Countach, the ultimate supercar

These images make my point perfectly.

In the 1980s and even in the 90s, an astonishing amount of automotive vandalism was bestowed upon many Countachs in the name of making them cooler, yet, none of these goofy mods has stood the test of time or can be considered to be truly desirable or in good taste for the respected collectible that the Countach has become today.

Why did all of these mods and bastardization generally take place in that era?

For one simple reason - Countachs were cheap, both literally and otherwise.

Garish body-kits and side skirts, rampant color-changes to non-factory spec and even turbocharging & supercharging that jewel of a V12 engine were some of the things done to the poor Countach in that era.

Take these S2s that were made in 1980 or so, I recall a discussion years ago where you were discussing 1121114 (converted to fuel injection), 1121198 (modified with Koenig panels and a charger), and 1121222 (modified as your images show whilst in Karlsruhe, Germany), and the list goes on with LP400, LP400S, LP500S etc.

Now here we are in the era where the cars are being respected by collectors and are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and more, so those who care about their heritage are putting them back to the way they left the factory, out of respect to both the cars and their maker.

This had been done with 1121222, by comparing the image below and those I posted in the last page with the ones you just posted, you can see the bull badge on the rear panel is gone, the terrible side skirts are gone, and the car has been returned to it's original monospecchio (single-mirror) configuration, the engine has been rebuilt, in short, it has been rescued from living life as a franken-mod and can now be looked upon with pride as a true representation of what it was created to be.

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Here is the S2 1121216, completed at Sant Agata September the 30th 1980 and delivered on the 1st of October 1980 to Monaco, it's owner tells me he has had it since 1981.

This car is an exception to the rule, it has survived without much abuse.

Well actually, it has been poorly repainted in the original color, the Vitaloni 'Flag' mirrors have been changed in favor of Vitaloni 'Turbo's and end-plates have been tacked onto the wing, but these are minor things compared to the pain & suffering many others endured.

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Here is the real Verde Abete S2 as it existed before the owner executed his plans to go back to the car's factory color.

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Does anyone know which LP500S this is with unique German registration?

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FWIW many LP400S S1 & S2 cars left the factory with just a single mirror, here is the late great Hans-Dieter Blatzheim and his 1121050, so appointed, as with wings and other things, 2nd mirrors were often added later.

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Here's an image of 1120022 randomly captured in period probably by a motorist who had the pleasure of experiencing this road-rocket howl by at speed.

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The Lamborghini SpA factory warranty book clearly says Monaco, so you should correct them not me, Im just the messenger.

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Yes of course, nowadays the importance of accuracy or truth in record-keeping is much better understood!

If you google the street name you'll see it's a Munich address, but the book says Monaco only, no mention of di Baviera, so the uninitiated person who is not privy to the inside joke or the factory mistake or inclined to look up street addresses, will read this car as being delivered to Monaco as that is what the book says.

 

Classic!

 

Is it just the image or is there a haze of blue smoke?

Monza, 1988.

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Here's another one for you:

1121206, built to Swiss specification and delivered there, yet the book is stamped by Achilli Motors of Milan, Italy.

Where is that image of Ubaldo Sgarzi working 2 telephones at the same time?

BTW we imported this Countach (which was serviced at the factory) into the USA where it now lives, a unique livery that will be preserved.

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You should see it now, he has really detailed the original paint & interior to perfection.

 

It appears from some research that the sales Manager of the period, Ubaldo Sgarzi, assigned many of the cars through Italian Lamborghini concessionaires even though the cars were not delivered ti Italy.