Countach Downdraft 1985 to 1988.5

The same thing happened at Ferrari also, and dozens of GTOs were collected at the works and driven home on EE plates, as Niki Lauda and Mick Jagger did.

Fortunately some of these plates survive.
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Enough on this topic, but, I do think they are a nice touch!

Of course in some countries where currently-registered front plates are enforced, you can't mount the EE plates anymore.
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Another (cold-starting!) Countach Downdraft with the heat-shield behind the exhaust not painted black
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4fKDkc3wIs[/ame]

 

And here is the beautiful FLA12858 (or is it GLA? I'm doing this from memory) that also has an unpainted heat-shield.

* Before anyone comments, I belive that plate is gone!
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I am aware that plans are afoot under this new CEO to show more care for the classic cars, because I have recently been contacted by someone who will be involved in that process.

But waiting 15 years is beyond being patient, considering the minor rectification the car needed and what the time-span conveys. Under the previous CEO the works could easily have treated the LP400 with a little more respect the past 15 years - have you seen the non-original smoked turn-signal lens covers they applied a few years ago?

Seriously

That's said, its good news to learn first-hand that some long-overdue TLC will be forthcoming.

Here is the LP400 Prototipo, about to be shown to the whole world on the Grand Tour, sadly still with its cosmetic aberrations...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaZqhgGkR2A[/ame]

 

I am suggesting precisely what I said, which is - bearing in mind the hand-built nature of our cars, another consideration is going to be, is the body affixed to the chassis precisely the same on both sides?

My suggestion has nothing to do with worn springs or less-than-optimum suspension geometry - which we have covered.

Although a jig is at play to standardize placement of flexible body panels and align them properly, they still had to be riveted on by human beings, and I know it to be an indisputable fact that many Countach bodies are not precisely symmetrical from left-to-right as they leave the factory!

I base this knowledge on the dozen or so Countachs Ive owned the last quarter century, and perhaps a hundred more I have inspected, and you'll note that when you are talking the difference of a sill riveted on to the chassis just 2mm higher on one side than the other, that alone can account for the measuring difference we are seeing in some Countachs - as Harry's measurement experiment may have showed.

All credit to Giancarlo Guerra's jig, but just because a jig is used does not mean the outcome is automatically perfect, with a hand-built car. Perhaps his jig was used more properly by some teams than others, but the fact remains that Countach bodies have lots of 'character' from the factory, and that's what I was referring to.

After the jigs were used to help apply the panels, why do you think there were men with hammers beating on Countach bodies to get them better aligned and positioned?
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The hand-built era, it all depended on who was doing the work.
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During the restoration of GLA12997, I learned that every aspect of the Countach from top to bottom, has variations, and nothing is precisely symmetrical. IMO its what makes these cars so special.
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Anyone (Emilio?) know the chassis number of this Padua/Italy-registered 88.5 Downdraft?

This is the car used by ex-Lamborghini test driver Stanislao Sterzel for the April 2016 Ruoteclassiche magazine shoot.
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You are missing the point of my rebuttal.

Let me try another (perhaps more direct) way.

To your comment "Are you seriously suggesting that Guerra's jig didn't work properly?" my answer is: Yes, I am, sometimes the jig did not work properly.

Why?

Because the jig was operated by human beings, and the riveted application of the body panels had to be carried out by human beings.

Accordingly, one side might be fitted 1mm or 2mm off than the other, and I have personally seen this. Therefore, when measuring from the sill to the ground, the measurement from left side to right side will not be the same, and this might fool you into believing the chassis of the car is not precisely level.

Until someone shows me images of robots carrying out an automated manufacture of the Countachs, I stand by my assertion that the car's are not precisely symmetrical from side-to-side.

In any case, I have first-hand proof of this based on my experience with the Countach that spans from back when the cars were still being manufactured.

 

Thank you, appreciate that.

 

Great story.

BTW, to me, these Supercars from the hand-built era are very special indeed, because its almost as if they are 'alive' with individual character. Its like a human being looking in the mirror, not symmetrical either...

 

That's a good expression to cover what I was trying to say.

 

UK-registered E 3 ULL ZA9C005A0JLA12309, it was first registered on the 2nd of March 1988, and still looks as good as ever! No surprise, it has a great keeper.
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No need, my only point of contention was to your original question "Are you seriously suggesting that Guerra's jig didn't work properly?" to which my answer is and will always be: Yes, I am, sometimes the jig did not work properly" for reasons (judging by other people's responses) I'm confident I have adequately described. Your original question came off as if Guerra's jig was infallible and that is was highly unlikely to be the cause of any measurement discrepancies.