Countach brings Cannonball girls together

Remember the movie The Cannonball Run and the shiny black Lamborghini that won the race. Well the two women who drove the Countach LP 40...

Remember the movie The Cannonball Run and the shiny black Lamborghini that won the race.

Well the two women who drove the Countach LP 400 S in the movie have been reunited for the first time since its release in 1981.

Until then the two actresses Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman had never even seen a Lamborghini before.

Lamborghini brought them together to mark the 45th anniversary of the Countach LP 400 S which was produced 45 years ago in November, 1979.

The Cannonball Run was inspired by the actual Cannonball race, in which the participating cars had to cross the United States, starting off from New York and finishing in Los Angeles -- in the shortest possible time.

An all-star cast included Roger Moore, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Jackie Chan, along with actresses such as Farrah Fawcett, Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman.

The Cannonball Run (1981)

 

In an interview Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman discussed the movie which has been recognised by the Library of Congress.

They admit that neither one had seen, much less driven, a Lamborghini before.

But then Lamborghini produced little more than 50 cars a year back then.

Barbeau, who played Marcie Thatcher in the movie, thought the Lamborghini was beautiful.

“We had the best car and it was definitely the most beautiful of all,” added Buckman, who played Jill Rivers.

Why was the Countach chosen as the car to win the race?

Barbeau said: “I think that the Countach has the look of a winner, none of the others could have won.

"They were not in its league. And then the opening scene, with that soundtrack and the sight of the Countach racing along and playing hide-and-seek with the police car.

"Only the Countach could achieve an effect like that.”

Did they believe the movie would achieve cult status?

“Never, not even for a second, and not just us. No one during the filming would have expected this incredible, long-lasting success.

“I had never realised how successful the movie was until when people started to ask me for my autograph."

Barbeau added: “In spite of my success as an actress in horror movies and playing Cat Woman in the Batman movie, people ask me above all to autograph Countach model cars.”

“It’s impossible for me, too, to remember how many times I signed a photo or a model car of the Countach,” Buckman added.

Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman as they appear in the movie

 

Their favourite scenes?

“The one where Tara gets out of the car and sprays an X on the road sign,” Barbeau said.

“The opening scene, with the police car chasing the Countach. There are lots of movies with great opening scenes, but this is definitely one of the best ever,” Buckman added

How has the movie had an impact on American culture?

Barbeau said: “Everyone knows it. And everyone knows this Lamborghini.”

“Not only that. Everyone also knows the two girls in the Lamborghini. We are inextricably tied to that role,” Buckman added.

With a Nero (black) finish and Senape (mustard) interior, the Countach featured in the movie was shipped to the then SEA dealership in Rome and, from there, it was most likely sold directly in the US, ending up in Florida.

Its owner was a friend of the movie’s director and was signed on to begin its legend that led it to capture a place in American history.

As “stage make-up”, it was given a wing and two full-beam headlights on the nose, a spoiler, three antennas and 12 exhaust pipes in back, along with two supplementary fake instruments in front of the passenger’s seat.

After the filming ended, the Countach was returned to its legitimate owner, but didn’t shed its unique transformations especially made for it.

In 2009, the car found a new owner, Jeff Ippoliti, an enthusiast originally from New York but now living in Florida.

As a boy, when watching the opening scene of the movie in 1981, he never imagined that he would one day own the same car that had made him dream.

“I had always been crazy about cars,” Ippoliti said.

“But the opening of the movie was the first time I got to see and hear the Countach in motion, and I was captivated

"I didn’t see it in person for the first time until 26 years later, and it took me another 18 months of negotiations before I managed to take it home.”

Among the most memorable scenes is the initial three-minute police chase, in which the Countach’s 12-cylinder engine fitted with carburetors was added to the soundtrack.

Also during the movie’s opening is a scene in which the Countach stops abruptly and the passenger gets out of the cockpit to spray-paint an “X” on a road sign.

These scenes became a legendary reference among car lovers, so much so they became part of American tradition and ensured the Countach would become one of the few cars “registered” at the Library of Congress.

 

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