We asked if it was possible to visit his shop to take a look at one of his cars and talk to someone about the process. Our first questions were: What is the cost for a turnkey; What was the amount of deposit required up front; and How long does it take to build the replica? Demetrios responded by e-mail that he had two stock-wheelbase Countachs ready, both with a V-6 and an automatic. One was white with tan interior, the other black with black interior, with gold trim and a Targa top.
He was asking $40,000 for the white car, which had been featured in a magazine article, and $55,000 for the black one. He also said had two 25th Anniversary Lamborghini Countach stretched-wheelbase replicas. One was a V-8 with a five-speed that needed paint and interior work, plus he could finish it with any combination of interior and exterior colors we liked. The other replica was an automatic with no engine, and he said he could put what ever I wanted in it.
The price of the stretched V-6 was $45,000 and the stretched V-8 was $55,000, and the production time would be eight months to a year. Demetrios concluded his e-mail by writing that he would be more than happy to meet us at his shop that weekend. My wife and I looked at each other and said, "Hey, let's give this guy a chance. What do we have to lose?"
We got in our car and we drove almost three hours to meet Demetrios at his new location in Pennsylvania. To be honest, when we saw his shop we were a little skeptical. It was small and all the windows were blacked-out. The entrance door was locked and had a big sign that read "Beware of Dog," and you could here a very loud dog barking from inside the shop. At that point, we both felt we had made a bad decision and maybe we should not even knock on the door. But Debra said, "We came this far, lets give it a shot."
We knocked on the door and Demetrios answered it, but then told us if we could wait just a minute, as he closed the door. We thought that was kind of strange, but once we walked into the shop, we realized why he asked us to wait. Demetrios has a very large dog name "Lucky" that guards the shop when he is not there. And when you look at the cars in his shop, you realize why he has a guard dog!
The shop was small, but very clean and organized, and Demetrios explained that the old shop he had for over 20 years burned down and this was the best he could afford until he could get back on his feet. Even though his shop was small, for a Countach lover it was like walking into the Lamborghini factory itself. Demetrios had about five cars he was working on at the time, in different stages of completion. Some were his models, and some were sent from other manufacturers by owners who'd asked him to finish them for various reasons. We were very impressed.
Next, we took a ride to his house, which was about 15 minutes away. Behind his house, under his carport, covered with a car cover was the white Countach replica, and in his garage was the black one. He allowed us to get inside the cars and start them up; they were very nice cars. I really liked the black replica with the gold trim and wheels, but Debra said, "Don't even think about it." Demetrios did not pressure us to buy a car; he told us that when we were ready to e-mail or call him. On our three-hour drive back to New York, Debra and I decided we'd sleep on it and make a decision the next day.
On April 20, 2003, we e-mailed Demetrios and told him we would like him to build a 25th Anniversary Lamborghini Countach on a stretched frame, and we requested that he draw up a contract. The contract stated Dometrios would build a 25th Anniversary Lamborghini Countach replica with the long 98-inch wheelbase. Demetrios would supply the chassis and do all modifications as shown to us during our visit to his shop, and that he'd rebuild the shocks, struts, brakes, alternator, and whatever else might be needed.