Few cars in automotive history have captivated enthusiasts quite like the 1979 Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S, a machine that became synonymous with high-speed rebellion and Hollywood spectacle. With its aggressive wedge shape, scissor doors, and roaring V12, this Countach wasn’t just a car—it was a legend on wheels. But what set this particular model apart was its starring role in the 1981 film The Cannonball Run and its place in the infamous underground race that inspired it.
Officially named the “Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash” in honor of Erwin “Cannon Ball” Baker, a record-setting driver of the 1920s and ’30s, the event was conceived by automotive journalist Brock Yates. Frustrated with the anti-car sentiment of the early 1970s—marked by an energy crisis, government crackdowns on horsepower, and the nationwide 55 mph speed limit—Yates wanted to make a statement. “I decided one day that we ought to have a no-holds-barred race from New York to Los Angeles,” he wrote. Brock Yates and his co-driver, professional racer Dan Gurney, won the 1971 running of the event in a Ferrari Daytona, setting a precedent for high-performance machines in the race.
Bill Warner, a 1975 Cannonball participant and founder of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, calls Yates “one of the most innovative minds I ever knew.” Yates proved it time and again in his writing, as seen in Car and Driver:
“I suppose half the fun of the Cannonball Baker was anticipating the indignant hen-clucking that would arise in its wake … Let Nader and his ilk maunder inside their air bags. The question arising from the Cannonball Baker and other ‘deplorable crimes’ is not whether we are willing to drive for speed, but whether we are willing to drive for excellence.”
Yates later declared, “Speed doesn’t kill. Bad drivers do.” He dismissed political opposition, writing, “The other guys in the automotive press can sit around and recommend letter writing to your congressmen, but I’ve had it.”
The April 1979 Cannonball started from the Lock, Stock, and Barrel restaurant, Goodwives Shopping Center in Darien, Connecticut and had forty-six vehicles entered with racers taking off at 10-minute intervals. The participants collected 50+ speeding tickets, but there was only one minor accident: John Harrison’s 1978 Lotus Esprit tapped a guard rail coming down an off-ramp, and its suspension broke.
The winning car sat right in front of the Portofino Inn–a shiny black Jaguar XJS with a victory wreath on the windshield. Dave Heinz and Dave Yarborough, a pair of seasoned racers and Jag dealers from Florida and South Carolina, respectively, had shattered the old record by making it cross-country in 32 hours, 51 minutes. That’s an average of 87 mph.
By 1979, the Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S had cemented its place as one of the most radical supercars of its era. Sporting a 3.9-liter V12 engine producing 354bhp and 210 lb-ft of torque, the Countach was designed for speed and agility.
Later in 1979, Terry Bernius contacted Brock Yates to come over to his house and showed Brock and his wife Pam a black Lamborghini Countach LP400 that he purchased to win the next Cannonball. While Terry was a good driver, Brock didn’t feel that he was good enough to drive the Lamborghini which was capable of 180+ MPH. Brock told his wife Pam that he could never do another Cannonball because someone was going to end up getting hurt. 1979 would be the last official running of the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash.
The Lamborghini Becomes A Movie Car
Terry ended up selling the Lamborghini to Ron Rice, the founder of Hawaiian Tropic suntan lotion. Ron Rice allowed Brock Yates and Hal Needham to use the car in the 1981 movie The Cannonball Run movie. So, the black Lamborghini you see in the movie is actually the car that ended the Cannonball and never actually got to compete in it.
The Cannonball Run was a comedic take on the underground race starring Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, and Farrah Fawcett. The opening scene featured the black Countach screaming down the highway, evading police with daring maneuvers and unforgettable sound. Inside the car were Adrienne Barbeau as Marcie Thatcher and Tara Buckman as Jill Rivers, two high-heeled racers who used their charm (and a well-placed zipper) to outwit law enforcement.
To make sure that even those familiar with Lamborghinis at the time knew they were watching something meant to be special, the props department added the front wing and two more headlights, three CB-looking antennas, a dozen exhaust pipes, and in the cockpit, a mobile phone and a set of fake gauges in front of the passenger’s seat (since removed). The original buyer left the coupe in movie spec, minus the phone and fake gauges.
“For a car enthusiast in 1981, seeing a Countach in person was almost unheard of. Hearing its V-12 roar was even rarer,” says Ed Bolian, a former New York-to-Los Angeles record holder. “Then suddenly, in the first four minutes of Cannonball Run, you’re hit with this sensory overload. A Lamborghini appears out of nowhere in the desert, and you just know something incredible is about to happen.”
The film turned the Countach into a pop culture icon, influencing car enthusiasts for generations. Rice held onto the car for several decades, swapping its Senape tan interior for burgundy seats, before selling it in 2004 to Lamborghini enthusiast Jeff Ippoliti.
A National Treasure
In 2021, members of the Hagerty Drivers Foundation successfully tracked down the very Countach used in The Cannonball Run, finding it still in excellent condition. To honor its remarkable history—both on the road and on screen—the Countach was inducted into the National Historic Vehicle Register, an exclusive list that only boasts a grand total of 30 vehicles. This recognition preserved its story in the Library of Congress, ensuring that its impact on automotive and pop culture history would never be forgotten.
That same year, the Countach went on a brief tour, restored to its original movie-set appearance, including an interior refresh for authenticity. Its full history, including a comprehensive 3D scan, has been meticulously preserved in the Library of Congress for future generations. As for the car itself, it remains in the care of Jeff Ippoliti, who continues to maintain it in pristine condition.
Today, the Countach LP 400 S remains one of the most recognizable cars from the Cannonball Run era. Whether tearing across America in an underground race or burning rubber on the silver screen, this Lamborghini has cemented itself as one of the greatest cars of all time—a true testament to speed, style, and rebellion.
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