'Cannonball Run' Lamborghini Countach added to National Historic Vehicle Register

In the 40th anniversary year of Cannonball Run, the one of the film's star cars has found itself in good company on the United States National Historic Vehicle Register – inducted as the 30th car on the Hagerty-funded list.

The car in question is a 1979 Lamborghini Countach LP400 S, driven in the coast-to-coast road race film by Tara Buckman and Adrienne Barbeau, outrunning the law to get from Connecticut to California as fast as possible.

While Cannonball Run is best known for its all-star cast such as Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Roger Moore and Farrah Fawcett, the film starts with the black Countach blasting through the desert while being chased by an underpowered Pontiac Firebird police car.

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The Countach in Cannonball Run is chassis #1121112, finished in Nero black with a Senape mustard interior, featuring Lamborghini's iconic 4.0-litre V12 which put out 263kW when new – solid numbers in the late 1970s but nothing by today's standards.

Cannonball Run's slapstick and outlandish nature can be highlighted by the front-mounted wing and dual spotlights on the front of the Countach, making the car stand out far more than the relatively subdued Audi S6 which now holds the record for the real-life Cannonball Run.

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As the 30th car on the NHVR, this Countach joins elite company mixing with the likes of the DeLorean from Back to the Future, Steve McQueen's Ford Mustang from Bullitt and an Apollo astronaut's Chevrolet Corvette to name a few examples.

Lamborghini is celebrating 50 years since the Countach made its debut at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, yesterday teasing a modern version of the iconic supercar which looks set to feature its first ever hybrid V12 engine.

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