Basement Countach

[DL4567]

I've seen some crazy sh*t, and this really ranks up there. Impressive, but crazy.


http://www.themysteryworld.com/2011/09/guy-built-lamborghini-in-his-basement.html

[john 05141]

Wow, now that is impressive. The Countach is one of my favorite automobiles. She's extreme in every possible way. Beauty, style, attention-getter, cost of maintenance, fuel consumption,..
I always feel sad for replica's. "I want to but I cannot afford it". Most are poor in quality and design, and you can see from a long distance it is a replica.
THIS guy knew what he was doing. Only his winsdshield does not lean back far enough, to be perfect and some small details. You must be a connaisseur to see the difference however. I would not mind to see some interiour pictures tough.

But this guy is an excellent craftsman, I applaud his work.

If I could afford one, I would have (a real one)one for sure. Did you know the word Countach is an Italian dialect for Superb, awesome? I understood it was the kind of word you would say when this perfect looking girl would pass you by.

I have tons of pictures of the Countach, incl this sad one which breaks my heart every time I see one. How can someone dump a real Countach in a junk yard??
It is located in France, but the car was saved and restored recently and is for sale now for almost 100K€.

John

[Loach43]

Brilliant work and thanks for sharing. Who didn't have a poster of this car on their wall when they were growing up? This was the 'live the dream' car in its day.

[Mike C.]

I remember this story. It's actually a couple years old, but still a great read.

The sad thing is, for the $$ he spent doing this, he could have bought a real one! I found 2 for about 120k in 3 minutes....plus he wouldn't have to repair a giant ass hole in his basement! lol!

[dvonk]

Who didn't have a poster of this car on their wall when they were growing up?

+1, the Countach is one of my favorites as well. the level of craftsmanship shown here is simply staggering.

[Dangermouse]

I remember this story. It's actually a couple years old, but still a great read.

The sad thing is, for the $$ he spent doing this, he could have bought a real one! I found 2 for about 120k in 3 minutes....plus he wouldn't have to repair a giant ass hole in his basement! lol!

Yeah, Gibbs has moved onto cars ;)

The $$ is the same for anyone restoring a car, always going to cost more than it is ultimately worth.

But seriously, at what point do you say "I'm not going to buy wheels, I'll just make them"? :hmm:

If you have the skillset to hand build a Lambo, I dare-say that a bit of blockwork is something you could do in your sleep.

I wonder if you can even register something like this?

[Kenny_Z]

Didn't Lamborghini try to sue him over that car?

Amazing craftsmanship but if I had his ability that wouldn't of been my first choice. In fact it wouldn't be a copy of any car on the road.

[protodelorean]

Didn't Lamborghini try to sue him over that car?

Amazing craftsmanship but if I had his ability that wouldn't of been my first choice. In fact it wouldn't be a copy of any car on the road.

Kenny, you read my mind. I think this guy's skill level is amazing, but to do all that work only to reproduce what somebody else already did seems a bit of a waste. Even if he doesn't have the ability to conceive of his own design, he could have found a concept sketch that he liked and turned it into reality. That would've been cool.

[Farrar]

Does Lamborghini really make their vehicles' frames out of tiny bits of steel all welded together? I wonder how much flex you get with something like that, and also why they'd use squares instead of triangles.

Edit: I can imagine the phone call now:

"Hey, Rich. Remember how ten years ago when we were drunk you bet me fifty bucks I couldn't build a Lamborghini in my basement?"
"Uhhhh, yeah...."
"Pay up, man."

Farrar

[sean]

I remember this from .Com, guy is pretty skilled.

[pezzonovante88]

I HATE replica exotics, but I'll let that one go because that guy is clearly OUT OF HIS MIND! That takes serious skill, motivation, and probably marriage counseling. I love the fact that this guy did this though. What an odd situation to have.

[qwerk]

That had to be a great call.

"Yeah, you have a cut-off saw and an excavator?" ... "Alright, cool, this is gonna sound strange, but here's what I'm dealing with..."

[DL4567]

Some more info on the guy and the project:

http://jalopnik.com/5069251/exclusive-i-am-the-guy-with-a-lamborghini-in-the-basement

http://www.kiengineering.com/Home_Page.php


What a mesmerizing story. I laughed at the part about the guy's dad being German and what he said. Sounds awfully familiar to me.... :)

[john 05141]

Building a car yourself would not be road legal in Europe. True, you can buy one for that amount of money, but I think just driving into the workshop at Lamborghini costs you 500$...
I think driving a new V12 Lambo here in Belgium will cost you like 3000 or 4000€ in road tax only. A Countach older than 25 years is considered an oldtimer, and you pay... 30€.
So the used Countash has something economical, just hope the owner can maintain te car himself.

I had several posters of the Countach of course!!

John