It was a huge honor to sit down with the team from Hagerty and talk about this car that has inspired us all! Thank you to everyone who worked to document this car's legacy.
Ed I’m also Ed and grew up reading old car and drivers and obsessing over Brock Yates and the cannonball run. My goal is to one day attempt to beat your record in a modified Cadillac sls, and then run it again in an. Original stock 67gt500… anyways you’re on my 3 people dead alive to have dinner with. Thanks for being authentic
Incredible episode, thank you for making such a wonderful documentary of this gorgeous car. Ed, if I ever get to meet you I own a copy of your book and I'm still looking to find my Portofino Inn goal. I would love to cruse with you one day somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains or Highway 129 in North Georgia. Two years ago I drove down from my home in Fort Walton Beach, Fla in my own bucket list Mustang GT to Kissimmee to shoot Steve McQueen's Bullitt mustang a week before it went across the block at Barrett Jackson. Now, I hope one day to photograph this incredible Countach. Bravo Zulu. Thank you for keeping dreams alive. cheers, - Wright Sublette
This was AMAZING. I remember back in the late 90’s my aunt in-law who worked for the Tennessee highway patrol (she processed all the tickets) was telling me about her buddy trooper stories. There was a ranger that ran radar late at night on the Natchez Trace Parkway in southern middle Tennessee that kept getting radar hits of 150+. He could hear it but couldn’t ever see anything. Troopers and other park rangers laughed. But once a week for several weeks BAM. He convinced them to setup a trap just north of where he always setup. It turned out to be a damn Lamborghini Countach painted flat black, with no lights and the driver using night vision and was running bricks of cocaine north towards Nashville Tennessee.
you'd be kind of pleased for the 50th anniversary of the Countach, Lamborghini made a limited edition Countach LPI 800-4 still has the lamborghini v12, but it is a hybrid
Something never mentioned or fully appreciated is how lucky the car community is that Enzo Ferrari was a difficult business man. Without him having that type of personality Lamborghini wouldn't exist, the Ford GT40 program, and because Enzo pissed off Lamborghini enough to go into production for himself Pagani had a firm to start with. We owe an awful lot to Enzo being so difficult.
Agreed and great point! Enzo was an example of pride and arrogance that led him/his company to be the benchmark. Even if another company could do better he would never admit it! Thanks Enzo!
WONDERFULY PUT SIR!!! and so true! but i dont even think enzo was difficult .. i just thinks he knew what a racing car really had to be .. i cant even imagine how many ppl came to him .. who he also rejected and we never heard off! i think that only due to enzo .. supercars do even exist!
Very well said. Enzo essentially needled three different people enough that they set themselves on a path to compete with, and beat, Ferrari at their own game. Pretty successfully too, it's fair to say. And there's more - Shelby, McLaren, Miles, Gurney, Wallace, Balboni, Gandini, Pagani, these names are household names now, because of the arrogance of Enzo. To have inspired so many he must really have been a special kind of difficult.
@@woopimagpie without his contribution the Formula 1, the supercars and hypercar landscape would look completely different. Several manufacturers wouldn't exist and numerous incredible cars would have never even existed.
I'm 50 years old now (DAMN that hurts to say!). I've only ever had the money for 'beaters' that I TRIED to keep the best shape I could afford to. I saw The Cannonball Run at about 10 years old. Only my dad and I seemed to have any interest in it, but we LOVED It for a million reasons (including but not limited to the opening sequence). He died almost 17 years ago. For many things in life, I've felt like an 'island along men'. THIS documentary helped me see that MY passion for this movie, the stars and CARS is not alone, but rather shown to be rather small in comparison to many others. THANK YOU for sharing this! I LOVE the 'first drive to the theme song of the movie"!!!
I LOVED this!! The movie and the car blew my little 10 year old mind when released back in 1981...and made me a Lamborghini lover for life. Great job on the documentary.
I was 13 and this was like adrenaline-heroin for me at the theater, later the next year when it came out on VHS a friend of mine had it bootlegged to his tape and we watched the intro over and over again, the music and noises still playing in my head days after the spend-the-night visit.
Hmm, I wonder if there's anyone who saw this documentary that didn't have a poster of a Countach on the wall? On this comment section? They must be a heavily out-numbered minority at the very least.
As a former valet @ the Portofino Hotel, it’s awesome to see this video. I’m happy to say that while I was working there I was the first person to greet many C2C & Cannonball Run finishers, including Charlie & the record holding EV (Tesla model 3). I’ll make the run someday.
If you ever make it let me know if you want to have a furry auto club run with you to spot and sweep and you can come shoot guns in an radioactive resource crator if you ever run through again :P personally I married my other half when they survived a run with me, a bigger test of a relationship than monopoly or moving in together
This is going on the list as one of my favorite documentaries ever. Man, I had such a big smile on my face hearing people talk over clips from the movie. What an amazing car and how great to celebrate all of the things around it, the movie, the people involved, the real race and the legacy of Lamborghini.
This doc was great and very heartwarming . “His greatest legacy was he did lie” this made me cry because my family lies all the time. What a great person and visionary. Lamborghini 🥰
Fitting that the Countach was the star of this iconic film. The Countach is the forerunner of all hypercars. Today there are cars which are way prettier/sleeker/sportier no to mention incomparably more powerful and quicker. But nothing commands the admiration in terms of pure looks that the Countacth does. You can have a Bugatti/McLaren/Koenigsegg/Aventador/Ferrari (lol) et al all standing next to a Countach and the latter will still grab drools. Countach set the bar and everyone is just trying to match up for the last 30+ years
I didn't expect to be crying over a car documentary, even one that I have loved for basically my whole life. But the story at the end from the current owner got me. Both the tragedy that inspired him to create an event that has raised millions for sick kids, and his dedication to the legacy of the Cannonball Countach to have it fully restored in such amazing detail. This was an amazing video, I loved every minute of it. Also really great that both the second and third owners got it out and drove it. I don't care how much money it's worth or what great condition it's in, cars are made to be driven and I think it's a shame when they sit around and just get looked at. The most infuriating story I ever heard about a Countach was some crazy rich guy who built a fancy new house, and had a Countach hung on the wall like a painting. They drained all the fluids, and mounted the car on a wall sideways. I was disgusted.
It's this kind of stupidity of Uber entitled, rich turds that made the French Revolution possible. And why so many of them went to the guillotine. Just thinking about somebody doing that to a countach is making my hands itchy from restraining myself from slapping them till my arms fall off.
The Countach was a car where fantasy became reality. It's probably the most iconic car of all time even more than 30 years after it finished production. I saw my first one in 1985 when I was 15 and it was like meeting the Pope for me. I've seen three of them and even today at 52 it still gives me the same thrill as it did that many years ago. That's staying power. It and Adrienne Barbeau are the reasons why Cannonball Run is one of my favorite movies.
I prefer the blonde who was dating the producer (or director?) , its her only acting credit, mores the pity.I REALLY want to refilm the opening scene in hidef.....
There was a Doctor in the small town I grew up in that bought a Countach. Every now then you would catch a glimpse of it in town. Then one day my brother and I were with our parents at the small hospital in town, maybe a 25 bed hospital if that, and we were outside close to the emergency room entrance. He pulled up in and naturally we are staring in awe of the car. The door swings up and he's working to get out and says to us "you gonna stand there or you gonna help me get out?" We rush over, give him a hand, he says thanks and just walks into the hospital to take care of whatever he was called for. We got to sit down in it and check it out. You couldn't tell us shit for the rest of the day. Then, some 25 or so years later I had the opportunity to check out the garage of my now ex's uncle who was a car guy. The Countach was still the one I gravitated towards. This is a garage that had an Jaguar XJ220, Porche 911, Duesenberg, Ford GT, 67' Shelby GT500, 66' Vette convertible, Model A Ford, Model T ford, Rolls Royce (probably 40s-50s model, don't recall), Aston Martin DB9, and several others. The sad part for me though is that I couldn't get fit in the Countach anymore, lol.
Hey, I had no idea this was a thing. In August of 2005 I decided to move from NYC to Phoenix AZ. I was 25 and just couldn’t stay in New York anymore, 9/11 broke me, broke my mind. I was a first responder. I had say goodbye to the city that had made me a man. The contentment from Memories of that first kiss are as delightful as the first time experiencing the wonder of seeing the skyscrapers of midtown Manhattan as an immigrant child from Armenia. Needless to say It was truly heartbreaking to say goodbye, but the tires hit the road. The days of Mapquest and loud dot matrix printers lol. I chose I-95 to the I-10 corridor. Fascinating as it was terrifying driving thru Hurricane Katrina I made it to Phoenix in 23 hours and change. Now I know it’s not NYC to LA but hear me out. I’ve taken many day trips to LA in the years since. And I’ve made good time to the tune of 4 hours and some change. There is no point to be made nor egos to be stroked, There were no records broken and speed limits chagrined. But the fine print of my adventure … was undertaken in a 1993, 4 cylinder Toyota Camry with well over 150k on the dashboard with all my earthly possessions. What a beautiful country. God bless America!
You'll never beat the first 4 minutes of the movie as an advert for any car. The countach was so far ahead of it's time, you only have to look at what's followed since to know that. I'm so glad this car is still alive! Brilliant documentary, thank you for keeping my childhood alive!
I sent this to my family and tried to explain that this is the car that changed my life and made me a car guy. Not a car like this, but this tiny wedge captured the imagination of a 6 year old in 1981 and never let go. Fantastic film, huge thank you to all involved in this. I love it as much today as I did way back when I saw it for the first time
Beyond just the cinematography, this was a wonderfully made documentary. No longer do you have to search multiple times to get up to speed on this legendary car and race. It’s all right here. Bravo!
The Canonball Countach is an absolute icon. A rebellion against gas prices, rebellion against the future of electric cars. Every boy and girl who call themselves "car enthusiast" should know of this car. I feel like in times like these where gas prices get all time high, this suddenly becomes super relevant. Honestly, if my country ever hosts some event like this, im signing in straight away. Im happy Cannonball is something that still goes on around the world, even if not at "full force" like it used to be.
Fantastic production, beautifully edited, amazing videography, an enthusiast dream documentary made in such a way anyone can appreciate. I’m a 35 year old Professor of Diesel Technology at a large University on the West Coast and still a proud, greasy, mechanic, and car lover to this day. I learned things I had no idea about. That was an absolute joy to watch and immerse myself in. I honestly felt a connection to the guys and gals featured in it, as if I was there myself. Thank you for such good work. I can imagine the amount of research and time it took to get it just right. Best wishes, good vibes, and hopes for multi millions of views. All you who made this possible deserve an award and big payout! Be safe, take care all.
Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel was a German inventor and mechanical engineer who is famous for having invented the Diesel engine. Diesel was interested in using coal dust[20] or vegetable oil as fuel, and in fact, his engine was run on peanut oil. Although these fuels were not immediately popular, during 2008 rises in fuel prices, coupled with concerns about oil reserves, have led to the more widespread use of vegetable oil and biodiesel.
Love your enthusiasm and obvious energy. I am older (53) and the son of a mechanic and a dyed-in-the-wool car man and can only imagine how wonderful it must be to enjoy your lectures. Growing up I had a maths teacher who was also a passionate pilot. He was easily distracted and would talk for hours about his flying exploits. Later he become an entrepreneur and now owns a number of planes, including a Pitts Special, various WWII warbirds and even a couple of jet fighters. His passion rubbed off and I went and became a private pilot. I've even flown some aerobatics in one of his ex air force trainers! You never know the influence you have an how it could manifest in your students' lives! Cheers from Australia - Dave
@@deldridg Thank you! That means a lot, brother. I’m actually fighting with two different forms of congestive heart failure right this moment on top of trying to take care of my family, teach, further my education, so those words mean more than you can imagine. I don’t mention it much for multiple reasons but that made my night. I don’t sleep much lately so I work a lot while my wife and little girls sleep to make sure my students get the best I can give. Best wishes to you and your loved ones! Keep the light bright and keep being you my friend!
@@tjtrent2351 Oh dear - I am so sorry to hear of your current challenges. Much love to you my friend from way down here in Sydney. I have limited means with which to imagine what you must be going through right now and pray that you will see light at the end of this difficult time very soon. I too have young children and know how precious they are and how they can lift you in your darkest times. What a gift they are. I wish you and your family all the very best through this period of your life and hope you can find a way to keep up that positive spirit that is evident in your words. Warm regards - David
OMG.. I'm over 50 years old,and I remember seeing this movie for the first time... And yes, I rewinded the beginning over and over as well... And after all these years I've never noticed the exhaust until now... A pipe for each cylinder, damn unbelievable... the most beautiful car of all time hands down....
The look and the sound of that Countach on the opening scene of Cannonball Run was for me as a kid at the time, absolutely amazing! and still is to this day.
As a 10 year old boy in 1981, I remember watching the Cannonball Run opening sequence in total awe of that amazing Countach. Of course I stared at one on my wall everyday of my teenage life too! Haven’t made it there yet, different priorities until now, maybe one day. It’s just great to know this car is still out there being enjoyed to this day!
I was one of those kids who convinced their Mom to rent the Cannonball Run a dozen times or more at the local video store. I probably watched the opening one hundred times on VHS. Once again, I got goosebumps hearing the wail of the Countach from the opening credits. This is a brilliant documentary on one of my favorite subjects. I loved seeing the remastered shots from the film and hopefully there is a 4K version of The Cannonball Run coming soon. Fun fact: The crew affectionately referred to the production as “The Blizzard” which wasn’t from a recent snowfall. Thank you for bringing this doc into being.
I remember it like it was yesterday, being a 13 year old kid, sitting in the theater and watching the scene where the Countach pulls away from the Firebird . . . that was literally the day I became a 'car guy'. 40+ years and 54 cars owned later . . . still a car guy. Cannonball is a great part of automotive history!
Saw Cannonball Run 3 times, this video explained to me why I did. I was around 12-13 years old. There are a lot of good folks in this video. The widow of the founder of the race is as wise a person as I’ve ever heard speak. Mr. Ippoliti has such a profound way of explaining things that really connect with people as well as he seems to have a good heart. The two old buddies talking about the good old days made me feel good. Started watching this video because I saw The Car, but couldn’t turn it off because it’s so perfectly put together, the video I mean, too. And the guy that held the record with his friends for a bit seems like an outstanding human being, too. Mr. Rice is a man whom I could listen to for hours, the stories he must have! Thank you for this, it took me back, made me appreciate things more…
Great comment. Heck, I never knew how Hawaiian Tropic started & how their founder became such an important part of getting that Countach into the Cannonball Run movie. *You just KNOW that old guy has SO many awesome stories about his many, many adventures in that car!*
From the movie, to the Countach then on to Ed and Brock, this connected so many dots of why I am such a "car guy". Reading car magazines (Car and Driver, thanks Brock), watching the movie and many years later watching youtube and Ed, this video brought it all together and I realized Brock, without knowing it all these years, is my hero.
Truthfully, the movie is a goofy farce, but a farce that inspired so many people. The GumBall Rally was more true to the actual thing but not involving the real participants like CannonBall Run did...
What a great car documentary! I was 9 in 1981 and related to everything that was said. I'm not gonna lie, there were some tears of joy reliving this. Movies like Cannonball and Smokey certainly fueled my life long passion for cars. Even though I'm 50 now, if I ever had the means, The Countach would be the first exotic Car in my collection.. There is nothing else like it. Watching this is like being that 12 year old, back in his room, lying on his bed, and staring at that poster of the White Lambo, and right next to that is the poster of Farrah Fawcett. 😍💯
I was 13 when this movie came out and was blessed to see most of the great car movies from the 70s and 80s. CGI and tech can't compare to the raw and real of the analog experience of loud, fast, real🔥
This is how it's supposed to be. It's such a shame when any vintage or collector car just gets stashed in a collection and not driven. They were made to be driven and enjoyed, not parked. Kudos for taking it out and doing what it was built to do 😎
This is why I always have mixed emotions when I read about barn finds. On one hand, it's great that a lost classic car's been found and can (hopefully) be salvaged. But I don't get the mentality of people who own these kinds of cars and just leave them to rot.....
@@dannyboyy31 It's too easy to love something too much, then you somehow end up not enjoying your time with it because you take too many precautions to preserve what you have. I've fallen for this mentality in the past with various things I have collected since I was kid and no matter how hard you try time is still working against it. I learned to just use it and have fun.
This documentary is so beautifully scripted, penned down, and explained that it brought tears to my eyes. One of the best documentary on Cannonball and Lamborghini. It was sublime to see this. Thank you to the team.
Wow. I'm at a loss for words. Thank you for creating this amazing video and for immortalizing the Cannonball Run and the great Brock Yates. It's a wonderful story
This is an absolutely incredible documentary and story. I felt like this was amazingly relatable.I was born in '76, I can remember talking about this movie and cars since I was in kindergarten 1981. Growing up in NC, less than 45 mins from Richard Petty and RCR/Earnhardt, NASCAR was pretty much in my blood. As a kid, I was obsessed with the Allison Hawaiian Tropic car and the Countach used in The Cannonball Run.Two cars that truly depended my obsession with cars and racing. In the 80's, I proudly carried my Lamborghini Countach themed Trapper Keeper. The first time I saw a Contact was in the 80's, Ocean Blvd Myrtle Beach, SC. So many memories I would love to ramble on about with this movie and cars. Thank you for producing this!!
I'm so glad that you're bringing all these stories that I read about throughout my adolescence to a new audience. Hopefully more people will know of Brock Yates and that time period - not to mention writing about something clearly illegal! Truly a different time...
writing ✍about the racing isn't illegal but being the ringleader @ 150mph~ in a 40 is ect. , and im not so sure being so public about doing the race makes it easier to run so he probably had other ideas for motivations and not really winning it aka something else
This documentary was OUTSTANDING!!! The Countach was my absolute automotive first love at the age of 10-ish in 1982 or 83! Did not plan on spending an hour or so watching anything today but could not put this down! Living in Columbus, Oh, I saw my first Countach in person and I’d never forget it! Playing little league baseball, I had teammate who said that his neighbor a few doors down from him had a Countach, a Ferrari, a Pantera, and a Vette. I was like BS!!! My teammate called me when the Countach neighbor had his collection on display at his Maize Rd residence. I road my bicycle about 2 miles and voilà!!! So so cool!!! Evan’s, the guy that owned the collection ran an auto repair shop on Morse Rd. ANYWAY…that’s my story 😁
Every time I hear about Laura's passing it hurts, but the legacy Jeff has created helping all the children at Make-a-wish is just incredible. Jeff commissioning the perfect restoration of the cannonball countach and playing the theme song on his first drive is priceless. so cool. Hope to be the 4th owner of that car or maybe the 5th :)
Everything they said about the Cannonball intro rang true, it was the first time I saw a Countach on film, as a living breathing machine, of course it was the first time I heard one too. I always loved the Countach from what I saw in magazines as a 10 year old but as a 12, 13 year old, to see it and hear it was actually surreal for me at the time and left a life long impression. As for this video, the story and heartfelt emotion was great, a masterpiece of Yotube!
This was fantastic. I still remember my mom telling me she and my dad had recorded the 20/20 special for me because I was sleeping. I literally wore out that tape watching it over and over again.
I haven't seen a documentary like this in a long, long time... I remember growing in the 80s and watching the movie... I even had a black lamborghini countach poster in my room wall! A masterpiece, thanks for sharing this to the world!
Awesome presentation! I was 11 when this movie came out, my older cousin was 16 and introducued me to the exotic car world with this movie. One of my great childhood memories was the first 4 minutes of Cannonball Run and that theme music. I was frozen in my seat, glued to the screen, and feeling the thrill as if I was driving it myself. 40 years later and I still get goosebumps when I watch the movies now. Love the car, love the genre, love that era!!!!!!!
The Countach gave me chills back then as a child, and still overwhelms and excites me to this day, like nothing else. I saw my first and only Countach (black) in the wild a couple years ago in my home town in normal daily traffic. It absolutely took my breathe away when I spotted it, and I nearly broke my neck as I stared driving by, joyfully tearing up uncontrollably. It has a presence all it's own, and seems to exist in a place where our dimension and another cross. I cannot imagine the joy of being caretaker to one of these creations, but I can surely continue to dream about it.
I'm an 18 year old kid that watched Cannonball Run when I was about 8. And I can say that is one of the coolest cars ever. I'm more of an American muscle car guy and truck guy. But no matter who you are in the car world, you know that, that is a beautiful car. I love that all these historical cars are going to forever be documented.
Same for me, except I first watched it at age 7 (2010) and I still love it. Now I have a 1978 MG Midget that I'm working on later this year! At least the 1999 HBO DVD has the original goofy 20th Century Fox variant...
@@shaneharrisnj3484 As an old dude, I'd like to say, please don't ruin anything. If you want to modify, make/buy new/used parts. You can make new original or patina.. Enjoy B)
This was a wonderful documentary! This brought back the very same emotions and reactions I felt as a kid when I first stumbled upon Cannonball. Few things today make me feel like I did when I was a kid. This car and this documentary did that and brought back that magic and awe I felt 30 years ago when I first saw the movie. Thank you!
watched this on repeat, thank you hagerty for not only producing this wonderful documentary, but also writing a love letter to the run, to Brock Yates, the Countach, and to the people that became a part of it.
I don't think I will ever want one of these ostentatious, loud, expensive to buy, expensive to maintain cars. But... I will always love knowing they are in our world. Because they are the embodiment of passion. And this was an astounding tribute to, not only this car but, all cars that bring out the passion and love of driving in the world.
I'll never forget watching Cannonball Run on a rented VHS when I was 8 years old. From that first gorgeous opening shot, I was head-over-heels for the Countach (and, unfortunately, disco music) for the rest of my life.
Wonderful to see 'THE Countach' restored to it's original glory. The Countach had no business ever being built. Ridiculous. And we're sure glad it was... 👍
Yum!! Thanks for posting this awesome video! Oddly enough, my first encounter with a Lamborghini Countach was back in Tulsa during a perfect June evening in 1984. I happened to catch an encounter with the car while passing a a circle driveway entrance of a hotel. Super odd because at that time I was living in California in San Diego. If there was ever a better opportunity to do supercar spotting it would have been more likely in California rather than in Tulsa. When the Countach was spotted any other plans my friend John Foster and I had our day suddenly and completely evaporated. For the next half hour out of our lives we were stuck at the hotel that hotel ogling the stunning red Countach as the sun was setting. As we were looking at the car John mentioned that he thought he recognized one of the people getting into car as a son of a local well-off family. Which made sense because it was graduation season at the time with lots of high school and college seniors out for their evenings. Maybe that guy was borrowing a family jewel as their ride for their evening out. Yes there was also a beautiful girl in a dress. And yes, they both looked a little silly trying to navigate their exists and entrances into the Countach without mussing up their appearance. And yes, the passenger door had to be opened a second time in order to pull in part of the dress that wanted to experience life going down the road on the outside of the Countach. But whoever the people were, or whatever their reason for being there, I will remain forever thankful they decided to stop at that hotel with that red Countach. Providing the gift of the view. Then watching as it slowly made it's way out of the drive trying to be careful not to scape the front spoiler too much. Which it scraped a little anyway. The encounter with the car was a great way to enjoy part of my Tulsa vacation. That red Countach provided a lasting an treasured shared memory for my friend John and I.
Breathtaking documentary. Huge congratulations to all involved, and especially my personal thanks to Mr Jeff Ippoliti, for his irrepressible passion for the car, that it now sits in such pristine and period correct condition. Every single person in this programme has a unique and important role in the story and I am so very grateful to have been privileged to witness it.
Well.. my first movie where i saw a Countach in action was 'Joshua Three' with Dolph -Lundgren and in that movie the action turn into best speed run i saw at the time, when a cop in a black Countach was chasing Dolph driving a red Ferrari F40 and that really got into me for the first time the noises, high speed on twisty mountain roads was very impressive, so then i see this clip an i had to watch the Cannonball Run but since the Countach was used less, to me the Joshua Three is still a better movie to experience old supercar chasing scene excepting the first movie Gone in 60 seconds or the Bullit & Le-Mans with McQueen ..
I remember the time of this movie so well. It was such a great time! Man, Burt Reynolds and Dom Deloise were so hilarious on Carson! They just laughed constantly and had the best laughs. Brock Yates - He married very well. What a sweet, intelligent, beautiful, and all around sweetheart of a lady. What a great group these guys were. Salt of the earth. 💯
This was absolutely phenomenal. Thanks to the Hagerty Team, Ed, and all the others that provided the insights here. Such a great piece of my childhood, that opening engine note salvo, still runs a chill down my spine even to this day.
Jeff Ippoliti seems to be an extremely amiable enthusiast. I like his humble nature as well as his mind to place the important things in life in their proper perspective. He deserves every bit of his big success.
Red Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona spider from 1976 "The Gumball Rally" and Black Ferrari Daytona spider from 1984-86 "Miami Vice"! Also Black Ferrari 308 GTB from 1987 "Hidden"!
This is INCREDIBLE! Ed, if this isn't a podcast you should also release the audio. This should be a mandatory watch for any self respecting classic car enthusiast. Will watch again.
*Wow. This was such an incredibly informative & entertaining documentary! Great job to the Hagerty Foundation & to everyone involved in creating such a great movie.* _There were SO many things I learned from watching this. You guys really captured the essence of the legendary Lamborghini Countach overall, as well as it's relationship with the Cannonball Run._ *I'm thankful this history has been documented so well for all to see now, and for many generations to come! Grazie!*
As a kid in the 80's this was my favorite movie. This brings back many memories. I also had car posters. But the Lambo poster I had, had the 25th Countach in the middle with all the other cars Lamborghini made with stats, surrounding it. I loved the look of the Lamborghini Silhouette best. Growing up I used to draw cars all the time, and wanted to be a car designer, and work for Bertone. Marcello Ghandini was one of my heros. Thanks.
Watching this doc gave me chills numerous times, along with conjuring up lots of childhood memories. I've seen hundreds and hundreds of docs, but none have made me feel the way this one did.
What a fantastic film. I’m 49 years old and remember the first time I saw a Countach for real and I was in shock and awe as an 11 year old. The cannonball run has to be one of my all time favourite films but looking into the amazing achievements of Brock Yates and what he did is astonishing. Thank you for putting together a wonderful film.
Car and Driver magazine was a monthly read for me from 1978 to 1992, and Brock Yates & company shaped my world view a great deal. I still believe that personal freedom is vital, precious, and messy, as personified by the Cannonball and the Countach.
This was THE car that got me into cars. I saw Cannonball Run when I was five or six and was hooked the minute I laid eyes on that black Lamborghini. The thing is I had no idea that car or that scene was so iconic amongst the community. Makes me really happy to know it has a new lease on life after being fully refreshed.. it looks absolutely fantastic.
The impact the Countach had on the typical gear head was profound. I was 18 in 1982. Everyone had or knew someone who had the bright red Countach poster. On the wall right next to Farrah. Five years later I was truck driving. Running meat from the midwest to Florida. Then plants out of Florida to everywhere else. One run I was on I10 in California taking oranges from Florida to Outside LA. As I am climbing the hill outside Indio I see a black smudge in my mirror 4 miles behind me. I looked forward and the smudge was a Countach, and it blew by me like I was parked. With sound, engine, wind, everything, it became one of my favorite moments being a professional tourist.
The very first thing I did after finishing watching this absolutely incredible documentary was to go find the opening scene to the first movie, turn up my headphones, and remember what it felt like to be 6 years old again. I then watched it two more times and I think I''ll go back and watch it again right now.
It shows a market for that content that's never been really satisfied. Flashes in films over the years but we need short movies like that opening sequence. That sound with that cheesie song goes so well. Pure car porn
In the 80s I had the luck to be a passenger in this amazing car, the owner, said to me, if you can touch the dash, while he was going from 0 to 100km/h, I'll buy you a beer. No beer for me that day. The sound of the engine was a enormous experience.
@@uncle_salty_3675 My incredulity was further enhanced by the fact that I had owned a *very* fast car back in the early 90s, and I can tell you I sure wouldn't have put any money on the dashboard and made that bet. However, I also can't really deny it's possible, because the experience of getting my fast car from 0 to 60 mph quickly, wasn't really *directly comparable* to the experience of the people who were telling the "Cant touch the dash" story. Basically, all the stories I remember hearing that contained that sort of bet, were all in cars with huge amounts of torque. Usually obscenely large big-block v-8s with automatic transmissions and most likely they also had nice big fat tires at the rear for traction. Whereas my car was a little 1972 vega gt, with *slightly* wider than normal tires, a 4-speed, and a small block 327 v-8 that wasn't any sort of low-end-torque monster, but had god knows how much power at high rpms. So here's basically how we did our "0 to 60 tests" back in the early 90s... First, you put in the clutch, shift to 1st gear, then slam the pedal to the floor. As soon as the engine hit full song, you drop the clutch. The tires immediately break free and start screaming. *ALSO* immediately (due to a somewhat unfortunate rear suspension design) the left rear wheel would start to "hop", slamming up and down as fast as a machine gun, while sounding like some maniacs slamming sledge hammers into the side of a garbage dumpster. Count "1" as you slam the clutch to the floor *without* letting up on the gas, and shove the shifter into 2nd gear. Count "2" as you drop the clutch in 2nd gear, tires screaming and jack-hammering. Less than a second later, you're already slamming in the clutch again, gas pedal still nailed to the floor, you throw it into 3rd Count "3" as you dump the clutch the 3rd time, ripping loose the tires yet again while the slam-banging of the cursed wheel hop makes the baby jesus cry Smash the clutch in for the last time, throw it into 4th... Dump the clutch with the engine still spinning at max rpm, releasing the gods of war and once again spinning the rear tires mercilessly. Count "4" and let off the gas pedal, the wheels stop spinning. look down... You're doing over 60 mph. So it was literally, 1 (dump clutch) 2 (dump clutch) 3 (dump clutch) 4 let off gas and you're already over 60. 4 *burns* less than a second each. quicker than you could say 4 Mississippis It was *FAST*. Blistering fast. And somewhat *violent* lol But since the tires spun in all 4 gears, you never did have that sort of *High torque takeoff*, "push you back in the seat" feel that you get with a high torque motor and good traction. When taking off that fast in my car, there really *was no such thing as traction*, because the wheels were always spinning while under power. Instead, my car was propelled from 0-60 in 4 seconds by *Friction*. (maybe even a little faster, technically, because you had to let off the gas to let the wheels stop spinning before you could see how fast you were going) It was nicknamed "The Beast" lol But, anyway, even though that's the fastest car I've ever ridden in and/or driven... I've been in MUCH slower cars, that had more low end torque and more traction, that *felt* like they were pushing me back in the seat waaay harder than in my car. So there's *that* element that makes these sorts of stories maintain a bit of plausibility in my point of view. The idea that, IF a car with a lot of torque, and ALSO had enough traction to keep that torque under control (little, if any, tire spinning) and could still reach 0-60 fast enough... Then maybe it could be true? The previous commenter said a Lamborghini Countach isn't that fast, at ~14s in the 1/4 mile. Well... One should maybe consider this was an early 80s *production Street car*, not some modified dragster. My car sure as hell wasn't *stock*! lol A stock Vega GT would do 0 to 60 mph in 11 sec not 4 ;P A stock 1982 Lamborghini Countach LP500S would do 0-60 in 5.3 seconds, which wasn't by any means *slow* back then (almost 40 years ago) and while it's certainly not the fastest *production car* on the street today, i wouldn't call it slow now either. Anyway, as far as cars being able to take off that fast... I really don't know, because I've never been in a 0-60 test in something torquey enough, and with enough traction, to get up to 60 that fast. I'd imagine it would need to be something like a big block, with an automatic, and huge tires to soak up all that torque and deliver it to the ground. The lamborghini isn't a big block, but it's a small, light car with a pretty good amount of torque at lower rpms and a Lot of traction, plus it can hit 65 while *still in first gear*, so once it gets going, it can keep going without pauses from gear changes. When I saw an italian test driver dumping the clutch and burning the tires as he took off in a video earlier, the huge tires only spun for maybe half to 3/4 of a second, just long enough to catch up with the engine which continued to accelerate without bogging. That seems consistent with what I'd imagine it being like *if* it was possible. Too much spin, =no strong torque delivery =less push-back into seat. Whereas no spin at all leaves you starting from the ground up compared to your engine's torque band
The touch the dash comment is an old phrase that's been floating around for over half a century now. Its merely a figure of speech. You can sit in any sub-10 second hypercar and lift your arm and reach it forward under full acceleration. Having said that the Countach had unique seats that made reaching the dash very difficult (if not impossible for shorter people) even when the car was parked!
@@chrischaf It went well actually. I made some new parts to fix a throwing belt issue and it rips like it did before again. It lays for as long as I want it to at above 10psi boost. I beat on it regularly and the motor doesn't complain (yet lol). Today we had some above 0 weather for the mid day so I took it out for a quick "spin" test to see how it holds up and seems to be working fine again. If I get a nice clear sunny day despite cold I'm gonna redo a video and shouldn't end like that last one did lol.
Thanks for making this! 11:18 "Because it's there" is a reference to climbing Mount Everest. It's attributed to George Mallory who died attempting the summit in 1924
Fantastic! To everyone who worked on this, thank you. I had the Countach - 288 GTO - 959 poster on my wall as a kid too. This documentary was wonderful.
Well done Hagerty, exceptional documentary! Countach’s have always been my favorite car. I was ten when Cannonball released and saw it with my mates on my birthday, I can still remember being in the theater loving that opening! Thank you Hagerty!
Thank you SO MUCH for making this broadcast quality video Production. You’ve absolutely nailed it. Even though I am a huge Porsche fan, as a child I had the Countach on my bedroom walls alongside Ferrari and Bugatti… though the Countach was centre stage. This video brought back so many special memories for me, once again thanks. The commentary from the modern age looking back, from real car guys, who know their stuff… just BRILLIANT!
Amazing story and to know that it's true is just awesome. Seeing that movie as a teen in 1980 blew my mind. I wonder if the people who hand built that car ever knew their contribution to history.
What an amazing video. I was born in 1979, and my family had nothing to do with cars other than farm equipment, and something to (sometimes) get you from point A to point B. This car, the Lamborghini Countach sparked a wonder in me. How could this car exist? Was this a real thing? My love for cars only grew from there but more than that, the car culture, the creators, the drivers and owners. I love to drive a car and then learn who made it, who they were, why they did what they did and who else loves their design. This video brought me back to my first visions of car enthusiasm.
As an Italian, I thank you for this very nice production . Products from my country are many times permeated by passion . Products intended as a statment in the first place, and many times purchased to make a statement . To impress, to seduce, to tickle the soul of those who admire it . Raffaello, Michelangelo, Leonardo, they all did somehting that was born out of their passion and was meant to stimulate passion in the audience . Leave them speachless . This is what also Ferruccio had in mind, I am pretty sure .
I always wanted Lamborghini to make their top-echelon car ‘The Pavarotti.’ That man deserves a car in his name. His voice and presence was untouchable.
The opening scene with good 7.2 surround and 70” HD is awesome! I was about 5yrs old when this came out, and it’s a big upgrade from the VHS I remembered. This is a cool movie, but some of the best scenes are from the real 1979 running.
I must have seen those movies hundreds times as a kid. I still find myself watching it and enjoying that intro. Back in 2012 i was hanging out with my two friends and their 8 year old son. I knew the kid really loves cars and racing. We were all sitting in my living room and had a wonderful conversation about their sons automotive passion. So i decided, without saying a word, i started the movie on my TV. Instead of watching the intro of the movie, i looked at that kid. His eyes shot open and he had a look of amazement on his face.
As a young boy my parents gave me a subscription to Car and Driver and I waited every month to see the Brock Yates article. His writing skills made this young boy want to read everything he wrote.
As a child of the 80's, watching Cannonball over and over, that movie planted a seed which I carry in my core. This documentary made laugh, smile and cry - the weight of legends permeate each minute. Truly a story that is hard to believe, birthed in a time of discord - oh how history is repeating itself yet again. Unfortunately, this time around, I do not see a Countach LP400S type symbol lifting our spirits and giving the next generation a reason to celebrate car culture and freedom. I pray I am wrong. Job well done Hagerty, this is the best material you have yet produced. I'm surprised Jason Cammisa didn't have a cameo...did I miss it...😊
Thank you so much to the makers of this doc... I remember seeing TCR in the theater as a kid, but had no idea there was so much story to be told about the car, the film, the people behind it all. Great doc and probably the best footage we'll ever get of the Countach in action!!!
Love the fact you preserve automotive history so all generations can learn how beautiful this era was. I wish the future generations will learn how important automotive history is and learn how to drive and avoid autonomous cars...my respects...
I absolutely loved this video. Amazing. That Countach is one of the most beautiful works of art in history. For my generation the intro for the movie Speed Zone was epic. I watched the intro sometimes a dozen times in a row a day. Still love it to this day.
This video was …I have no words. I always love a good car story and this was one of the best I’ve ever heard. Very well told, very well done! The last story about the current owner really got me in the feels! Had me emotional at the end…one of my favorite movies, THE BEST opening credits scene ever. Thank you for such an awesome video!
The only thing that bothers me about this story is the fact that the front wing thing is never mentioned. It doesn't appear on any other Countach so is it just a movie prop or what? It seems really strangle to never bring it up.
Check at 43:14. That's where they cover it. Admittedly, there's a lot to the story and it's an easy point to miss. But in a nutshell, there was a company here in the states that added the wing to act as a front bumper to make it legal to import to the U.S.
11 yrs old when the iconic movie came out. Within a year I had Countach posters, book covers for school, a Revel model which was the first I ever assembled. The first minutes are emblazoned in my mind to this day. Today at 53 I am a diehard car guy, model builder and RC fanatic. I wonder what I would be doing these days without seeing that movie... Deep down I KNOW it set me on a lifelong path.
I'm so impressed by OUR guys putting out the exact content we want. I was literally looking this car up a few months ago and info was limited. Thank you!
That Countach made a big impression on me. I was only a toddler when I saw that movie for the first time and I've wanted a black Lamborghini ever since. I have the posters and the hotwheels and the the model kit. I grew up with a gearhead father so cars have become my entire life. I'm a journeyman auto mechanic and I built my own hot rods but I still look at that black Countach and think that is the dream.
What a great documentary. Really I place this up there with the king of Kong , endless summer, super-size me, and some of the all time great documentaries in terms of enjoyment, nostalgic value, information, history, and just general entertainment and watchability. Nice job.
Even in this documentary, I got an adrenaline rush watching the clips of the entro to Cannonball Run. Growing up in the 70's and 80's, this was one of my favorite movies. I also wore out a video tape just watching those first 4 minutes of the movie. This was an awesome documentary. I've been telling my wife that the Cannonball was real, but she never believed me. Finally! Proof!
I was an 8 years old boy when the Cannonball Movie came out and my instant Love Affair with Farrah Fawcett and the Lamborghini Countach Began! Thankyou so much for this Awesome Documentary.
As a car guy since I could walk, thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this short film. I’m not really into exotic but I have to be honest the cannonball run countach is absolutely one of the most recognizable cars in my memory
I was born in 1983 and my all-time favorite dream car has always been the Lamborghini Countach LP5000S Quattrovalvole in red with gold wheels. Even this black Countach with the tan interior is absolutely gorgeous to me. I have always loved the Diablo as well, but there's just something about the Countach that always drove me nuts. I had a poster on my wall, I had pictures of them all over my room, I had Matchbox Countachs, I even had a red Countach with gold wheels RC car.
Born '82 and I have pretty much the exact same story to tell as you just did (I also loved the Diablo) with the exception that instead of the RC car I had the red Countach Transformer (Sideswipe).
@@MrGulI was born in 83, so I just turned 41 last Thursday and I still dream of owning one someday. They always say that you should never meet your heroes, but I'm willing to take that chance. Yeah, they're notoriously hard to back up due to having to open the door and hang out of the door sill to reverse, but sign me up! Still though, I would LOVE to have one with a Murcielago 640 HP V12...but I could make due with the stock 5.2L 420HP 341 lb ft V12...0-60 in 4.6 seconds, 0-120 in 15.5 seconds, and a quarter mile time of 12.8 STOCK...and that was in 1987 when I was 4 years old. Still good figures today!
It was a huge honor to sit down with the team from Hagerty and talk about this car that has inspired us all! Thank you to everyone who worked to document this car's legacy.
We couldn't have done it without you! Thanks again for representing the fraternity of lunatics willing to take a shot at the Cannonball record
I just knew Ed was gonna be in this. Knowing your passion for Cannonball i cant imagine how it felt to do this. Bravo good Sir!
Ed I’m also Ed and grew up reading old car and drivers and obsessing over Brock Yates and the cannonball run. My goal is to one day attempt to beat your record in a modified Cadillac sls, and then run it again in an. Original stock 67gt500… anyways you’re on my 3 people dead alive to have dinner with. Thanks for being authentic
Incredible episode, thank you for making such a wonderful documentary of this gorgeous car. Ed, if I ever get to meet you I own a copy of your book and I'm still looking to find my Portofino Inn goal. I would love to cruse with you one day somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains or Highway 129 in North Georgia. Two years ago I drove down from my home in Fort Walton Beach, Fla in my own bucket list Mustang GT to Kissimmee to shoot Steve McQueen's Bullitt mustang a week before it went across the block at Barrett Jackson. Now, I hope one day to photograph this incredible Countach. Bravo Zulu. Thank you for keeping dreams alive. cheers, - Wright Sublette
Im here cause of vinwiki and i really enjoyed the doco love from Australia
This was AMAZING.
I remember back in the late 90’s my aunt in-law who worked for the Tennessee highway patrol (she processed all the tickets) was telling me about her buddy trooper stories. There was a ranger that ran radar late at night on the Natchez Trace Parkway in southern middle Tennessee that kept getting radar hits of 150+. He could hear it but couldn’t ever see anything. Troopers and other park rangers laughed. But once a week for several weeks BAM. He convinced them to setup a trap just north of where he always setup.
It turned out to be a damn Lamborghini Countach painted flat black, with no lights and the driver using night vision and was running bricks of cocaine north towards Nashville Tennessee.
I have heard so many variations of this story, I've always wondered what actually happened.
Awesome 😅
Whoa
Sounds made up
That was a movie
My dad showing me the opening sequence of this movie when I was a kid 100% turned me into the car enthusiast I am today. So iconic.
I was 6 years old when I saw the opening of the Cannonball Run at the drive in. I still remember that Countach 40 years later...
me too! That's Countach Zero for me, the first one I ever saw.
Remember it like it was yesterday
you'd be kind of pleased for the 50th anniversary of the Countach, Lamborghini made a limited edition Countach LPI 800-4 still has the lamborghini v12, but it is a hybrid
@@signolias100 not really... The Countach was a brand new revolutionary design. The 50th anniversary is just an Aventador with a modified body.
@@AndrasMihalyi countach is famous when the miura is not. people sure got taste :)
Something never mentioned or fully appreciated is how lucky the car community is that Enzo Ferrari was a difficult business man. Without him having that type of personality Lamborghini wouldn't exist, the Ford GT40 program, and because Enzo pissed off Lamborghini enough to go into production for himself Pagani had a firm to start with. We owe an awful lot to Enzo being so difficult.
Agreed and great point! Enzo was an example of pride and arrogance that led him/his company to be the benchmark. Even if another company could do better he would never admit it! Thanks Enzo!
WONDERFULY PUT SIR!!! and so true! but i dont even think enzo was difficult .. i just thinks he knew what a racing car really had to be .. i cant even imagine how many ppl came to him .. who he also rejected and we never heard off! i think that only due to enzo .. supercars do even exist!
Very well said. Enzo essentially needled three different people enough that they set themselves on a path to compete with, and beat, Ferrari at their own game. Pretty successfully too, it's fair to say. And there's more - Shelby, McLaren, Miles, Gurney, Wallace, Balboni, Gandini, Pagani, these names are household names now, because of the arrogance of Enzo. To have inspired so many he must really have been a special kind of difficult.
@@woopimagpie without his contribution the Formula 1, the supercars and hypercar landscape would look completely different. Several manufacturers wouldn't exist and numerous incredible cars would have never even existed.
And yet I wonder if that's the entire, true story behind the Ford GT40 program and others.
I'm 50 years old now (DAMN that hurts to say!). I've only ever had the money for 'beaters' that I TRIED to keep the best shape I could afford to. I saw The Cannonball Run at about 10 years old. Only my dad and I seemed to have any interest in it, but we LOVED It for a million reasons (including but not limited to the opening sequence). He died almost 17 years ago. For many things in life, I've felt like an 'island along men'. THIS documentary helped me see that MY passion for this movie, the stars and CARS is not alone, but rather shown to be rather small in comparison to many others. THANK YOU for sharing this! I LOVE the 'first drive to the theme song of the movie"!!!
Sincere condolences ❤
Gasoline and manual transmissions. Trust me there's a lot of us left.
I LOVED this!! The movie and the car blew my little 10 year old mind when released back in 1981...and made me a Lamborghini lover for life. Great job on the documentary.
lol i was 10 years old too! Loved this movie
Same!
You race with Lamborghini too?
I was 13 and this was like adrenaline-heroin for me at the theater, later the next year when it came out on VHS a friend of mine had it bootlegged to his tape and we watched the intro over and over again, the music and noises still playing in my head days after the spend-the-night visit.
I was 13 at that time. Great movie.
There goes 78 minutes of my life... Couldn't be happier.
P.S. I had a Countach Poster on my wall.
I still have 2 lol
I had posters of a red one and a black one.
Hmm, I wonder if there's anyone who saw this documentary that didn't have a poster of a Countach on the wall? On this comment section? They must be a heavily out-numbered minority at the very least.
Do the run in your Caprice PPV.
I had the poster of the red Lamborghini with the “body by Lamborghini, high fidelity by Alpine“. Classic
Lamborghini posters were ubiquitous in the 80's. You were liable to see one anywhere. Iconic.
As a former valet @ the Portofino Hotel, it’s awesome to see this video. I’m happy to say that while I was working there I was the first person to greet many C2C & Cannonball Run finishers, including Charlie & the record holding EV (Tesla model 3). I’ll make the run someday.
People who say they will someday never do
@@startingtech3900 thanks for the inspirational wall quote.
@@FreshlySnipes take action.
If you ever make it let me know if you want to have a furry auto club run with you to spot and sweep and you can come shoot guns in an radioactive resource crator if you ever run through again :P personally I married my other half when they survived a run with me, a bigger test of a relationship than monopoly or moving in together
Very cool
This is going on the list as one of my favorite documentaries ever. Man, I had such a big smile on my face hearing people talk over clips from the movie. What an amazing car and how great to celebrate all of the things around it, the movie, the people involved, the real race and the legacy of Lamborghini.
I totally agree. One of the rare instances i am glad that the almighty youtube algorithm decideded to push a video to me ;)
Think I've found this weekend's father daughter film.
Gumball or Canon ball run........ time to pass the passion and dreams on to the next generation
This doc was great and very heartwarming . “His greatest legacy was he did lie” this made me cry because my family lies all the time. What a great person and visionary. Lamborghini 🥰
@Debbie Pry I legit have no idea what that acronym means heh
Fitting that the Countach was the star of this iconic film. The Countach is the forerunner of all hypercars. Today there are cars which are way prettier/sleeker/sportier no to mention incomparably more powerful and quicker. But nothing commands the admiration in terms of pure looks that the Countacth does. You can have a Bugatti/McLaren/Koenigsegg/Aventador/Ferrari (lol) et al all standing next to a Countach and the latter will still grab drools. Countach set the bar and everyone is just trying to match up for the last 30+ years
I didn't expect to be crying over a car documentary, even one that I have loved for basically my whole life. But the story at the end from the current owner got me. Both the tragedy that inspired him to create an event that has raised millions for sick kids, and his dedication to the legacy of the Cannonball Countach to have it fully restored in such amazing detail. This was an amazing video, I loved every minute of it.
Also really great that both the second and third owners got it out and drove it. I don't care how much money it's worth or what great condition it's in, cars are made to be driven and I think it's a shame when they sit around and just get looked at. The most infuriating story I ever heard about a Countach was some crazy rich guy who built a fancy new house, and had a Countach hung on the wall like a painting. They drained all the fluids, and mounted the car on a wall sideways. I was disgusted.
It's this kind of stupidity of Uber entitled, rich turds that made the French Revolution possible. And why so many of them went to the guillotine. Just thinking about somebody doing that to a countach is making my hands itchy from restraining myself from slapping them till my arms fall off.
I'm not crying....
You're crying 😢
The Countach was a car where fantasy became reality. It's probably the most iconic car of all time even more than 30 years after it finished production. I saw my first one in 1985 when I was 15 and it was like meeting the Pope for me. I've seen three of them and even today at 52 it still gives me the same thrill as it did that many years ago. That's staying power. It and Adrienne Barbeau are the reasons why Cannonball Run is one of my favorite movies.
Well said, friend, well said. Many people tend to neglect the impact and importance of Adrienne Barbeau in this most iconic movie.
yeah, she was hot & still looks pretty good.
I prefer the blonde who was dating the producer (or director?) , its her only acting credit, mores the pity.I REALLY want to refilm the opening scene in hidef.....
There was a Doctor in the small town I grew up in that bought a Countach. Every now then you would catch a glimpse of it in town. Then one day my brother and I were with our parents at the small hospital in town, maybe a 25 bed hospital if that, and we were outside close to the emergency room entrance. He pulled up in and naturally we are staring in awe of the car.
The door swings up and he's working to get out and says to us "you gonna stand there or you gonna help me get out?" We rush over, give him a hand, he says thanks and just walks into the hospital to take care of whatever he was called for. We got to sit down in it and check it out. You couldn't tell us shit for the rest of the day.
Then, some 25 or so years later I had the opportunity to check out the garage of my now ex's uncle who was a car guy. The Countach was still the one I gravitated towards. This is a garage that had an Jaguar XJ220, Porche 911, Duesenberg, Ford GT, 67' Shelby GT500, 66' Vette convertible, Model A Ford, Model T ford, Rolls Royce (probably 40s-50s model, don't recall), Aston Martin DB9, and several others. The sad part for me though is that I couldn't get fit in the Countach anymore, lol.
@@TViper2369 lol, i bet i wouldn't fit in that Countach
Hey, I had no idea this was a thing. In August of 2005 I decided to move from NYC to Phoenix AZ. I was 25 and just couldn’t stay in New York anymore, 9/11 broke me, broke my mind. I was a first responder. I had say goodbye to the city that had made me a man. The contentment from Memories of that first kiss are as delightful as the first time experiencing the wonder of seeing the skyscrapers of midtown Manhattan as an immigrant child from Armenia. Needless to say It was truly heartbreaking to say goodbye, but the tires hit the road.
The days of Mapquest and loud dot matrix printers lol. I chose I-95 to the I-10 corridor. Fascinating as it was terrifying driving thru Hurricane Katrina I made it to Phoenix in 23 hours and change. Now I know it’s not NYC to LA but hear me out. I’ve taken many day trips to LA in the years since. And I’ve made good time to the tune of 4 hours and some change. There is no point to be made nor egos to be stroked, There were no records broken and speed limits chagrined. But the fine print of my adventure … was undertaken in a 1993, 4 cylinder Toyota Camry with well over 150k on the dashboard with all my earthly possessions. What a beautiful country. God bless America!
You'll never beat the first 4 minutes of the movie as an advert for any car. The countach was so far ahead of it's time, you only have to look at what's followed since to know that. I'm so glad this car is still alive! Brilliant documentary, thank you for keeping my childhood alive!
I sent this to my family and tried to explain that this is the car that changed my life and made me a car guy. Not a car like this, but this tiny wedge captured the imagination of a 6 year old in 1981 and never let go. Fantastic film, huge thank you to all involved in this. I love it as much today as I did way back when I saw it for the first time
Beyond just the cinematography, this was a wonderfully made documentary. No longer do you have to search multiple times to get up to speed on this legendary car and race. It’s all right here. Bravo!
All you need to do is search for the cannon ball run intro :)
The Canonball Countach is an absolute icon. A rebellion against gas prices, rebellion against the future of electric cars. Every boy and girl who call themselves "car enthusiast" should know of this car. I feel like in times like these where gas prices get all time high, this suddenly becomes super relevant. Honestly, if my country ever hosts some event like this, im signing in straight away. Im happy Cannonball is something that still goes on around the world, even if not at "full force" like it used to be.
electrics care were totally absent for decaded until late 2000
Fantastic production, beautifully edited, amazing videography, an enthusiast dream documentary made in such a way anyone can appreciate. I’m a 35 year old Professor of Diesel Technology at a large University on the West Coast and still a proud, greasy, mechanic, and car lover to this day. I learned things I had no idea about. That was an absolute joy to watch and immerse myself in. I honestly felt a connection to the guys and gals featured in it, as if I was there myself. Thank you for such good work. I can imagine the amount of research and time it took to get it just right. Best wishes, good vibes, and hopes for multi millions of views. All you who made this possible deserve an award and big payout! Be safe, take care all.
Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel was a German inventor and mechanical engineer who is famous for having invented the Diesel engine.
Diesel was interested in using coal dust[20] or vegetable oil as fuel, and in fact, his engine was run on peanut oil. Although these fuels were not immediately popular, during 2008 rises in fuel prices, coupled with concerns about oil reserves, have led to the more widespread use of vegetable oil and biodiesel.
Love your enthusiasm and obvious energy. I am older (53) and the son of a mechanic and a dyed-in-the-wool car man and can only imagine how wonderful it must be to enjoy your lectures. Growing up I had a maths teacher who was also a passionate pilot. He was easily distracted and would talk for hours about his flying exploits. Later he become an entrepreneur and now owns a number of planes, including a Pitts Special, various WWII warbirds and even a couple of jet fighters. His passion rubbed off and I went and became a private pilot. I've even flown some aerobatics in one of his ex air force trainers! You never know the influence you have an how it could manifest in your students' lives! Cheers from Australia - Dave
@@deldridg Thank you! That means a lot, brother. I’m actually fighting with two different forms of congestive heart failure right this moment on top of trying to take care of my family, teach, further my education, so those words mean more than you can imagine. I don’t mention it much for multiple reasons but that made my night. I don’t sleep much lately so I work a lot while my wife and little girls sleep to make sure my students get the best I can give. Best wishes to you and your loved ones! Keep the light bright and keep being you my friend!
@@tjtrent2351 Oh dear - I am so sorry to hear of your current challenges. Much love to you my friend from way down here in Sydney. I have limited means with which to imagine what you must be going through right now and pray that you will see light at the end of this difficult time very soon. I too have young children and know how precious they are and how they can lift you in your darkest times. What a gift they are. I wish you and your family all the very best through this period of your life and hope you can find a way to keep up that positive spirit that is evident in your words. Warm regards - David
OMG.. I'm over 50 years old,and I remember seeing this movie for the first time... And yes, I rewinded the beginning over and over as well... And after all these years I've never noticed the exhaust until now... A pipe for each cylinder, damn unbelievable... the most beautiful car of all time hands down....
The look and the sound of that Countach on the opening scene of Cannonball Run was for me as a kid at the time, absolutely amazing! and still is to this day.
As a 10 year old boy in 1981, I remember watching the Cannonball Run opening sequence in total awe of that amazing Countach. Of course I stared at one on my wall everyday of my teenage life too! Haven’t made it there yet, different priorities until now, maybe one day. It’s just great to know this car is still out there being enjoyed to this day!
I was one of those kids who convinced their Mom to rent the Cannonball Run a dozen times or more at the local video store. I probably watched the opening one hundred times on VHS. Once again, I got goosebumps hearing the wail of the Countach from the opening credits. This is a brilliant documentary on one of my favorite subjects. I loved seeing the remastered shots from the film and hopefully there is a 4K version of The Cannonball Run coming soon. Fun fact: The crew affectionately referred to the production as “The Blizzard” which wasn’t from a recent snowfall. Thank you for bringing this doc into being.
I remember it like it was yesterday, being a 13 year old kid, sitting in the theater and watching the scene where the Countach pulls away from the Firebird . . . that was literally the day I became a 'car guy'. 40+ years and 54 cars owned later . . . still a car guy. Cannonball is a great part of automotive history!
Saw Cannonball Run 3 times, this video explained to me why I did. I was around 12-13 years old. There are a lot of good folks in this video. The widow of the founder of the race is as wise a person as I’ve ever heard speak. Mr. Ippoliti has such a profound way of explaining things that really connect with people as well as he seems to have a good heart. The two old buddies talking about the good old days made me feel good. Started watching this video because I saw The Car, but couldn’t turn it off because it’s so perfectly put together, the video I mean, too. And the guy that held the record with his friends for a bit seems like an outstanding human being, too. Mr. Rice is a man whom I could listen to for hours, the stories he must have! Thank you for this, it took me back, made me appreciate things more…
Only 3 times? I must have watched that at least 20 times a s a kid :)
Mr. Ippoliti does indeed have a good heart. Great guy.
Thanks for you comment. How old are you if you don't mind me asking?
I was around 20 then I think I have seen it 50-100 times lost count, used to watch it almost every weekend. still have the VHS, still love it.
Great comment. Heck, I never knew how Hawaiian Tropic started & how their founder became such an important part of getting that Countach into the Cannonball Run movie.
*You just KNOW that old guy has SO many awesome stories about his many, many adventures in that car!*
From the movie, to the Countach then on to Ed and Brock, this connected so many dots of why I am such a "car guy". Reading car magazines (Car and Driver, thanks Brock), watching the movie and many years later watching youtube and Ed, this video brought it all together and I realized Brock, without knowing it all these years, is my hero.
I never thought I would watch an 80 minute documentary about a car from a movie I've never seen but here we are. This was extremely well made!
Lol. I hope you've managed to watch it since then.
Truthfully, the movie is a goofy farce, but a farce that inspired so many people. The GumBall Rally was more true to the actual thing but not involving the real participants like CannonBall Run did...
What a great car documentary! I was 9 in 1981 and related to everything that was said. I'm not gonna lie, there were some tears of joy reliving this. Movies like Cannonball and Smokey certainly fueled my life long passion for cars. Even though I'm 50 now, if I ever had the means, The Countach would be the first exotic Car in my collection.. There is nothing else like it. Watching this is like being that 12 year old, back in his room, lying on his bed, and staring at that poster of the White Lambo, and right next to that is the poster of Farrah Fawcett. 😍💯
Amen brother!
I was 13 when this movie came out and was blessed to see most of the great car movies from the 70s and 80s. CGI and tech can't compare to the raw and real of the analog experience of loud, fast, real🔥
Aint no way you had Farrah. Maybe catherine bach or christie brinkley
No need for me to write a comment after reading yours. We are the same, you and I, right down to the age and the white Lamborghini poster.
This is how it's supposed to be. It's such a shame when any vintage or collector car just gets stashed in a collection and not driven. They were made to be driven and enjoyed, not parked. Kudos for taking it out and doing what it was built to do 😎
This is why I always have mixed emotions when I read about barn finds. On one hand, it's great that a lost classic car's been found and can (hopefully) be salvaged. But I don't get the mentality of people who own these kinds of cars and just leave them to rot.....
Wait till you see what’s rotting in the sultan of Brunei’s garage
@@dannyboyy31 It's too easy to love something too much, then you somehow end up not enjoying your time with it because you take too many precautions to preserve what you have. I've fallen for this mentality in the past with various things I have collected since I was kid and no matter how hard you try time is still working against it. I learned to just use it and have fun.
That's why you buy two. One to colleect, and one to enjoy.
@@trevertravis8963 😂
This is my econd time watching. I think this makes people remember what the Countach was. Not just some 80s excess car but an automotive icon.
As an 80's kid this car represents so much I wouldn't even try to explain it to someone that didn't already know, but I'm glad you did! Great job!
Nothing looks that looks sweet shorts for nothing Sam, it's your choice to nothing
Subscribe to this dude an information source for nothing Little Foot
The opening to Cannonball Run still has to be the best movie intro ever made. Excellent video
This documentary is so beautifully scripted, penned down, and explained that it brought tears to my eyes. One of the best documentary on Cannonball and Lamborghini. It was sublime to see this. Thank you to the team.
Wow. I'm at a loss for words. Thank you for creating this amazing video and for immortalizing the Cannonball Run and the great Brock Yates. It's a wonderful story
This is an absolutely incredible documentary and story. I felt like this was amazingly relatable.I was born in '76, I can remember talking about this movie and cars since I was in kindergarten 1981. Growing up in NC, less than 45 mins from Richard Petty and RCR/Earnhardt, NASCAR was pretty much in my blood. As a kid, I was obsessed with the Allison Hawaiian Tropic car and the Countach used in The Cannonball Run.Two cars that truly depended my obsession with cars and racing. In the 80's, I proudly carried my Lamborghini Countach themed Trapper Keeper. The first time I saw a Contact was in the 80's, Ocean Blvd Myrtle Beach, SC. So many memories I would love to ramble on about with this movie and cars. Thank you for producing this!!
I'm so glad that you're bringing all these stories that I read about throughout my adolescence to a new audience. Hopefully more people will know of Brock Yates and that time period - not to mention writing about something clearly illegal! Truly a different time...
writing ✍about the racing isn't illegal but being the ringleader @ 150mph~ in a 40 is ect. , and im not so sure being so public about doing the race makes it easier to run so he probably had other ideas for motivations and not really winning it aka something else
Failrace Cannonball challenge? Tell Alex to make it happen!
@@Official_MikeyT Believe me, we so want to. It's just really hard to film when everyone goes different ways x)
This documentary was OUTSTANDING!!! The Countach was my absolute automotive first love at the age of 10-ish in 1982 or 83! Did not plan on spending an hour or so watching anything today but could not put this down! Living in Columbus, Oh, I saw my first Countach in person and I’d never forget it! Playing little league baseball, I had teammate who said that his neighbor a few doors down from him had a Countach, a Ferrari, a Pantera, and a Vette. I was like BS!!! My teammate called me when the Countach neighbor had his collection on display at his Maize Rd residence. I road my bicycle about 2 miles and voilà!!! So so cool!!! Evan’s, the guy that owned the collection ran an auto repair shop on Morse Rd. ANYWAY…that’s my story 😁
I'm from Columbus and I remember this family car game was sick.
Every time I hear about Laura's passing it hurts, but the legacy Jeff has created helping all the children at Make-a-wish is just incredible. Jeff commissioning the perfect restoration of the cannonball countach and playing the theme song on his first drive is priceless. so cool. Hope to be the 4th owner of that car or maybe the 5th :)
Everything they said about the Cannonball intro rang true, it was the first time I saw a Countach on film, as a living breathing machine, of course it was the first time I heard one too. I always loved the Countach from what I saw in magazines as a 10 year old but as a 12, 13 year old, to see it and hear it was actually surreal for me at the time and left a life long impression. As for this video, the story and heartfelt emotion was great, a masterpiece of Yotube!
I've been fotrunate to have seen three Countach's in my life !!
This was fantastic. I still remember my mom telling me she and my dad had recorded the 20/20 special for me because I was sleeping. I literally wore out that tape watching it over and over again.
I haven't seen a documentary like this in a long, long time... I remember growing in the 80s and watching the movie... I even had a black lamborghini countach poster in my room wall! A masterpiece, thanks for sharing this to the world!
Awesome presentation! I was 11 when this movie came out, my older cousin was 16 and introducued me to the exotic car world with this movie. One of my great childhood memories was the first 4 minutes of Cannonball Run and that theme music. I was frozen in my seat, glued to the screen, and feeling the thrill as if I was driving it myself. 40 years later and I still get goosebumps when I watch the movies now. Love the car, love the genre, love that era!!!!!!!
The Countach gave me chills back then as a child, and still overwhelms and excites me to this day, like nothing else. I saw my first and only Countach (black) in the wild a couple years ago in my home town in normal daily traffic. It absolutely took my breathe away when I spotted it, and I nearly broke my neck as I stared driving by, joyfully tearing up uncontrollably. It has a presence all it's own, and seems to exist in a place where our dimension and another cross. I cannot imagine the joy of being caretaker to one of these creations, but I can surely continue to dream about it.
You actually cried? Thats hilarious😆
@@troy9327 Tearing up not tears streaming down my face, but yeah man, it was a very emotional and awesome experience for me.
@@tamiyaddiction_YT I truly envy your ability to find that much joy in something as simple as seeing a car in traffic. Congratulations!
As a car enthusiast this is probably the most emotional documentary I've ever seen.
I'm an 18 year old kid that watched Cannonball Run when I was about 8. And I can say that is one of the coolest cars ever. I'm more of an American muscle car guy and truck guy. But no matter who you are in the car world, you know that, that is a beautiful car. I love that all these historical cars are going to forever be documented.
Same for me, except I first watched it at age 7 (2010) and I still love it. Now I have a 1978 MG Midget that I'm working on later this year! At least the 1999 HBO DVD has the original goofy 20th Century Fox variant...
@@shaneharrisnj3484 As an old dude, I'd like to say, please don't ruin anything. If you want to modify, make/buy new/used parts. You can make new original or patina.. Enjoy B)
This was a wonderful documentary! This brought back the very same emotions and reactions I felt as a kid when I first stumbled upon Cannonball. Few things today make me feel like I did when I was a kid. This car and this documentary did that and brought back that magic and awe I felt 30 years ago when I first saw the movie. Thank you!
watched this on repeat, thank you hagerty for not only producing this wonderful documentary, but also writing a love letter to the run, to Brock Yates, the Countach, and to the people that became a part of it.
I don't think I will ever want one of these ostentatious, loud, expensive to buy, expensive to maintain cars.
But...
I will always love knowing they are in our world. Because they are the embodiment of passion. And this was an astounding tribute to, not only this car but, all cars that bring out the passion and love of driving in the world.
I'll never forget watching Cannonball Run on a rented VHS when I was 8 years old. From that first gorgeous opening shot, I was head-over-heels for the Countach (and, unfortunately, disco music) for the rest of my life.
What a well produced documentary on the Cannonball, Brock Yates and the Countach.
I enjoyed every minute of this.
Wonderful to see 'THE Countach' restored to it's original glory.
The Countach had no business ever being built. Ridiculous.
And we're sure glad it was... 👍
Yum!! Thanks for posting this awesome video!
Oddly enough, my first encounter with a Lamborghini Countach was back in Tulsa during a perfect June evening in 1984. I happened to catch an encounter with the car while passing a a circle driveway entrance of a hotel. Super odd because at that time I was living in California in San Diego. If there was ever a better opportunity to do supercar spotting it would have been more likely in California rather than in Tulsa. When the Countach was spotted any other plans my friend John Foster and I had our day suddenly and completely evaporated. For the next half hour out of our lives we were stuck at the hotel that hotel ogling the stunning red Countach as the sun was setting. As we were looking at the car John mentioned that he thought he recognized one of the people getting into car as a son of a local well-off family. Which made sense because it was graduation season at the time with lots of high school and college seniors out for their evenings. Maybe that guy was borrowing a family jewel as their ride for their evening out. Yes there was also a beautiful girl in a dress. And yes, they both looked a little silly trying to navigate their exists and entrances into the Countach without mussing up their appearance. And yes, the passenger door had to be opened a second time in order to pull in part of the dress that wanted to experience life going down the road on the outside of the Countach. But whoever the people were, or whatever their reason for being there, I will remain forever thankful they decided to stop at that hotel with that red Countach. Providing the gift of the view. Then watching as it slowly made it's way out of the drive trying to be careful not to scape the front spoiler too much. Which it scraped a little anyway. The encounter with the car was a great way to enjoy part of my Tulsa vacation. That red Countach provided a lasting an treasured shared memory for my friend John and I.
What an absolutely phenomenal showcase of one of the greatest cars to ever grace the motorway. Bravo to the team and all the people interviewed.
Breathtaking documentary. Huge congratulations to all involved, and especially my personal thanks to Mr Jeff Ippoliti, for his irrepressible passion for the car, that it now sits in such pristine and period correct condition. Every single person in this programme has a unique and important role in the story and I am so very grateful to have been privileged to witness it.
Thank God someone undid that purple interior!
Just, wow. This was spectacular guys! Thanks to everyone involved for making such a fantastic piece of art come to life like this.
Well.. my first movie where i saw a Countach in action was 'Joshua Three' with Dolph -Lundgren and in that movie the action turn into best speed run i saw at the time, when a cop in a black Countach was chasing Dolph driving a red Ferrari F40 and that really got into me for the first time the noises, high speed on twisty mountain roads was very impressive, so then i see this clip an i had to watch the Cannonball Run but since the Countach was used less, to me the Joshua Three is still a better movie to experience old supercar chasing scene excepting the first movie Gone in 60 seconds or the Bullit & Le-Mans with McQueen ..
I remember the time of this movie so well. It was such a great time! Man, Burt Reynolds and Dom Deloise were so hilarious on Carson! They just laughed constantly and had the best laughs.
Brock Yates - He married very well. What a sweet, intelligent, beautiful, and all around sweetheart of a lady.
What a great group these guys were. Salt of the earth. 💯
This was absolutely phenomenal. Thanks to the Hagerty Team, Ed, and all the others that provided the insights here. Such a great piece of my childhood, that opening engine note salvo, still runs a chill down my spine even to this day.
That Lamborghini Countach has the most wicked exhaust I've ever seen! Wow! the Gumball Rally movie is very close to The Cannon Ball ,Awesome!
Lookup the countach with kreissieg exhaust just for fun. 😎
Jeff Ippoliti seems to be an extremely amiable enthusiast. I like his humble nature as well as his mind to place the important things in life in their proper perspective. He deserves every bit of his big success.
The Countach was just about every boy's dream car back in the 80s. For me as well, until the Ferrari F40 came out. Awesome documentary!
you forgot the magnum P.I. ferrari.
@@OugaBoogaShockwave And the white Testarossa from Miami Vice
@@OugaBoogaShockwave Magnum's 308 and the Testarossa are the most beatiful Ferraris in my opinion.
Red Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona spider from 1976 "The Gumball Rally" and Black Ferrari Daytona spider from 1984-86 "Miami Vice"! Also Black Ferrari 308 GTB from 1987 "Hidden"!
This is INCREDIBLE! Ed, if this isn't a podcast you should also release the audio. This should be a mandatory watch for any self respecting classic car enthusiast. Will watch again.
*Wow. This was such an incredibly informative & entertaining documentary! Great job to the Hagerty Foundation & to everyone involved in creating such a great movie.*
_There were SO many things I learned from watching this. You guys really captured the essence of the legendary Lamborghini Countach overall, as well as it's relationship with the Cannonball Run._
*I'm thankful this history has been documented so well for all to see now, and for many generations to come! Grazie!*
i agree 100 % ... i was moved by so much about the entire story......
As a kid in the 80's this was my favorite movie. This brings back many memories. I also had car posters. But the Lambo poster I had, had the 25th Countach in the middle with all the other cars Lamborghini made with stats, surrounding it. I loved the look of the Lamborghini Silhouette best. Growing up I used to draw cars all the time, and wanted to be a car designer, and work for Bertone. Marcello Ghandini was one of my heros. Thanks.
you found a job in the industry?
I drew cars too, but stupid me is drawing deck remodels.
@@kurtwomack6473 everyone loves a nice deck
Watching this doc gave me chills numerous times, along with conjuring up lots of childhood memories. I've seen hundreds and hundreds of docs, but none have made me feel the way this one did.
Agree 100%!
I absolutely agree!
What a fantastic film. I’m 49 years old and remember the first time I saw a Countach for real and I was in shock and awe as an 11 year old. The cannonball run has to be one of my all time favourite films but looking into the amazing achievements of Brock Yates and what he did is astonishing. Thank you for putting together a wonderful film.
Car and Driver magazine was a monthly read for me from 1978 to 1992, and Brock Yates & company shaped my world view a great deal. I still believe that personal freedom is vital, precious, and messy, as personified by the Cannonball and the Countach.
This was beautiful Hagerty, thank you we need more not-as-well known stories like this.. Reminded me of an old documentary you used to see in school..
This was THE car that got me into cars. I saw Cannonball Run when I was five or six and was hooked the minute I laid eyes on that black Lamborghini. The thing is I had no idea that car or that scene was so iconic amongst the community. Makes me really happy to know it has a new lease on life after being fully refreshed.. it looks absolutely fantastic.
The impact the Countach had on the typical gear head was profound. I was 18 in 1982. Everyone had or knew someone who had the bright red Countach poster. On the wall right next to Farrah. Five years later I was truck driving. Running meat from the midwest to Florida. Then plants out of Florida to everywhere else. One run I was on I10 in California taking oranges from Florida to Outside LA. As I am climbing the hill outside Indio I see a black smudge in my mirror 4 miles behind me. I looked forward and the smudge was a Countach, and it blew by me like I was parked. With sound, engine, wind, everything, it became one of my favorite moments being a professional tourist.
Neither poster has been topped.
I had the white Countach poster next Cheryl Tiegs poster
The very first thing I did after finishing watching this absolutely incredible documentary was to go find the opening scene to the first movie, turn up my headphones, and remember what it felt like to be 6 years old again. I then watched it two more times and I think I''ll go back and watch it again right now.
Where did you find the video? Here on RUclips?
Yes its on here.
@@bobbyhz5530 ruclips.net/video/evA3_NV7cPM/видео.html
It shows a market for that content that's never been really satisfied. Flashes in films over the years but we need short movies like that opening sequence. That sound with that cheesie song goes so well. Pure car porn
What an incredible documentary! So well done! Loved it, thank you!!
In the 80s I had the luck to be a passenger in this amazing car, the owner, said to me, if you can touch the dash, while he was going from 0 to 100km/h, I'll buy you a beer. No beer for me that day. The sound of the engine was a enormous experience.
@@uncle_salty_3675 My incredulity was further enhanced by the fact that I had owned a *very* fast car back in the early 90s, and I can tell you I sure wouldn't have put any money on the dashboard and made that bet.
However, I also can't really deny it's possible, because the experience of getting my fast car from 0 to 60 mph quickly, wasn't really *directly comparable* to the experience of the people who were telling the "Cant touch the dash" story.
Basically, all the stories I remember hearing that contained that sort of bet, were all in cars with huge amounts of torque.
Usually obscenely large big-block v-8s with automatic transmissions and most likely they also had nice big fat tires at the rear for traction.
Whereas my car was a little 1972 vega gt, with *slightly* wider than normal tires, a 4-speed, and a small block 327 v-8 that wasn't any sort of low-end-torque monster, but had god knows how much power at high rpms.
So here's basically how we did our "0 to 60 tests" back in the early 90s...
First, you put in the clutch, shift to 1st gear, then slam the pedal to the floor.
As soon as the engine hit full song, you drop the clutch. The tires immediately break free and start screaming.
*ALSO* immediately (due to a somewhat unfortunate rear suspension design) the left rear wheel would start to "hop", slamming up and down as fast as a machine gun, while sounding like some maniacs slamming sledge hammers into the side of a garbage dumpster.
Count "1" as you slam the clutch to the floor *without* letting up on the gas, and shove the shifter into 2nd gear.
Count "2" as you drop the clutch in 2nd gear, tires screaming and jack-hammering.
Less than a second later, you're already slamming in the clutch again, gas pedal still nailed to the floor, you throw it into 3rd
Count "3" as you dump the clutch the 3rd time, ripping loose the tires yet again while the slam-banging of the cursed wheel hop makes the baby jesus cry
Smash the clutch in for the last time, throw it into 4th...
Dump the clutch with the engine still spinning at max rpm, releasing the gods of war and once again spinning the rear tires mercilessly.
Count "4" and let off the gas pedal, the wheels stop spinning. look down...
You're doing over 60 mph.
So it was literally, 1 (dump clutch) 2 (dump clutch) 3 (dump clutch) 4 let off gas and you're already over 60.
4 *burns* less than a second each. quicker than you could say 4 Mississippis
It was *FAST*. Blistering fast.
And somewhat *violent* lol
But since the tires spun in all 4 gears, you never did have that sort of *High torque takeoff*, "push you back in the seat" feel that you get with a high torque motor and good traction.
When taking off that fast in my car, there really *was no such thing as traction*, because the wheels were always spinning while under power.
Instead, my car was propelled from 0-60 in 4 seconds by *Friction*. (maybe even a little faster, technically, because you had to let off the gas to let the wheels stop spinning before you could see how fast you were going)
It was nicknamed "The Beast" lol
But, anyway, even though that's the fastest car I've ever ridden in and/or driven...
I've been in MUCH slower cars, that had more low end torque and more traction, that *felt* like they were pushing me back in the seat waaay harder than in my car.
So there's *that* element that makes these sorts of stories maintain a bit of plausibility in my point of view.
The idea that, IF a car with a lot of torque, and ALSO had enough traction to keep that torque under control (little, if any, tire spinning) and could still reach 0-60 fast enough...
Then maybe it could be true?
The previous commenter said a Lamborghini Countach isn't that fast, at ~14s in the 1/4 mile.
Well... One should maybe consider this was an early 80s *production Street car*, not some modified dragster.
My car sure as hell wasn't *stock*! lol
A stock Vega GT would do 0 to 60 mph in 11 sec not 4 ;P
A stock 1982 Lamborghini Countach LP500S would do 0-60 in 5.3 seconds, which wasn't by any means *slow* back then (almost 40 years ago) and while it's certainly not the fastest *production car* on the street today, i wouldn't call it slow now either.
Anyway, as far as cars being able to take off that fast...
I really don't know, because I've never been in a 0-60 test in something torquey enough, and with enough traction, to get up to 60 that fast.
I'd imagine it would need to be something like a big block, with an automatic, and huge tires to soak up all that torque and deliver it to the ground.
The lamborghini isn't a big block, but it's a small, light car with a pretty good amount of torque at lower rpms and a Lot of traction, plus it can hit 65 while *still in first gear*, so once it gets going, it can keep going without pauses from gear changes.
When I saw an italian test driver dumping the clutch and burning the tires as he took off in a video earlier, the huge tires only spun for maybe half to 3/4 of a second, just long enough to catch up with the engine which continued to accelerate without bogging.
That seems consistent with what I'd imagine it being like *if* it was possible. Too much spin, =no strong torque delivery =less push-back into seat.
Whereas no spin at all leaves you starting from the ground up compared to your engine's torque band
The touch the dash comment is an old phrase that's been floating around for over half a century now. Its merely a figure of speech. You can sit in any sub-10 second hypercar and lift your arm and reach it forward under full acceleration.
Having said that the Countach had unique seats that made reaching the dash very difficult (if not impossible for shorter people) even when the car was parked!
@@chrischaf Funny, I was just doing that today.. in my XJ ;p
@@CanadaBud23 repaving the highway with rubber? lol how'd it go?
XJ
@@chrischaf It went well actually. I made some new parts to fix a throwing belt issue and it rips like it did before again. It lays for as long as I want it to at above 10psi boost. I beat on it regularly and the motor doesn't complain (yet lol). Today we had some above 0 weather for the mid day so I took it out for a quick "spin" test to see how it holds up and seems to be working fine again.
If I get a nice clear sunny day despite cold I'm gonna redo a video and shouldn't end like that last one did lol.
Thanks for making this! 11:18 "Because it's there" is a reference to climbing Mount Everest. It's attributed to George Mallory who died attempting the summit in 1924
Fantastic! To everyone who worked on this, thank you. I had the Countach - 288 GTO - 959 poster on my wall as a kid too. This documentary was wonderful.
Well done Hagerty, exceptional documentary! Countach’s have always been my favorite car. I was ten when Cannonball released and saw it with my mates on my birthday, I can still remember being in the theater loving that opening! Thank you Hagerty!
Thank you SO MUCH for making this broadcast quality video Production. You’ve absolutely nailed it. Even though I am a huge Porsche fan, as a child I had the Countach on my bedroom walls alongside Ferrari and Bugatti… though the Countach was centre stage. This video brought back so many special memories for me, once again thanks. The commentary from the modern age looking back, from real car guys, who know their stuff… just BRILLIANT!
Amazing story and to know that it's true is just awesome. Seeing that movie as a teen in 1980 blew my mind.
I wonder if the people who hand built that car ever knew their contribution to history.
What an amazing video. I was born in 1979, and my family had nothing to do with cars other than farm equipment, and something to (sometimes) get you from point A to point B. This car, the Lamborghini Countach sparked a wonder in me. How could this car exist? Was this a real thing? My love for cars only grew from there but more than that, the car culture, the creators, the drivers and owners. I love to drive a car and then learn who made it, who they were, why they did what they did and who else loves their design. This video brought me back to my first visions of car enthusiasm.
As an Italian, I thank you for this very nice production . Products from my country are many times permeated by passion . Products intended as a statment in the first place, and many times purchased to make a statement . To impress, to seduce, to tickle the soul of those who admire it . Raffaello, Michelangelo, Leonardo, they all did somehting that was born out of their passion and was meant to stimulate passion in the audience . Leave them speachless . This is what also Ferruccio had in mind, I am pretty sure .
I always wanted Lamborghini to make their top-echelon car ‘The Pavarotti.’ That man deserves a car in his name. His voice and presence was untouchable.
@@snail415 not sure they would do it . Normally lamborghinis names come from a breed of Spanish fighting bulls
The opening scene with good 7.2 surround and 70” HD is awesome!
I was about 5yrs old when this came out, and it’s a big upgrade from the VHS I remembered.
This is a cool movie, but some of the best scenes are from the real 1979 running.
I must have seen those movies hundreds times as a kid. I still find myself watching it and enjoying that intro. Back in 2012 i was hanging out with my two friends and their 8 year old son. I knew the kid really loves cars and racing. We were all sitting in my living room and had a wonderful conversation about their sons automotive passion.
So i decided, without saying a word, i started the movie on my TV. Instead of watching the intro of the movie, i looked at that kid. His eyes shot open and he had a look of amazement on his face.
As a young boy my parents gave me a subscription to Car and Driver and I waited every month to see the Brock Yates article. His writing skills made this young boy want to read everything he wrote.
that countach still delivers and always will deliver that sense of awe...
As a child of the 80's, watching Cannonball over and over, that movie planted a seed which I carry in my core. This documentary made laugh, smile and cry - the weight of legends permeate each minute. Truly a story that is hard to believe, birthed in a time of discord - oh how history is repeating itself yet again. Unfortunately, this time around, I do not see a Countach LP400S type symbol lifting our spirits and giving the next generation a reason to celebrate car culture and freedom. I pray I am wrong. Job well done Hagerty, this is the best material you have yet produced. I'm surprised Jason Cammisa didn't have a cameo...did I miss it...😊
Thank you so much to the makers of this doc... I remember seeing TCR in the theater as a kid, but had no idea there was so much story to be told about the car, the film, the people behind it all. Great doc and probably the best footage we'll ever get of the Countach in action!!!
Wow! That was so good! So well put together. The nostalgia! Even my sons will love this documentary.
Love the fact you preserve automotive history so all generations can learn how beautiful this era was. I wish the future generations will learn how important automotive history is and learn how to drive and avoid autonomous cars...my respects...
I absolutely loved this video. Amazing. That Countach is one of the most beautiful works of art in history. For my generation the intro for the movie Speed Zone was epic. I watched the intro sometimes a dozen times in a row a day. Still love it to this day.
I love these high quality, long form documentaries about one specific car!
This is fantastic!
Imagine trying to convert a carbureted v-12 to a freevalve system.
This video was …I have no words. I always love a good car story and this was one of the best I’ve ever heard. Very well told, very well done! The last story about the current owner really got me in the feels! Had me emotional at the end…one of my favorite movies, THE BEST opening credits scene ever. Thank you for such an awesome video!
The only thing that bothers me about this story is the fact that the front wing thing is never mentioned. It doesn't appear on any other Countach so is it just a movie prop or what? It seems really strangle to never bring it up.
Check at 43:14. That's where they cover it. Admittedly, there's a lot to the story and it's an easy point to miss. But in a nutshell, there was a company here in the states that added the wing to act as a front bumper to make it legal to import to the U.S.
11 yrs old when the iconic movie came out. Within a year I had Countach posters, book covers for school, a Revel model which was the first I ever assembled. The first minutes are emblazoned in my mind to this day. Today at 53 I am a diehard car guy, model builder and RC fanatic. I wonder what I would be doing these days without seeing that movie... Deep down I KNOW it set me on a lifelong path.
I'm so impressed by OUR guys putting out the exact content we want. I was literally looking this car up a few months ago and info was limited.
Thank you!
That Countach made a big impression on me. I was only a toddler when I saw that movie for the first time and I've wanted a black Lamborghini ever since. I have the posters and the hotwheels and the the model kit. I grew up with a gearhead father so cars have become my entire life. I'm a journeyman auto mechanic and I built my own hot rods but I still look at that black Countach and think that is the dream.
The shortest and most entertaining 1 hour 28 minutes I ever spent on a documentary. Thank you for this!
What a great documentary. Really I place this up there with the king of Kong , endless summer, super-size me, and some of the all time great documentaries in terms of enjoyment, nostalgic value, information, history, and just general entertainment and watchability. Nice job.
Even in this documentary, I got an adrenaline rush watching the clips of the entro to Cannonball Run. Growing up in the 70's and 80's, this was one of my favorite movies. I also wore out a video tape just watching those first 4 minutes of the movie.
This was an awesome documentary. I've been telling my wife that the Cannonball was real, but she never believed me. Finally! Proof!
I was an 8 years old boy when the Cannonball Movie came out and my instant Love Affair with Farrah Fawcett and the Lamborghini Countach Began! Thankyou so much for this Awesome Documentary.
As a car guy since I could walk, thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this short film. I’m not really into exotic but I have to be honest the cannonball run countach is absolutely one of the most recognizable cars in my memory
I was born in 1983 and my all-time favorite dream car has always been the Lamborghini Countach LP5000S Quattrovalvole in red with gold wheels. Even this black Countach with the tan interior is absolutely gorgeous to me. I have always loved the Diablo as well, but there's just something about the Countach that always drove me nuts. I had a poster on my wall, I had pictures of them all over my room, I had Matchbox Countachs, I even had a red Countach with gold wheels RC car.
Born '82 and I have pretty much the exact same story to tell as you just did (I also loved the Diablo) with the exception that instead of the RC car I had the red Countach Transformer (Sideswipe).
@@MrGulI was born in 83, so I just turned 41 last Thursday and I still dream of owning one someday. They always say that you should never meet your heroes, but I'm willing to take that chance. Yeah, they're notoriously hard to back up due to having to open the door and hang out of the door sill to reverse, but sign me up! Still though, I would LOVE to have one with a Murcielago 640 HP V12...but I could make due with the stock 5.2L 420HP 341 lb ft V12...0-60 in 4.6 seconds, 0-120 in 15.5 seconds, and a quarter mile time of 12.8 STOCK...and that was in 1987 when I was 4 years old. Still good figures today!
"Quattrovalvole in red with gold wheels" - have you seen the Harry's Garage and Tyrrell's Classic Workshop videos about Harry Metcalfe's Countach?