Classic car auction house Hagerty in the USA has just released a feature-length online documentary on the Lamborghini Countach 400S and the Cannonball Run phenomena that launched the model into fame
By far the biggest factor in the sudden rise to prominence was the appearance of a black 400S in the opening scenes of the 1981 movie The Cannonball Run. While Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise were the headline acts in the movie, it was Tara Buckman and Adrienne Barbeau who were cast as driving the Lamborghini.
Hagerty has recently restored an example of the 400S, documenting that process along with providing a broader overview of the real-life Cannonball Run and some of its drivers.
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Actually titled The Cannonball Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, it had a relatively short and colourful history.
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According to Hagerty: “Kick-started by famed auto journalist Brock Yates as a rebellion against American speed limits and automotive regulations of the 1970s, the ‘Cannonball Run’ as it became known, gave way to a Hollywood adaptation starring the black supercar.
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“The Hollywood movie The Cannonball Run and the real-life stories of cross-country runs made their imprint on society, propelling the Lamborghini Countach onto the bedroom walls of teenagers across the nation and setting people to dream about breaking the so-called ‘Cannonball record’.”
Hagerty doco
youtube.com/watch?v=8b7erU_DOfE
From Unique Cars #462, Feb 2022