Lamborghini in Rhodesia / Zimbabwe

Wow 3955 in Africa! Thanks for sharing this. Whats that in the left background, a Ford Zephyr?
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Lambos in Zimbabwe...wow

 

That's pretty awesome... Makes you wonder how much work went in to affording one...

I remember this Indian gentleman on this board who often flew in qualified mechanics from abroad for his F430...

This kind of unexpected stuff and enthusiasm is very cool to me.

 

Wayne: no I have never handled 3955, and although I have dealt with some Lambos from some pretty far-flung places, Zimbabwe was not one of them!

 

This countach was also delivered in that area, owned first by PRESIDENT MOBUTU of ZAIRE :
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=286211

 

Love the early motor racing and old photos links...There are some very striking characters!

 

Yes Joe, you are correct, the car in the background is a MK3 Ford Zephyr, a good staple British saloon from the late 1960s which served many families, as well as the British Police Force, for many years.
Here's a couple of shots of 3955 I took in 1993 at Silverstone. At the time, I was surprised to see it had a New Zealand number plate on it, as I knew of no Miuras in New Zealand after the sole example there left the country in 1992 or thereabouts. Turns out the owner of 3955 had bought a NZ plate from a trade stand at the show simply to get any old plate on the car, because it wasn't properly registered for the road at the time. Not wanting to attract the long arm of the law, and because he was dead keen to use the car, he got an 'exotic' plate so he could hopefully avoid any problems! I don't know if his ploy worked or not, but it was all good fun
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It's a pleasure!

Paul

 

Wayne: sorry but after Paul took this picture, 3955 was subjected to what I would describe as a 'makeover' with red paint, gold sills (not correct for P400S) and incorrect-spec SV rear wheels. In my opinion, P400 and P400S have their sublime & subtle lines spoilt by the addition of SV rear wheels. Without upgrading the rear suspension to compensate for the wider wheels they seem to handle poorly (read; even worse than a P400 or P400S might), which is what Le Mans-winner Derek Bell noted when he tested this very car subsequent to the makeover for Classic & Sportscar magazine.
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Derek Bell drove the Miura for a Supercar Shootout. Classic and Sportscars, June 2000.

He thought the Miura was quite unstable at speed on the track and noted he felt uncomfortable.

He liked the Countach a LOT better and said "It surprised me how good it is..."

As for scanning, its in the archives and will take me a while to do...

 

+1 about the wheels. Good on a SV, not so great on a P400 or S, but that's just my opinion. Good to see a more up-to-date photo of it though as mine were taken 17(!) years ago.

 

My factory production Register says on the 26th of June 1969 it was delivered to 'Christodonlatos' in Rhodesia.
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Yes pelle Nero is black leather.

Yes the engine number is 30389.

On the factory's original Miura list, 'GD,' which is short for 'Giusto Dirigere,' literally translated as 'right drive', so its a notation that the car was built in right-hand-drive, which would have been a requirement for Rhodesia in that era.

 

I will cast an eye over it sometime soon, but off the top of my head I know there were Miuras delivered to Algeria, Angola and South Africa, besides Rhodesia.

 

Notice the "ZA" sticker on the car. It had been in South Africa. My father in law worked for a dealership in Salisbury and according to my wife brought some interesting cars home from time to time. This included a Lamborghini and some Rolls Royce's. I will make a call back to them in the next few days to get some details. (They now live in South Africa and we are in the US).