Most car enthusiasts would have most definitely heard about the Cannonball – an illegal, not-so-secret cross-country race that involves driving specially-prepped cars at high-speed from New York to Los Angeles.
The challenge is still alive and well today, with the most recent record was set only in 2020, with a 25 hours and 39 minutes run using a modified Audi S6 – that means an average speed throughout the entire run of 180 km/h, by the way. You can learn more about the run at VNWiki’s YouTube video here.
So yes, it’s already a well-known thing among the enthusiast, but arguably, the reason that it’s so popular today is because of the 1981 film “The Cannonball Run” that truly brought the covert activity to the attention of the masses. And today, the Lamborghini Countach that was used in the film has been officially added to the US National Historic Vehicle Register.
The Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S, with chassis number 1121112 and a black and mustard yellow interior, is just car number 30 to be considered of “national importance for the United States”, joining an illustrious ensemble that includes a Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, the oldest known jeep in the world, the first Indianapolis 500 winner, and the 15-millionth Ford Model T.
And the car is kept in an immaculate condition, just like how it was on the film, having had just two owners in the last 40 years. It was delivered new to Lamborghini’s distributor in Rome, and immediately exported to the United States where it was sold to its owner in Florida.
The owner, being a friend of the film’s director Hal Needham, loaned the car to him for filming purposes where the Countach was modified for the movie with the addition of a front spoiler, twin spotlights, three antennas and 12(!) exhaust pipes. And as they say, the rest is history – quite literally this time.
The coolest part of this whole ordeal is that, as part of the National Historic Vehicle Register, the Countach #1121112, will be fully 3D-scanned, with all of its information and documentations preserved in the US’ Library of Congress – quite a feat for a car in a comedy film.
To celebrate the occasion, the car is also being displayed this week inside a glass case on the National Mall in Washington D.C.. But for the rest of us to see, we’ve also included the full intro of the Cannonball Run film featuring the Countach in question, for posterity’s sake of sorts.
It’s perhaps just a coincidence that the movie car is being added to the register on the 50th anniversary of the original Countach, but something tells us that we’re not quite done yet with Lamborghini’s celebrations, seeing that they’ve been teasing the car on its social media pages. Keep your eyes peeled.
GALLERY
