VIN: The Cannonball Run Lamborghini Countach LP400 S chassis 1121112
History of chassis 1121112
Chassis 1121112 was one of 105 Countach LP400 S built to Series 2 specification between autumn 1979 and summer 1981.
Compared to the Series 1, the second iteration of the LP400 S came with new concave wheels.
This car was finished in Nero with a Senape interior and the optional rear spoiler. It was dispatched to SEA Auto in Rome on November 14th 1979.
Shortly after delivery to SEA Auto, 1121112 was sent out to the USA. It arrived in the US as a grey import because, at the time, the Countach did not meet Department of Transportation or Environmental Protection Agency requirements.
The first US owner was a doctor from Sarasota, California. Soon after taking delivery, he was contacted by Guy Anderson who was sourcing cars to star in The Cannonball Run, a forthcoming Burt Reynolds movie about an illegal coast-to-coast motor race.
The black Countach had by this time been equipped with a nose spoiler, an extra pair of spot lights, tinted windows, Federal side markers and an in-car telephone. It featured heavily in the movie including the famous opening scene where it was pursued by a number of police cars.
The producers of The Cannonball Run assembled an all star cast. In addition to Reynolds, whose stock was at an all-time high, they recruited Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Terry Bradshaw, Peter Fonda and Jackie Chan.
1121112 would be driven in the movie by Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman who routinely used their sex appeal to get themselves out of difficult situations with the law.
Filming took place on a budget of $18m between May and June of 1980.
Against the expectations of critics, The Cannonball Run was a huge commercial success. It opened on June 19th 1981 and in its first weekend grossed nearly $12m. The film went on to gross a worldwide total of over $160m, making it the most commercially successful movie of 1981.
Ron Rice, the owner of Hawaiian Tropic, supplied a number of models to star in The Cannonball Run. Rice purchased 1121112 straight off the set.
Ron Rice retained the Countach at his Florida residence until 2006, when it was sold to another local collector.
It then appeared at an RM Auctions sale in February 2009, by which time the original Senape interior had been changed to burgundy.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: 20th Century Studios: https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/
