(Editor's note: When KIT CAR arranges to photograph a kit or replicar for a feature in the magazine, we always ask for some background information on the car and its owner, so we can write an article to go along with the photos, describing the "why" and "how" of their project. After getting the information from Rinaldo and Debra Rizzo on their Viper Yellow 25th Anniversary Countach from Exotic Illusions, we found that the story had nearly written itself, or, more accurately, the story they provided in their own words was compelling enough to run "as is.")
In a recent conversation with a business associate who asked me to send her pictures of my car, one of her first questions was: "When did you decide to build the car?" To answer as honestly as possible, I would have to say almost 10 years ago-back in 1995. Now one might say, especially anyone who knows anything about building kit cars, it doesn't take 10 years to build a car, not even a Lamborghini Countach replica!
I'd have to say this car is, and has been, more than just a project for my wife Debra and myself. It really has been one of our goals. Debra and I have always set goals for ourselves, and if you ask any of our friends, they will tell you that for as long as they can remember, building a Lamborghini Countach has always been one of my goals. I was lucky enough to find a wife who shared that thought and supported me in accomplishing that goal.
In 1995 I bought my first '87 Pontiac Fiero, with the intention of someday using it as the donor car for a replica 25th Anniversary Lamborghini Countach. But at the time I had to prioritize my goals as there were more important things I needed to accomplish first; though some people may think "What could be more important than building the car of your dreams?"
Earning a degree in business management from Texas A&M University was the first goal, which I achieved in December 1999. Debra and I then moved to New York (leaving my '87 Fiero covered up with a car cover at a friend's house) to pursue our goal of graduating from the world-renowned cooking school, the Culinary Institute of America. We accomplished that goal in 2002, and then secured jobs as estate managers and private chefs for a family in New York.
With those major goals accomplished, it was my wife who initiated the conversation about looking for a builder that for our replica Countach. We researched builders on eBay and traveled to see interesting replicas. Well, to say the least, none of the builders or cars we found looked like what we wanted. Anyone who has gone through the process of trying to find a manufacturer of 25th Anniversary Lamborghini Countachs knows that they are few and far between-builders of this type of car are a dying breed.
Debra and I were determined to find a company that could build the car we wanted, but most are not interested in replicating a Countach, as everyone seems to want a Diablo. Nevertheless, if you grew up in the '80s, the Lamborghini Countach was the poster car for the era, and at the pinnacle when anyone mentioned the term "exotic super car."
Our hopes almost distinguished, I ran across an article on KIT CAR's Web site about a fire at Exotic Illusions that destroyed their facility, and how the industry's builders in Pennsylvania had come together to help a comrade get back on his feet. After reading the article, we were reluctant to call, but word on the Web was that he was back in business.
Thus, on April 18, 2003, we e-mailed Demetrios Koroneos at Exotic Illusions and introduced ourselves. We told him we were interested in his Eurosex 2500 kit with a stretched wheelbase, and I told him that I had wanted an exotic replica for as long as I could remember. We had looked at a lot of replicas for sale and had e-mailed a lot of manufacturers, but we were not satisfied with the quality of their work.