Faux Lamborghini Countach Basement Built

Meet Ken Imhoff, the man with an incredible piece of art that he built with his bare hands. After watching Cannonball Run, he fell in love with the Lamborghini Countach so much that he knew he had to have one. Affording it was another matter though, so he decided he would make his own.

Super cars have captured speed enthusiasts since they were first introduced. These mountains of metal and horsepower are works of art in their own rights. I mean, when was the last time you saw an ugly super car? These speed machines capture our imagination with their beauty and raw power. They are meant for two things, to go fast and looks amazing. So when Ken Imhoff first saw the Lamborghini Countach in the movie Cannonball Run, he found himself falling in love with the legendary car. This started on him on a journey that culminated 17 years later when he unveiled what he had kept under wraps for so long. What he made with his own two hands is so amazing that I almost couldn’t speak. 

He created this wooden jig to help him bend the metal for the car to create the iconic perfect angles.He uses the english wheel to manipulate the metal into the shape of the jig. This process is incredibly difficult and is all done just by eye and feel. After a section is complete, he welds the pieces of metal together on top of the jig.

The amount of time and energy that must have gone into this custom fabrication cannot be overstated. There is definitely a reason this project took 17 years to complete.

He then made sure the body panels fit onto the frame.

These body panels are so expertly put together, you would be hard pressed figure out that it wasn’t an authentic Lambo.

Ken does have an engineering degree however, so that may have made this project a tiny bit easier for him to accomplish. Nothing short of perfection would do for this build. Ken literally thought of everything. This is a 100% hand crafted aluminum tube frame. You won’t find many people who can create a car frame from scratch.

First thing to go in were the transmission and engine. This beast is going to be packing a Boss 351 V8, which is mated to a ZF 5 speed manual gear box. The rear end and suspension is now hooked up. That is one beautiful looking set up. This car needs two radiators to keep this engine cool. There is one situated on each side of the car to allow air from the side scoops to hit them.

That rear end is probably one of the most recognizable images in car history. There was a slight problem that needed to be solved before this thing could be brought into the light however. Because it was built in his basement, Ken had no way to get this thing up to the surface. So he did what any man would do, he knocked out a basement wall. He hired a contractor to tear down a wall of the basement and excavate the area around it to create a ramp to allow the car to be pulled out.

Once they got it to the surface it is easy to see why this thing is so special.

Almost everything on the car was completely hand done. Even the Lamborghini doors were hand-made by Ken himself.