VIN: Rod Stewart's Lamborghini Countach LP400 chassis 1120262
History of chassis 1120262
Chassis 1120262 was one of 157 Countach built by Lamborghini to the original LP400 specification. Of these, around 20 were completed in right-hand drive.
Finished in Rosso with a Tobacco brown interior, chassis 1120262 was dispatched from the factory on June 14th 1977 and exported to Australia on behalf of the country’s Lamborghini concessionaire, Tony De Fina.
The car found a buyer in British rock singer and songwriter, Rod Stewart, who was touring Australia at the time. Stewart had owned a trio of Miuras and 1120262 was the first of several Countach he purchased.
After it spent a short time in the UK, the car was flown out to Stewart’s home in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. Here it was registered on the California licence plate ‘RIVA 1’ and given some light customisation. Stewart first had a set of wide Gotti wheels fitted and a mini-rear spoiler mounted behind the roof.
The car was later further uprated with front and rear spoilers, wheelarch extensions and Campagnolo Teledial wheels inspired by the widebody Countach S. This work was carried out by Giacabone’s Executive Coachcraft on behalf of Albert Mardikian Engineering (AME).
AME was an automotive service, styling and compliance factory in Costa Mesa that advertised as ‘the world’s largest compliance center’.
Through Giacobone, Mardikian offered all manner of high end body conversions. His firm provided wealthy customers with models unavailable from the manufacturer and did a roaring trade in drop top Ferraris, Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce.
In 1984, AME converted Stewart’s Countach into a Targa. At the same time, the cockpit was reupholstered with new beige leather.
In addition to AME, Albert Mardikian also owned the Trend Imports showroom five miles down the road in Newport Beach. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mardikian was said to be the biggest importer of grey market European luxury cars into the USA. However, it all ended badly when AME and Trend Imports were accused of selling 2000 European cars with falsified Environmental Protection Agency paperwork.
Later in the 1980s, chassis 1120262 returned to the UK.
It is seen here at the Italian Car Centre on Kimber Road, London, in 1989.
After this, the car was exported to Europe and converted to left-hand drive. It has since been restored to original LP400 specification.
Text copyright: Photo 1 - unattributed, all others Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
