Countach Downdraft 1985 to 1988.5

That is very cool.

 

A small portion of that would make a lovely wallet.

 

Joe do you have information about ZA9C005A0HLA12096?
As far as i know a german delivered car, red exterior- black interior.

 

is the Petrolicious video for Minram QV out?

 

So last year, not long after I bought GLA 12942, a good friend of mine bought rhd FLA 12817 through Mark Donaldson, here in the UK. Mark was very professional and I would recommend him to anyone.

I am pleased to say the car is now back from a bit of a freshen up. Mike P has gone through the engine bay, giving the diff seal the attention it needed, cleaning it up, tuning it and replacing some incongruous pipes and finishes. New manifolds and sports exhaust have been attached. In summary, the car is now running well, looking much better and sounding superb.

When the next Countach owners lunch happens, there will be at least one more taker.
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Great though it is to have the car back from Mike, there is more work to do and I am trying to help the new owner fill out some of the early history of the car. What are friends for? And anyway, I get a bit OCD about these things, even if it's not my car.

In the UK an application can be made to DVLA for a list of previous owners on any car that belongs to you. Which has been done. I already know the earliest registration of the car was B160 MKP. And that it was owned in the 90's by Phil Dobson and later by Nick Gatehouse. We have seen photos of it at the 50th in Italy. But there has been a suggestion made that the car was the Town and Country Supercar hire example back in the 80's.

Not proven at this point. I know that the Car Magazine QV/Testarossa test of April 1986 states that the red and black QV it used was loaned for the test by Town and Country but that car is registered B967MLN.

So either there were two T+C cars, or the plate was changed in the first year which seems a stretch since neither were personalised, or Dino's car never was the T+C car.

Can I ask 80's and 90's UK Countach experts (and Joe, that includes you!) what you recall about the T+C car or if any of these pictures, one from the Car article, and two of what I think must have been Dino's car at a Carrera Sport track day, jog any memories? I'd be very grateful for any input.

JB
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Final question relating to FLA12817. This one is technical.

Having had the chance to drive my '86 car back to back with FLA 12817, I notice the gear change feels different. More direct and planted in the later car, a little lighter to use but less convincing in the slot on the earlier car.

Obviously, this is either because the same parts are in different condition or they are different parts.

I recalled talk of actual mechanical differences in some early cars and indeed, looking through this thread I see mention of same and that Joe has posted that the Homologation docs refer to a different drive ratios. Other shave said "new gearbox" on later cars. But one UK mechanic tells me that the differences were really mostly around the synchros.

Searching the forums and internet for references to all of this, it seems that what we, as a community, have put forward an opinion that earlier "Porsche style" synchros were still installed on the earliest QVs and then there was a move to ZF parts on later cars.

I am sure it is true, but I can find no docs to absolutely clarify and confirm it.

I would be very interested to know if there are any papers out there that relate to which parts were changed and when. I don't think the whole gearbox changed. Joe asked the "when" question a while back (post 4385) but not sure there was ever an answer. Since the earliest VIN I have seen mentioned on these pages is 12799 and Dino's car is only 18 slots up the road it could be that his car has the earlier set up.

It would be cool to know exactly what FLA12817 is made of and what other early idiosyncrasies the car might have.

What do we know for sure on the "box" changes?

JB

 

Why We Love ?Ugly? Sports Cars From the ?80s and ?90s Now More Than Ev | GQ

 

John, great news that Dino has the car back. Will look forward to seeing the car at the next lunch event. I can't comment on the gear box question bur I'm sure the experts will be along in due course.

For those interested, weather permitting, I'll be attending the Goodwood Supercar breakfast club this coming Sunday. If you're around, come say hi!

Rob

 

JB, Here goes:

12817 was the third UK RHD Countach QV in chassis number order. [As with all things Lamborghini, I'm not entirely sure they were delivered in chassis number order!]. First car was Barry Robinson's blue car, which was BR33, and second was a silver car.

12817 was registered 22-4-85, and yes, it was supplied new to Town & Country (rentals), and yes, Town & Country did have two RHD QVs - the other was a much later red car with a tan interior.

12817 was originally registered URU9 I was told and shown some documentation showing this (see photo below). After Town and Country, the car was sold to a Mr.Tassle, but I just have his name and no other details.

I have a photo of it at the Silverstone Historic Festival in the summer of 1997 as B97FGT, so it was certainly on that plate by then. Also on this plate at 50th celebrations (see photo below).

When Mark Donaldson had it for sale, he wrote a reasonable history of the car on his website, which I assume you have.

B160MKP - I have the same photo you posted (see below too - black interior is clear with doors open), but didn't know which car this was, but if you have evidence that B160MKP is this car, I have no reason to think otherwise.

B967MLN - here is a mystery: B888MLN was originally on 12803, which then became BR33. B987MLN was on the second UK RHD car, which was silver. I have never worked out which car B967MLN is in the article you mention. I always assumed B967MLN was one of a sequence of plates, and it was put on a car (I'd assumed 12803) for the article.

Looking at post #100 (that was a while ago!). B967MLN does have a black interior, where 12803's is light.

So, I'd guess knowing that it is the red/bla Town & Country car, I'd say B967MLN is 12817, registered on B967MLN for the article and when with Town & Country (and I don't think Town & Country tended to put personal plates on their cars), as this is one of a sequence of MLN number plates. It may then have became URU9. There was a time when the dvla put cars back on a different number plate (not the original one as they do now) after you transfer off a personal plate. It could be that URU9 was taken off the car after a short time, then it was re-registered as B160MKP at then via another personal plate, at some point it must have become B97FGT.

Photos below - apologies for the quality and lack of knowing who owns the photos.

Robert W
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I noticed this car has the color coded (red) cualking/fender flares, my qv came like that. Not often seen.personally like the black cualking much better.

 

That is a neat article.

 

Did they build cars with red caulking?