First Wash in 20 Years Lamborghini Countach Disaster Detail

This week at the AMMO Studio we have an unbelievable Lamborghini Countach 5000s Barn Find. One of 321 ever made, this extremely rare Lamborghini was found by our friends at wearecurated.com who restore rare vintage supercars such as this. Vinny Russo, a long time buddy works for Curated and along with videographer Albert, we made the trip to Southern CT to check out this barn find. We met the owner Tony who showed us his files and pictures of the car from over the years. The pictures from the 1980’s with the Lamborghini scissor doors in the air were iconic and my excitement was building to see the Countach.

Another short drive and we arrived at the abandoned garage/barn (looks like a barn from the outside with garage doors) where Tony stored the Countach since 2002. Vinny and I opened the door from the outside and there sat the Countach, still unmistakably cool under a layer of dust. Once we filled the enormous tires with air, we pushed it out into the world for the first time in years. Devin from Brandl’s towing loaded the Countach onto the transport to head back to the AMMO Studio. 

The next day, I performed a closer inspection of the Countach while Vinny worked on finding the correct lift points. There was a ton of mouse poop and acorns nestled in the V12 engine and the interior also showed signs of vermin inhabitants. We replaced the engine cover and wing to stop the interior from getting soaked. On a vehicle that has sat for a long time, it’s always good practice to check the seals for any leaks. After verifying the seals were intact, we removed the amazing telephone dial wheels so I could begin power washing. The water blasted away the 20 years of grime and it was so satisfying to see this supercar design being cleaned in real time. 

Next, I used Foam Paint Cleanser and Boost Anti-Salt in the foam gun and laid down a heavy layer of suds over the bodywork. I couldn’t help but hum as I agitated the soapy paint with my favorite red microfiber towels. It was such a privilege to wash this incredible poster car which still had an indescribable aura of “cool”. After cleaning the badges with a Wheel Brush and diluted Brute Soap, I used Plum to clean the wheel wells and exhaust tips. I rinsed off the paint then used compressed air and clean towels to dry the paint. Wash complete! 

Following the satisfying wash, I began the paint correction process by measuring the paint. During this time, Lamborghini’s were still hand made so the paint meter showed different levels even on the same panel. The paint was also UV damaged in certain areas so it was going to be a tricky correction. After working on a test panel, my initial combination of a yellow Rupes pad and polish was working but didn’t wow me with the clarity. So I moved to the more aggressive red pad and after a few passes I could see the Studio’s ceiling in the reflection clear as day. 

With the paint looking way better, it was rodent removal time! I started working on the soiled engine bay with my new Flow-Thru Wheel Woolie (Patent Pending) which will be available soon. The Woolie is connected to the Aerator and I used the lubrication of Frothe to agitate and clean the engine bay. With the engine bay clean, I backed up a foot to the trunk which was covered in grass seed and mouse poop. The sound deadening was actually so soaked in urine that Vinny just told me to dispose of it. Yuck! After I double bagged that bio-hazard, I vacuumed the rest of the trunk.

I wanted to check the undercarriage of the Countach as well so with the Lambo perched high on the lift I got to work. I gave the undercarriage a good spritz of Titan 12 Degreaser and followed up with Brute + Boost in the foam cannon. With the undercarriage covered in suds, I agitated the components with a brush then followed with a thorough rinse to cleanse any remaining contaminants. I repeated the foam on the suspension and brake components before moving to the telephone dial wheels. I cleaned the classic wheels with Plum Wheel Cleaner, Titan 12 Degreaser, and the wheel brush which brought back their original luster.

 
With the exterior clean finished, I turned my attention to the interior specifically “the mouse highway.” First I removed the sun bleached floor mats so I could do a preliminary vacuum of the interior carpet. Next I vacuumed the mats themselves and sprayed them thoroughly with AMMO Dygest Cleaner. Dygest has enzymes that will eliminate the organic matter and odors left behind by the mice. Next I worked the interior surfaces with Lather and the AMMO Steam Machine to speed up the cleaning process with heat. After I cleaned up the mouse highway on the dashboard, I cleaned my tools as I didn’t want to reintroduce those contaminants to other areas of the car. 

With the leather and center console cleaned thoroughly with Lather and Dygest, I turned my attention to the glovebox which is always a disaster zone. Lo and behold, the mouse nest I pulled out of the glovebox was one of the worst I’d ever encountered. The mice had holed up in a disgusting pair of jean shorts that were soaked through in urine. After removing the nest, I vacuumed the glove box and let it soak in Dygest. I needed a break after that so I used the AMMO Steam Vacuum to clean up the floor mats after the Dygest soak. I repeated this step on the interior carpets which is now a much safer space for the Curated mechanics to occupy.

After the interior disaster detail, I cleaned the glass on the scissor doors with Obey as well as the unique hexagonal windshield. Next, I applied Mud to the thick Pirelli P7 tires and finished by “framing” the plastic trim with the all new AMMO Frame Pro Trim Coat. The before and after on the side mirrors was incredible with the deep rich finish restored. The final touch was to add some quick protection with Reflex Pro Top Coat for the Countach’s journey down to Miami. When it was all done, The Countach looked absolutely stunning and it was wild seeing “the poster car” in all it’s glory. So excited this supercar will be fully restored by our friends at Curated and eventually back on the road stopping traffic. Big thank you to The Curated Team and everyone involved with this project. Stay tuned for many more exciting detailing stories.