Few moviegoing moments resonate with performance car enthusiasts more than the opening credit sequence of the 1981 film The Cannonball Run. Seeing the 1979 Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S for the first time took everyone’s breath away. Beyond the vehicle’s striking and unapologetic allure, the story of how this particular Countach became one of the most iconic cars in cinema history is a revved-up Hollywood yarn that begins with one automotive journalist’s crazy idea.
The Origins of “The Cannonball“
Put off by steep speed limit restrictions on America’s highways throughout the early 1970s, Car and Driver executive editor Brock Yates felt the ultimate manifestation of rebellion was to create a “No Rules” street race across the country. Christened the “Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash” — soon shortened to “The Cannonball Run” — in tribute to cross-country driving pioneer Erwin “Cannonball” Baker, the secret event was planned as a one-time only protest against restrictive traffic laws. It eventually became four unofficial and unsanctioned 2,900-mile Cannonball Run races from New York City to Redondo Beach, California, taking place in 1971, 1972, 1975, and 1979.
High-performance vehicles and risky antics got more and more out of hand during each competition, but it would be Yates’ friend, Terry Bernius, entering his brand new 1979 Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S into the race that took things too far. Fearing lives were increasingly at risk, Yates disqualified Bernius’ car and announced the 1979 Cannonball Run would be the last.
But the Cannonball legacy would continue in the form of a cult film classic.
From Road Race to Reel Life
Yates and legendary stuntman-turned-filmmaker Hal Needham, who had just completed shooting his 1977 directorial debut, Smokey and the Bandit, both agreed the Cannonball Run races had serious movie potential. The duo collaborated on a screenplay with Steve McQueen set to lead the film’s star-studded ensemble cast. A cancer diagnosis resulted in McQueen backing out and superstar Burt Reynolds reuniting with Needham to take over the role of performance racer J.J. McClure. Despite the 1976 releases of Cannonball! and The Gumball Rally, both independent film projects also inspired by Yates’ Cannonball Run race events, the colossal successes of Smokey and the Bandit and its 1979 sequel, which Yates co-wrote, gave the duo the opportunity to make the definitive Cannonball film. Yates also made amends with Bernius by giving his Lamborghini Countach a star-making role.
Released in theaters on June 19, 1981, The Cannonball Run introduced audiences to the 1979 Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S as it rocketed across the Nevada desert highways, relentlessly pursued by a modified 1980 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am police car during the film’s four-minute opening credit sequence. With senses bombarded by its sleek curves and the scream of its V12 engine, The Cannonball Run turned the Lamborghini brand into a household name and the Countach into an evocative presence that sparked a newfound fascination for exotic supercars.
An Icon Miles Ahead of Its Time
Cranking out 353 horsepower and capable of 0 to 60 in just 5.4 seconds with its 4.0-liter V12 engine and six Weber two-barrel carburetors, the 1979 Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S was the fastest production car in the world at the time. Its stunning Nero (black) exterior contours boasted a lowered front suspension, twelve gleaming chrome exhaust pipes, triplet antennas, a raked windshield, a rear wing, and tucked in front- and protruding rear Pirelli P7 tires with extended flares. Swing-up winged doors revealed a sultry Senape mustard-color interior and an elevated spoiler served as a front bumper.
A Legend Makes History
On the set of The Cannonball Run, Hawaiian Tropic suncare products founder Ron Rice bought the film’s Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S from original owner Terry Bernius, which remained a part of Rice’s exotic car collection for nearly 30 years. Following a lengthy negotiation, entrepreneur and The Cannonball Run mega-fan Jeff Ippoliti acquired the Countach from Rice in 2009, followed by a three-year restoration that returned the iconic supercar to its original filming specifications.
As a testament to its place in automotive and cinema history, the one and only 1979 Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S that appeared throughout The Cannonball Run was inducted into the National Vehicle Register in September 2021.
