How The 1979 Lamborghini Countach Ended Up In Cannonball Run (And Where It Is Now)

1981's "The Cannonball Run" is a classic action-comedy film showcasing several speed demons racing across the United States, inspired by a real-life unsanctioned coast-to-coast race. With an all-star cast including Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Jackie Chan, and more, it's still well-regarded as one of the all-time great ensemble comedies. However, the funny dialogue and star-studded cast aren't the only draws of this beloved film.

"The Cannonball Run," fittingly for a movie about high-speed racing, features classic cars from across automotive history, with one of the slickest rides in the whole runtime appearing in the first scene. Storming across the dusty highways in the movie's introductory credits is a 1979 Lamborghini Countach, riding low and growling like a leopard. Even though the car only appeared in this one scene, it became a poster vehicle for the film, exciting audience members with a simple display of incredible horsepower. How did such an awesome car end up in this movie, and what ever happened to it?

The Lamborghini Countach used in "The Cannonball Run" was a custom job, including a front spoiler, extra antennas and exhaust pipes, and powered-up headlights. The vehicle was owned by one Terry Bernius, who purchased it in 1979. Bernius was a friend of Brock Yates, an automotive writer who cooked up the original race, the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, and wrote the script for "The Cannonball Run."

As a fan of the original real-life Cannonball race, Bernius wanted to see his car in a similar setting, so he loaned it out to Bates to show in the movie's introductory scene, where it made quite an impression on onlookers. One of those onlookers was Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice, who purchased the Countach from Bernius. Rice held onto the car for a few decades, changing the Senape tan interior for burgundy seats, until he sold it in 2004 to a Lamborghini fan named Jeff Ippoliti.

In 2021, the members of the Hagerty Drivers Foundation managed to track down the Countach that was used in "The Cannonball Run," still in excellent shape. To celebrate the car's impressive pedigree and its role in film history, the Countach was formally inducted into the National Historic Vehicle Register, a who's-who of influential automobiles managed by the Hagerty Drivers Foundation and the United States Department of the Interior.

The Countach was briefly taken on tour in 2021 in movie set quality, with its interior restored to its original coloration for authenticity's sake. All of the car's information, including a full 3D scan, has been filed away in the Library of Congress for future generations to peruse. As for the Countach itself, it's still in the possession of Jeff Ippoliti, who takes excellent care of it.

"The reaction is always shock and awe," Ippoliti told the Hagerty Driver's Foundation in 2022. "It's incredible to me. I still can't believe I own the Cannonball Run Countach. I've loved this car for 40 years. It's certainly the most famous Countach in the world."