VIN: the Ted Toleman / Tim Dutton-Wooley Lamborghini Countach LP400 S chassis 1121320
History of chassis 1121320
Lamborghini Countach chassis 1121320 was dispatched from the factory on May 26th 1981. It was painted gold with a natural leather interior. The expensive rear spoiler option was also specified.
Chassis 1121320 was an LP400 S, of which Lamborghini manufactured 237 examples between 1978 and 1982. 83 were Series 3 variants and 15 of these were right-hand drive. Compared to earlier iterations, the Series 3 LP400 S had a slightly higher ride height and a little extra headroom.
1121320 was delivered to Portman Garages in August 1981 and registered RRB 670X. The first keeper was Ted Toleman, founder and team principal of Toleman Motorsport.
The Toleman company had started out delivering cars from Ford’s various UK factories in the 1920s. It went on to become one of the world’s biggest transportation groups.
By the late 1970s, Toleman Motorsport had achieved great success in Formula Ford and Formula 2.
Between 1981 and 1985, the team raced in Formula 1.
The outfit came closest to an F1 victory in 1984, when Ayrton Senna finished second to Alain Prost at a rain-soaked Monaco Grand Prix. The race was controversially ended after 31 of 78 laps with Senna’s Toleman TG184 rapidly closing on Prost’s McLaren.
For 1986, the Toleman F1 team was taken over by Benetton.
Ted Toleman retained the Countach for less than a year, by which time it had covered 8000 miles.
In August 1982, it was sold via Lancaster Garage to Tim Dutton-Wooley, the owner of Dutton Cars.
Based in Worthing, West Sussex, Dutton Cars was the biggest kit-car manufacturer in Europe; four factories and 80 employees churned out around 1000 kits every year.
Dutton-Wooley had the Countach re-registered TOO 510W. However, he endured a frustrating tenure with the Italian machine as documented in the July 1983 edition of Alternative Cars.
In April 1987, chassis 1121320 was sold to Steve Ashton, by which time it was on the UK plate GJK 854X.
Two years into his ownership, Mr Ashton had the car repainted dark blue and the rear spoiler removed.
It was then sold to Colin Howard who, in May 1998, commissioned a repaint in pearlescent yellow. The rear spoiler was re-instated at the same time.
Thanks to Mark Britten for the Alternative Cars scans.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Supercar Nostalgia & Alternative Cars
