All things being equal, which is more difficult to restore: Miura or Countach?

I would not expect a big difference until you get to the QV cars. The QV cars are slightly more complex engines, more wiring and more complex cabin air conditioning controls.

Cheers Jim

 

Having almost completed a Countach restoration and watched a Miura project progress, my thought is the Miura will generally be more difficult because being older, more may have happened to it during its life, and it has monocoque elements of the frame (which may have corroded over time). In comparison, the Countach, with its stout tube frame and fiberglass floor, is more straightforward. Both 2 valve engines are quite similar, but other than maybe some small internal engine bits little is interchangeable.

The most interesting part of the restoration of a Countach was the way that all openings in the body were checked for correct dimensions (I spent some time watching retired Lamborghini staff work, who make it look so easy). A plug is simply pushed into the headlight, window or taillight opening in the body. If it fits perfectly, the shape is good. A simple but ingenious method. Miuras seem to be more one off, which takes more work.

 

I have no experience myself, but I would have guessed the Countach to be far more difficult and involved to fully restore. Everything is packed in so tight and the chassis/ body relationship is far more complex.
I’m curious to hear from those in the know also!

 

To perform a period correct restoration the Miura is by far more complex.

Not in technical terms but in terms of authentical pieces, way the metal work was done etc. I have seen recently a P400 restoration where additional Sheets were added to the Frame behind the Radiator.
Also some Chassis Sheets were replaced, you could see at the first glance the huge difference between new and old.

The Miura was more or less prototyping wise butchered together, mainly the first series, they made a lot of changes and nowadays many restorations add features the car did not have originally but were wise or a development.

The Countachs from the 1980's on are serial cars, means pretty much identical, much less issues to be authentical.

 

I don't think you can say the Miura or the Countach is more difficult to restore than the other, and this notion is underscored by the fact that if you performed a last-nut-and-bolt no-expense-spared total restoration of a Miura and a Countach, you'd end up with @ the same expense.

Having fully-restored a number of Miuras and Countachs, I learned that the two different models present different sets of challenges, with one being more challenging in some areas area than the other, and vice versa.

Parts availability is challenging for both the Miura & the Countach, it really depends what you are looking for, and I can think of items that are unobtainable on both cars. However, there is a cottage-industry that supplies parts for both cars, and we should note that the factory is getting in on the act, so availability is certainly not getting any worse than say 10 years ago.

As regards Countachs, all the variants from LP400 though QV are pretty much as challenging and complex as the other from the viewpoint that (unlike the Miura) you are dealing with bodywork that does not easily come apart but is riveted on to a tubular frame, which itself by its nature restricts access to all the components within. The Miura's clamshell bodywork unhinges and comes apart which makes working on the car somewhat easier.

Whereas some of the Miuras chassis or flooring may need replacement, it's relatively straightforward to do in steel or aluminum, the Countach's flooring and bulkhead are composite materials and require specialist involvement if repairs are required.

Bear in mind also, that the Miura is basically a simpler car, and the series-production Countach a more complex car, the latter built as if it was never meant to ever come apart to be restored. In that regard, because of all the components involved and the more advanced technology being restored, the Countach is a bit more complex.

Panel gaps of both the Miura and the Countach started off quite good but may have changed in the last 30-50 years, so its a question of sizing up the individual car with whatever has happened to it in it's life and assessing it's needs, we can't generalize that one is better than the other here.

One thing I have learned is that the Miura by it's nature will require more post-restoration fettling than the Countach, get the latter right during the restoration and it will come together more predictably, I think this hearkens back to the production methods used in the era of the Miuira versus the era of the Countach, clearly the latter was better and more advanced.

Hope my experiences help.

 

Good post Joe.

Parts for the Miura on the average are more expensive than for the Countach if they can be sourced. Miura parts are more scarce. The Countach body is mostly a one piece and doing work inside the engine bay is more difficult.

 

My post was made in response to the OP's questions based on restoring the cars (as opposed maintenance).

Parts for the Miura are older and more vintage, so your experiences will reflect this.

With the Countach. it's not just the bodywork that restricts access, but, the configuration of the tubular chassis itself, that said, the chassis of the Countach is significantly superior to that of the Miura.