Importance of Countach original colour?
Discussion
carspath said:
How much do you think it would cost to be a really good paint job on a Countach ?
A really decent job that one could be proud of , but not an over the top , no-holds-barred jobbie ?
I have never looked into this , and am curious .
Had mine done quite a long time ago. Properly. £8,000 cash. A really decent job that one could be proud of , but not an over the top , no-holds-barred jobbie ?
I have never looked into this , and am curious .
carspath said:
How much do you think it would cost to be a really good paint job on a Countach ?
A really decent job that one could be proud of , but not an over the top , no-holds-barred jobbie ?
I have never looked into this , and am curious .
Most paintshops over quote on classic cars because of their age not forgetting it's Italian as well and just in case they open up a can of wormsA really decent job that one could be proud of , but not an over the top , no-holds-barred jobbie ?
I have never looked into this , and am curious .
This is purely guess work as prices have gone though the roof since i last had any major body work done,
£10/£15 from a smaller company ,£20/£25 from a company,something like DK Engineering and a open cheque book if a main dealership.
My friend has just had his 1997 Aston Martin V8 repainted for £8k windows out job ,I did have my doubts but they made a perfect job of it even under strong lights, the Aston specialist who looks after the mechanics told him he wont get any change out of £25k.
The difference is the £8k job was done by someone who saw it as a car that needed painting rather than it's a Aston Martin ,the owner can afford it and use it as his meal ticket .
The most important thing is who ever paints it will be enthusiastic and enjoy doing the job and not see it as merely a task ,
Edited by rat rod on Friday 11th September 22:30
Thanks both
At least to me , that is another reason for enjoying the hairline and superficial paint cracks on the kevlar engine cover , and the spidering around the nose badge , as genuine reflections of age , and signs of retaining the original factory paintwork .
While I would enjoy looking at perfection , having the original patina outweighs the joy of cosmetic handsomeness .
Furthermore , leaving it as it is , always gives one the opportunity of a repaint at a later stage.
But once the original factory paintwork is altered , you cant go back to it .
It's a one way street .
At least to me , that is another reason for enjoying the hairline and superficial paint cracks on the kevlar engine cover , and the spidering around the nose badge , as genuine reflections of age , and signs of retaining the original factory paintwork .
While I would enjoy looking at perfection , having the original patina outweighs the joy of cosmetic handsomeness .
Furthermore , leaving it as it is , always gives one the opportunity of a repaint at a later stage.
But once the original factory paintwork is altered , you cant go back to it .
It's a one way street .
carspath said:
Thanks both
At least to me , that is another reason for enjoying the hairline and superficial paint cracks on the kevlar engine cover , and the spidering around the nose badge , as genuine reflections of age , and signs of retaining the original factory paintwork .
While I would enjoy looking at perfection , having the original patina outweighs the joy of cosmetic handsomeness .
Furthermore , leaving it as it is , always gives one the opportunity of a repaint at a later stage.
But once the original factory paintwork is altered , you cant go back to it .
It's a one way street .
Unless you are going to enter it in Salon Prive or similar i would leave well alone.At least to me , that is another reason for enjoying the hairline and superficial paint cracks on the kevlar engine cover , and the spidering around the nose badge , as genuine reflections of age , and signs of retaining the original factory paintwork .
While I would enjoy looking at perfection , having the original patina outweighs the joy of cosmetic handsomeness .
Furthermore , leaving it as it is , always gives one the opportunity of a repaint at a later stage.
But once the original factory paintwork is altered , you cant go back to it .
It's a one way street .
Sounds perfect to me, Although we enjoy cleaning our cars,well at least i do, we enjoy driving them more so the odd blemish won't deter from that.
carspath said:
How much do you think it would cost to be a really good paint job on a Countach ?
A really decent job that one could be proud of , but not an over the top , no-holds-barred jobbie ?
I have never looked into this , and am curious .
I've just had mine done at Furlonger and they did a really good and I am very fussy! Change out of £10kA really decent job that one could be proud of , but not an over the top , no-holds-barred jobbie ?
I have never looked into this , and am curious .
carspath said:
Thanks Redwing -- that's really useful information
Take a look on their website if you want a better look at what they have done.https://simonfurlonger.co.uk/cars/show.php?id=1216...
Redwing said:
I've just had mine done at Furlonger and they did a really good and I am very fussy! Change out of £10k
As carspath said this is really useful info. Was that for a complete respray of absolutely every possible part? And if it's not a rude question... was the price negotiated on the basis that they are going be selling it?At some point in the future mine will need more paintwork and I'm wondering about going the whole hog and doing a complete colour change back to it's original Lamborghini black. It was resprayed in a blacker black by a previous owner. Side by side with a "Lamborghini black" Countach mine looks better... but it's not original so I may change it.
It was part of a huge amount of work I have had done including enging out, clutch, rebuild the carbs and complete overhaul of all the oily bits and suspension. Yes it was a complete repaint They have gone through the whole car and detailed it to a very high standard. The car now is better than it was when I bought it 14 years ago. Also it has been tuned to factory demonstartor tune so it is also bloody quick! If anyone has a countach they should have a chat to them about the tune set up as it makes a big difference. Ask for Jeff who runs the workshop as they have done a huge amount of work on how to set these up properly. I would guess with the sports exhaust mine is now running at close to 500bhp!
rat rod said:
Spur Classics have a video out, think it's on You Tube, They mainly have American and British classics but the owner has Acapulco blue Countach and a Miura , may be of some interest to you .
PS.The Acapulco blue 5000 S i drove for Portman had two tone seats blue with white inserts i think. May of been the other way round ,memory not so good as it was , it was some time ago after all. .
Just thought i'd mention it as might give you some idea's what to do with your interior, it did break it up a little.
Hey rat rod - what are the chances. Read your post the other day about the blue Countach and then last night I was flicking through an old Supercar Classics magazine from 1988 and saw this advert and I'm guessing there can't be too many with a blue interior with white inserts!PS.The Acapulco blue 5000 S i drove for Portman had two tone seats blue with white inserts i think. May of been the other way round ,memory not so good as it was , it was some time ago after all. .
Just thought i'd mention it as might give you some idea's what to do with your interior, it did break it up a little.
Edited by rat rod on Thursday 10th September 18:07
IMG_9083 by snapper seven, on Flickr
IMG_9085 by snapper seven, on Flickr
IMG_9084 by snapper seven, on FlickrCheers
SS
snapper seven said:
rat rod said:
Spur Classics have a video out, think it's on You Tube, They mainly have American and British classics but the owner has Acapulco blue Countach and a Miura , may be of some interest to you .
PS.The Acapulco blue 5000 S i drove for Portman had two tone seats blue with white inserts i think. May of been the other way round ,memory not so good as it was , it was some time ago after all. .
Just thought i'd mention it as might give you some idea's what to do with your interior, it did break it up a little.
Hey rat rod - what are the chances. Read your post the other day about the blue Countach and then last night I was flicking through an old Supercar Classics magazine from 1988 and saw this advert and I'm guessing there can't be too many with a blue interior with white inserts!PS.The Acapulco blue 5000 S i drove for Portman had two tone seats blue with white inserts i think. May of been the other way round ,memory not so good as it was , it was some time ago after all. .
Just thought i'd mention it as might give you some idea's what to do with your interior, it did break it up a little.
Edited by rat rod on Thursday 10th September 18:07
IMG_9083 by snapper seven, on FlickrIMG_9085 by snapper seven, on FlickrIMG_9084 by snapper seven, on FlickrCheers
SS
Thinking about it Portman went just after the Diablo came out as i remember people who had left £20k deposit on them getting very
concerned.
So it would have been either around that time of the ad or sometime before as Peter Leonard-Morgan was at Portman around the the Diablo era from memory and Mike had opened Connaught Cars in Chelsea by then.
I've still got that copy as well,infact i got them all and some,Glad i'm not the only one that hangs on to these mags,
Thanks for the post.
Edited by rat rod on Friday 25th September 21:31
I think the original color is then important if it was not one of the standard range, or if the car a special order for a VIP.
Especially in UK, a lot of unique colors were ordered, of course you might like or not - but if you want a standard color then buy a car with this color.
Otoh, when you repaint a boring red car into white or black nobody really cares.
But f.e. the pink LP5000s would be great to have back in original color because it's unique.
Or the gold Dutton LP400s, this car lost all its specialty being black, since there were hardly any gold cars.
Especially in UK, a lot of unique colors were ordered, of course you might like or not - but if you want a standard color then buy a car with this color.
Otoh, when you repaint a boring red car into white or black nobody really cares.
But f.e. the pink LP5000s would be great to have back in original color because it's unique.
Or the gold Dutton LP400s, this car lost all its specialty being black, since there were hardly any gold cars.
Edited by raymondqv on Monday 5th October 13:40
raymondqv said:
I think the original color is then important if it was not one of the standard range, or if the car a special order for a VIP.
When you repaint a boring red car into white or black nobody really cares.
But f.e. the pink LP5000s would be great to have back in original color because it's unique.
Or the gold Dutton LP400s, this car lost all its specialty being black, since there were hardly any gold cars.
I agree but it first went blue then yellow,as far as i know it's never been black,unless someone knows different.When you repaint a boring red car into white or black nobody really cares.
But f.e. the pink LP5000s would be great to have back in original color because it's unique.
Or the gold Dutton LP400s, this car lost all its specialty being black, since there were hardly any gold cars.
The flesh coloured LP5000 and pink one should never have been changed but i know not to everyone liking,
Both are now white and living in Australia i believe,
Think Wheelhouse in Nottingham did the colour change on the pink LP5000 when they sold it.
Edited by rat rod on Monday 5th October 13:50
Just to add on an additional observation to my previous posts , which is admittedly a tangential point to the OP's question :
There are now increasingly few Countachs that have NEVER been repainted .
They therefore exhibit quirks that are immediately lost when a car is repainted in a brand-new 2020 paint booth with excellent ventilation and humidity control , using modern paint , and the latest paint techniques .
Chassis 12399 which has never been repainted , demonstrates this beautifully on its wheel arches - the period paint booth in Sant' Agata was less than perfect , and you can see tiny , almost microscopic bubbles within the paint on the wheel arches .
In fact ,if you have an un-repainted Countach , you don't need to spend money on a calendar , as you will be able to tell when the winter and summer solstice is merely by looking at the size of the said bubbles .
The bubbles have never broken the paintwork surface in the 32 years since the car left the factory , and have shown no non-seasonal alteration in the 20 years that I have been observing them .
So repainting a car , even back to its exact same factory paint code , carries consequences and disadvantages .
There are brief periods when I would love to have an absolutely perfectly perfect car , but correcting minute paint blemishes ( spidering around the nose badge where the artisans were slightly ham-fisted fixing the badge in the factory ; hairline paint fractures on the composite engine compartment lid when Lamborghini had not yet mastered the art of painting on kevlar ) are too high a price to pay for losing tangible evidence of a Countach's , and Lamborghini's , past .
Sure , Chassis 12399 is probably less valuable from a monetary viewpoint than a Pebble Beach concurs entrant , but un-retouched cars are increasingly rare now , and are of historical importance .
Such a shame that the judges , and most of the public , cannot appreciate this .
There are now increasingly few Countachs that have NEVER been repainted .
They therefore exhibit quirks that are immediately lost when a car is repainted in a brand-new 2020 paint booth with excellent ventilation and humidity control , using modern paint , and the latest paint techniques .
Chassis 12399 which has never been repainted , demonstrates this beautifully on its wheel arches - the period paint booth in Sant' Agata was less than perfect , and you can see tiny , almost microscopic bubbles within the paint on the wheel arches .
In fact ,if you have an un-repainted Countach , you don't need to spend money on a calendar , as you will be able to tell when the winter and summer solstice is merely by looking at the size of the said bubbles .
The bubbles have never broken the paintwork surface in the 32 years since the car left the factory , and have shown no non-seasonal alteration in the 20 years that I have been observing them .
So repainting a car , even back to its exact same factory paint code , carries consequences and disadvantages .
There are brief periods when I would love to have an absolutely perfectly perfect car , but correcting minute paint blemishes ( spidering around the nose badge where the artisans were slightly ham-fisted fixing the badge in the factory ; hairline paint fractures on the composite engine compartment lid when Lamborghini had not yet mastered the art of painting on kevlar ) are too high a price to pay for losing tangible evidence of a Countach's , and Lamborghini's , past .
Sure , Chassis 12399 is probably less valuable from a monetary viewpoint than a Pebble Beach concurs entrant , but un-retouched cars are increasingly rare now , and are of historical importance .
Such a shame that the judges , and most of the public , cannot appreciate this .
carspath said:
Just to add on an additional observation to my previous posts , which is admittedly a tangential point to the OP's question :
There are now increasingly few Countachs that have NEVER been repainted .
They therefore exhibit quirks that are immediately lost when a car is repainted in a brand-new 2020 paint booth with excellent ventilation and humidity control , using modern paint , and the latest paint techniques .
Chassis 12399 which has never been repainted , demonstrates this beautifully on its wheel arches - the period paint booth in Sant' Agata was less than perfect , and you can see tiny , almost microscopic bubbles within the paint on the wheel arches .
In fact ,if you have an un-repainted Countach , you don't need to spend money on a calendar , as you will be able to tell when the winter and summer solstice is merely by looking at the size of the said bubbles .
The bubbles have never broken the paintwork surface in the 32 years since the car left the factory , and have shown no non-seasonal alteration in the 20 years that I have been observing them .
So repainting a car , even back to its exact same factory paint code , carries consequences and disadvantages .
There are brief periods when I would love to have an absolutely perfectly perfect car , but correcting minute paint blemishes ( spidering around the nose badge where the artisans were slightly ham-fisted fixing the badge in the factory ; hairline paint fractures on the composite engine compartment lid when Lamborghini had not yet mastered the art of painting on kevlar ) are too high a price to pay for losing tangible evidence of a Countach's , and Lamborghini's , past .
Sure , Chassis 12399 is probably less valuable from a monetary viewpoint than a Pebble Beach concurs entrant , but un-retouched cars are increasingly rare now , and are of historical importance .
Such a shame that the judges , and most of the public , cannot appreciate this .
Pebble beach now have a category for your type of car, called the survivor class. There are now increasingly few Countachs that have NEVER been repainted .
They therefore exhibit quirks that are immediately lost when a car is repainted in a brand-new 2020 paint booth with excellent ventilation and humidity control , using modern paint , and the latest paint techniques .
Chassis 12399 which has never been repainted , demonstrates this beautifully on its wheel arches - the period paint booth in Sant' Agata was less than perfect , and you can see tiny , almost microscopic bubbles within the paint on the wheel arches .
In fact ,if you have an un-repainted Countach , you don't need to spend money on a calendar , as you will be able to tell when the winter and summer solstice is merely by looking at the size of the said bubbles .
The bubbles have never broken the paintwork surface in the 32 years since the car left the factory , and have shown no non-seasonal alteration in the 20 years that I have been observing them .
So repainting a car , even back to its exact same factory paint code , carries consequences and disadvantages .
There are brief periods when I would love to have an absolutely perfectly perfect car , but correcting minute paint blemishes ( spidering around the nose badge where the artisans were slightly ham-fisted fixing the badge in the factory ; hairline paint fractures on the composite engine compartment lid when Lamborghini had not yet mastered the art of painting on kevlar ) are too high a price to pay for losing tangible evidence of a Countach's , and Lamborghini's , past .
Sure , Chassis 12399 is probably less valuable from a monetary viewpoint than a Pebble Beach concurs entrant , but un-retouched cars are increasingly rare now , and are of historical importance .
Such a shame that the judges , and most of the public , cannot appreciate this .
It's just getting it there.
Gassing Station | Lamborghini Classics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff