QV DD GLA12945 Euro Body conversion

note - Switzerland cars sometimes have extra covers (Diablo has gearbox covered underneath) and noise regulations to the rest of Europe - so that may explain the long cover on the swiss cars.

UK is RHD, and many Anniversarys were fitted with QV interior parts rather than Anniversary parts - so expect RHD cars to be a mix of what's available at the time.

 

Mine if anyone is keeping track (JLA12210)
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More interesting imo is the side decorations being removed .. my buddy has them..likes them and thinks they are factory- i finally had to let it go LOL
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A similar thing happened with RHD P300 which retained the flat topped P250 dashboard until stocks were exhausted...

 

I also removed mine, they actually fit extremely well. I will keep them for the next "custodian"

 

You make my case beautifully, because there are a number of GD UK cars from 1986 and 1987 noted above delivered with the short valance, so, even if specifications had been consolidated as you theorize, they didn't follow their own rules faithfully which results in production anomalies, my main point from final observation.

BTW, irrespective of theories about rules which obviously did not have a consistent effect upon final production outcome, since you say it was not random, what is your explanation for the final delivery of cars across the production range applied with one engine hood strut versus two?

Exactly what I am talking about, perfect illustration of production anomalies, they happened.

In the case of the UK RHD 25ths, we are talking about the dashboard & cockpit air vents and the cockpit climate controls. What's apparent is that economics appears to have caused the factory to go from the digital climate control units and slotted vents of the 1987 & 1988 cars backwards to the manual climate controls and circular vents of the 85 & 86 cars, despite the fact that they were equipping the newer more advanced 25th Homologated with the newer equipment. Was this perhaps because supplies of the later digital CC units and slotted vents were exhausted, and did this cause them to disregard their own production mandates for the new 25th model?

Smart move

Another smart move

Another perfect example of Lamborghini production anomalies dictated by availability.

FWIW, here is an Italy-registered 1986 Downdraft with early LP400 super short exhaust valance, original or not?

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It is pleasing that you have now moved to discussing ‘production anomalies’ ie ‘something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected’.

The first place I would look to identify the cause of these anomalies is in stock control.

Arguably stock cannot be controlled, it is simply what remains after other activities. Opening stock + receipts – usage = closing stock. Sprinkle long lead times, minimum order quantities, late supply, poor forecast accuracy, inappropriate stock policy etc over the mix and the potential for disaster awaits any manufacturer. And the biggest sin is to run out of stock because production cannot continue.

Components for products produced regularly in large quantities are easier to manage than components for products produced intermittently in small quantities ie RHD cars.

Stanzani introduced a discipline where ‘nothing was ever wasted’ and this is reflected in a first in first out policy where earlier components are consumed before new/improved components.

An example of this is the RHD P300 dashboards where existing stocks of flat top dashboards were consumed before new supplies of stepped top dashboards, already in use for LHD cars, were consumed. The result may be retrospectively considered to be an anomaly but in reality it was simply the implementation of policy, and therefore done for good reason.

Turning to the short valance, assuming that the new long valance was introduced in '85 for the QV, if stocks of the short valance still remained they would not have been wasted and would have been used wherever possible, perhaps private sales, perhaps for grey exports perhaps for far away countries etc. However without sufficient data about which cars have these anomalies it is impossible to know.

With regard to the twin engine cover struts I can only speculate but if this was supply related and replacements had to be found at short notice, two struts might have been needed to do the work of one. It is also possible that they were specified for certain orders. I do not think that this was the random work of an employee with short term memory issues!

I can only speculate about the RHD 25th ac units, maybe supply related due to imposition of minimum order quantities but without doubt this was a decision made for a good reason.

These anomalies are nothing other than the result of pragmatic solutions to the business. I am confident that they were not the result of rogue elements in the factory, sunspot activity or the irregular flapping of butterfly wings in the Amazon basin.

 

Agreed, that has been my conclusion as well

 

Love all this work.. thank you very much for sharing!

 

If someone else doesn't get to it first, I'll be happy to oblige by the weekend

That said, you can use this car and scale the dimensions to get an accurate location as this looks to be a dead-on side profile

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Excellent post: I rarely post in the Lambo section but from my research books and articles on classic Maseratis and Ferraris I can confirm people tend to over analyze why do two cars with very similar chassis numbers sold in the same market (or not) differ in one or a a myriad of details...well because of what was available or missing from the part shelf.

This bumper conversion was very interesting as well congrats to the owner and some of you may enjoy the A to Z bumper conversion I did and documented on my former example of the MOST disfigured car ever in US version: the (Maserati) Khamsin: it is very similar in process but sooo rewarding when finished

Enjoy your Countach!

http://www.maseratikhamsinregistry.com/euro-bumper-kit-conversion.php

Marc

 

Exactly what I have been saying all along and have confirmed from the men who built the cars

 

As promised, tonight my daughter & I gave it a try.

At first it was clear that to establish the main dimension from wheel center-cap to the center of the turn-signal light unit, we'd have to use something help give a direct measurement and we improvised with a permanent marker!

For the second measurement, it was easier to go directly vertical, and the measurement obtained is from the silver bezel of the turn-signal unit to the crease.

Hope this helps!

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My pleasure

 

That is a stunning color - you're a lucky man!

 

Thank you!