The body would be painted Viper Yellow, and include a black leather interior, CD-player, alarm, and remote doors and trunk. The replica would have a curved windshield and be fitted with original taillights, wiper arm, and emblems. All underside panels would be finished and painted too, which included the hood, engine cover, and trunk. When completed, the replica would be test-driven 500 miles to work out any problems that might arise before delivery of the car in March of 2004.
Photos of the project would also be taken, and we could visit the shop anytime to check out the progress of the build. The total cost of production would be $45,000. An initial deposit of $10,000 would start production in May 2003, with an additional deposit of $10,000 when it was ready for paint, then another $10,000 would go against the installation and work on the interior, and the final $15,000 would be paid upon delivery.
Our goal was to have a replica of a 25th Anniversary Lamborghini Countach that was as close to the original as possible. However, with today's gas prices, we wanted a replica that was still efficient enough to drive, which is why we stayed with the Fiero V-6. After talking with Demetrios further, we chose not to ship my Fiero that had been sitting in Texas for over five years to Pennsylvania.
Demetrios believed that it would be best to start with a Fiero that was running and in good shape and, since I knew my car never had the fluids drained properly before I parked it at my friend's house, I went with his recommendation. Demetrios had an '85 Fiero with a 2.8L V-6 engine that was running that he suggested we use, which we did. When it came to choosing the body, we wanted the replica to have the lines and dimensions that the 25th Anniversary Countach was known for.
At that time, the only builder of a 25th Lamborghini Countach body that was as close to the original as possible was IFG in Chino, California, and we found a rebody that had been mounted to an '85 Fiero chassis. Demetrios mentioned that for him to build a car with another company's body, he would want to reinforce and finish it to meet Exotic Illusions' standards. So we started the production of our replica knowing that it might take additional time and money to get the body of the replica to meet Demetrio's standards. Debra and I, after seeing Demetrio's work on the other replicas, had the confidence to give Demetrios full reign and authority to do whatever he thought it would take to produce the replica we wanted.
So the body was cut, reshaped, reinforced, and relaid with fiberglass before being sanded. EI's crew reinforced the body with hand-laid fiberglass, and reinforced the window frames to fit EI's door glass. Rear vent scoops were removed, sanded, relaid, and molded back into the body for a clean and sleek look. The front hood, doors, rear engine decklid, and trunk were all taken off, reinforced, and finished both inside and out.
Next, Demetrios started the work on the chassis, which was taken apart, reinforced, and rebuilt. Both the front- and rearend were cleaned, rebuilt, and painted. The five-inch stretch in the rear of the chassis to give the replica the right dimensions had been done prior to Dememtrios getting the car in trade, so EI's crew went in and reinforced the stretch, painting the areas flat black to match the rest of the engine compartment.
The engine was taken out, taken apart, washed, and rebuilt. All the following parts on the engine were replaced: A/C compressor, alternator, water pump, cap, rotors, wires, injectors. The EI crew removed all the old Fiero insulation, replaced the rubber hoses, and removed unnecessary brackets while adding new wiring and stainless steel braided fuel lines.