History of chassis 1120188

Chassis 1120188 started life as a standard Countach LP400 painted Rosso with Nero upholstery. Prior to its official dispatch date, the car was displayed on the Lamborghini stand at the 1976 Geneva Motor Show which took place from March 11th to 21st.

Shortly afterwards, chassis 1120188 was sold to Ermanno Spazzapan, an amateur racing driver and industrialist from Milan.

The Countach was not Spazzapan’s first Lamborghini; in 1971 he had taken delivery of a Giallo Miura SV (chassis 4862) prior to which he had successfully hillclimbed a Porsche 906 during the latter half of the 1960s (chassis 110).

As an avid motor racing enthusiast and existing Lamborghini customer, Ermano Spazzapan had no doubt seen Walter Wolf’s striking wide-arched and heavily spoilered Countach Speciale that had been extensively featured in the press since its delivery in August 1975 (chassis 1120148).

Spazzapan wanted a similar machine and instructed Lamborghini to bring chassis 1120188 up Speciale trim. It was subsequently modified to incorporate all the upgrades developed by Gian Paolo Dallara on Wolf’s behalf. The long list of enhancements included uprated suspension, wider wheels shod with Pirelli P7 tyres, flared arches, a deep front spoiler and an adjustable rear spoiler.

Uniquely, the rear spoiler on Spazzapan’s car was much narrower than those seen on the other Countach Speciales. A five-litre engine was also reputedly installed.

The finished car was dispatched to Lamborghini main dealer Achilli Motors in Milan on June 25th 1976 and registered MI 455260.

Ermanno Spazzapan is understood to have retained his one-off Countach at least into the early 1980s but it has not been seen in public for many years.

Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: unattributed