Who would have thought that a car in a movie about breaking laws would be considered historically significant that is would enter the National Historic Vehicle Register of the United States Library of Congress? That honour has been given to the 1979 Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S that was one of the stars of the ‘The Cannonball Run’.
Only 30 cars to date are considered of national importance for the USA and listed in the register. From now on, all the information regarding the car, its history, a 3D scan of it and copies of all its documentation will be preserved in the Library of Congress.
Actual car used in movie
The car displayed is not just a replica but the actual car that was used in the movie with chassis number 1121112. It was first sold to Lamborghini’s distributor in Rome, Italy, and immediately exported to the USA and sold in Florida. In 1980, Hal Needham, the movie’s director was able to get a Countach to use in the film as the owner of the car was his friend and willing to loan it for the purpose. The Countach was then modified to look even more dramatic than it already was. A front spoiler and twin spotlights were added, along with 3 antennas – and 12 exhaust pipes.
The founder of the sunscreen brand Hawaiian Tropic, Ron Rice, was around during filming and he fell in love with the Lamborghini, buying it over on the spot when it was no longer needed. He kept it till 2004, when it was sold to another person in Florida as well.
Hagerty Drivers Foundation, which manages the National Historic Vehicle Register of the United States Library of Congress, tracked down the car and arranged for it to be displayed this week inside a glass case on the National Mall in Washington DC.
About the movie
‘The Cannonball Run’, released in 1981, was based on the real-life secret race that had taken place for several years between the east and west coasts of America. Those were the years in the USA when a speed limit of 55 mph (88 km/h) was in effect and where the police were constantly catching people for speeding on the freeways. The speed limit was considered repressive, and a group of passionate motorists decided to challenge the system by racing across the continent in the least amount of time. The start was from downtown Manhattan in New York to a marina on the Pacific Ocean at Redondo Beach in California.
The plot for the movie was fictional and it was intended to be a comedy, although it would later be regarded as being of importance in the history of American culture, particularly the car culture that has always been strong. For the movie, the most representative cars of the era were used with the Countach being the winner in the end. The case including famous names likes Roger Moore, Burt Reynolds, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior, and Farrah Fawcett.
