How to search vehicle history in Europe?

Please accept my apologies for a Lamborghini question appearing in a Ferrari site, but this is probably the best website for this question that I have seen.

I am a car enthusuast living in Dubai and have found a derelict 1982 Lamborghini Countach which I would like to buy and restore, however the vehicle registration system here is not as precise as in Europe and I am afraid of buying a stolen car. Unlike Ferrari, Lamborghini has gone through enough changes in management that theft records are hard to search even with a helpful dealer.

The car has "export" license plates and has been off the road for some time, the seller has no historical records to speak of, however, some information on the car's build plate is in German which suggests that it may have been sold new in Germany or Austria. No records of theft show up in any North American or Italian police websites.

Is anyone aware of any online source I can search in the E.U., Germany or Austria to check the serial number of the car for theft?

For the record, the VIN number is ZA9C00500CLA12498 and the engine no is 12496.

Many thanks to all who can help (even though it is not a Ferrari).

 

Interesting, that VIN number does not pass the 9th digit check code test, but
ZA9C00500CLA12098 does. I need to re-examine the numbers as they appear on the car. This does not bode well.

John

 

I have sent an email to the factory through a friend who used to work there, however I have been told not to expect a response until after Jan 6th. As I am meeting with the seller this weekend, this might be a bit late.

Some pay per search sites exist in the UK, I know that the E.U. has a stolen car information sharing database affiliated with Interpol, but have little idea if they share such info with private UK VIN search companies.

Us Lambo guys are pretty thin on the ground, although I did send an email to the International Lamborghini Owners Club to see if anyone had misplaced a Countach in the last 24 years.

Thanks.

 

The funny thing is that the vin ZA9C00500CLA12498 comes up as an invalid VIN number.

ZA9C00500CLA12098 comes up as a valid VIN but there is a pretty clear "4" rather than a "0",

Mind you so does:

ZA9C005000LA12498

The problem is that my photo is iffy (I will visit the car to reconfirm).

The car is seriously rough, has been sitting outside for a year. I have one mint LP400S Countach already, seeing this one decompose over time is breaking my heart.
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Thanks!

The car is not in Germany, alas. I am going to make another trip to the car this weekend to photograph all of the serial numbers.

The quest continues.

 

Lars, sorry, when Ferrarichat went down, the last two posts on this thread were lost. Can you repost the information you had on the car? Still trying to check title on it.

Many thanks.

 

Many thanks for the repost.

Too bad we did not connect earlier, we have an informal vintage Lamborghini club here, I would have gladly taken you for a ride. A few friends have Ferraris (newer ones) too.

I met the paint shop owner where the car's colour was changed from white to red, the interior is now black but it looks dyed, so a change in the past 24 years is not so unlikely. My black 1980 LP400S (No. 1121240) has a white interior, keeping it white is work.

A curious question, I imagine the license plate is just a matter of spotting the car and noting the plate, how did you get that car's serial number? A dealer?

I have sent inquiry to the Lamborghini factory through a friend who used to work there, as well as through the local dealership. Is there any online source to check license plates for theft in France?

Any idea which dealer or independant service shop may know the car, or even what part of France it used to live in?

For your records I enclose pictures of my 1980 car in its previous home in Monaco. I will have to take some better pictures of the French (?) car.
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Many thanks for the quick response.

I bought 1121240 in Dubai in January of 2006, the former owner bought the car when he lived in Monaco at the Bonhams Monaco Auction in May of 2003 and brought the car to Dubai in 2005.

1121240 was sold new to the Hillcrest Motor Museum in Beverly Hills, Ca. in December of 1980 and delivered January 23, 1981. The car stayed in the museum until the owner of the museum died in 1995, at which time Southebys sold the car at auction to a car dealer on the East Coast of the USA.

The car then went to a buyer in Holland in November of 1995, before making its way to the aforementioned Bonhams sale in 2003. I am unaware of the car making it to the USA in 2003, in fact, the car has a one time only US DOT/EPA waiver on the basis that it was orginally being imported for a museum display. I doubt the car could have gone to the USA since then, as it was not yet 25 years old and would not pass EPA and DOT regulations and the waiver would no longer apply.

1121240 had about 2400 km on the clock when I bought it, about 3500 km now.

Although the red 5000S needs so much work that it would be cheaper to buy a good example elsewhere, I like the idea of a driver Countach I can restore myself.

Please keep me informed on any details your friend may discover.

Kind regards.

 

Thanks.

Monaco plate was L485, current plate is below.

Again, many thanks for any help you can provide on that 82 LP500S.

John
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No problem. With your help I hope to provide the details of registration for another Countach soon....