle. Though looks like body impact on hood and windshield, That side view show a car that was stuffed. Which explains the headlight pushed all the way up there and the deep scrapes and gouges on the sides.

 

Always a pleasure to see David Thieme's LP400 #1120232 (ordered to match his ESSEX company colors: 'Rosso - Blu') in its natural element, Monaco!

 

This poor Countach was LP400 #1120180, delivered new to Canada in May 1976.
The body was painted 'Blu Thaiti' (including the side mirrors) and the interior was a special two-tone combo of 'Bianco/Blu' with blue carpets and dashboard while the leather parts were white... except for the seats trimmed in blue leather!

FYI, there were a total of 10x LP400 ordered with 'Bianco/Blu' interiors, but I've seen so far 5 different kinds! With some parts either made blue or white (seats, tunnel, lower side leather pannels, etc.). I'll share some photos of those interiors later on.

Also, after the crash #1120180 went back to the Lamborghini factory and was rebuilt as a low-body Countach S in April 1981, painted 'Rosso - Nero' and returned to Canada, while retaining its original VIN.
Furthermore, in the factory archives the 300th Countach is indeed #1120180, skipping therefore the VIN #1121300. See the scan below for better understanding.

And here's that magnificiant 'Blu Thaiti - Bianco/Blu' LP400 #1120180 when new in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
(photos indeed from the collection of Neal Campbell who is so kind to share them)
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login


Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

This is a Ferrari/Dino color: 'Azzurro Metallizzato'
It is LP400 #1120116, indeed originally ordered in this special shade of blue for a Saudi Prince.

It would be a pity if this Countach was not correctly restored with all the particular details proper to a LP400 of that era...
It would be a shame if they actually screwed up completely by removing the 'Periscopio' off the roof for wrong reasons...
It woud be an outrage if someone (like the owner, for instance) would happen to know that Polo Storico refused (on two occasions!) the kind help of the most knowledgeable LP400 expert who would have given them plenty of period pictures, documents and testimonies to make this restoration a success...

Do you know, for example, the 3 differences between a LP400 built in June 1975 (like 1120116) and another built in July 1975?
Well, Polo Storico don't want to know!!

 

What are the differences Victor?

 

Alright!
At first I was thinking to keep those informations for my book (though I already used it when helping in the restoration of several LP400 in the past years), but since it won't be ready before 2020 at least, I guess it's better to simply share it around...
Hopefully this will help some LP400 owners / restorers to detail their Countach properly. I know several LP400 are being restored at the moment, very discreetly out of social media sight (like 1120004, 1120016, 1120044, 1120054, 1120076, 1120082, 1120104, 1120108, 1120132, 1120146, 1120208, 1120212, 1120244, 1120268, 1120270, 1120290 and some more) so if you happen to be or know the owner of one of those cars, make sure to spread the word:
Every LP400 was genuinely unique and there are important differences between all of them from changes / evolution along the production from early 1974 to late 1977.
I truly believe those cars shall be restored to the exact same way they looked like when new.

Just have a look at the images below, I tried to make it simple and clear. But feel free to ask specific questions if you wish to know more.
Also, keep in mind this is not an exact science and many LP400 were not built in the same sequence they were ordered. For example: 1120148 was built in priority right after 1120136. And 1120122 was built just before 1120120. This explains some of the discrepancies.

Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
This is why this forum is such a great place for enthusiasts. I for one would be very appreciative if you could post further detailed differences between these early cars.
And I will definitely buy your book. Will it be purely dedicated to the LP400?

 

The photo to illustrate the positioning and type of engine cover strut from 1120128 - 1120168 uses 11200274 .....mmmmm... Oh no I am becoming an anorak please help somebody!

 

I know you value this kind of knowledge, it's a pleasure for me to share it with you.

Well, the book would be a tribute to all of the 150 LP400, from 1120001 to 1120300, giving at least one page (if not two) to each car.
That will be quite massive and depending on the publishing costs and copyrights, I might have offer it as private sell to interested people. We'll see.
In fact, the iead doesn't come from me. Several Countach fanatics have asked me many times to make that book, sharing as much photos and story as possible.
As you can see I am already sharing a little in the Countach LP400 Vintage Photos thread... but I could share a different photo everyday for 10 years, there would still be more to show. And plenty of these LP400 have interesting anecdotes proper to them.
So, yes, a book should be made. This car deserves it!

 

Ha Ha! Only you could notice that!
But I did it on purpose. See, the photos are just to illustrate how the strut looks like and to which side it is according to the VIN.
At first I selected your car's engine bay to show how it looks on RHD cars between VIN 1120170 - 110300 with the strut to the driver's side compared to LHD ones that have it to the left. But then I realized it would look just the same for all the cars between 1120128 - 1120168!
So instead of two similar photos, I kept only one (indeed from RHD #1120274) and added the line *driver's side so RHD cars still have the stem on the right side under the other photo.

 

Oh now I understand ...and I now see what you are getting at . How you know all this minute detail amazes me and I am so impressed .

 

I'm going to mount a small wing on my early 1988 Countach (built 9/1987), and I'm looking for a measurement that will show where the mounts should be positioned on the trunk lid. If anyone has access to a similar Countach with a small wing, could you kindly provide a photo like the one below that includes a measuring tape to show where the wing should be mounted along the trunk lid? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

wonderful doc

where were these small console vents with chrome rings sourced from ? i seem to recall some autobianchi had them but there say they are from a commercial truck?

 

The early non flared cars look amazing in non metallic colors,such as this Orange, also yellow and Green. Baby blue would be very cool, but might be non existing.

 

Haha, several being restore? That's a lot of lp400 cars! Great to see. I sincerely hope they are driven afterwards. But I know some won't.

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

What a coincidence. I was just in the garage when I read this message and fortunately I had a tape measure with me (in centimeters). I hope this is helpful.
Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login