Project LP 500

In 2018 author and classic car collector Fritz Kaiser published the first edition of his book The Key: Top of the Classic World, featuring several extremely readable portraits of some of the most important collectors of classic automobiles and a list of the top one hundred collectors in the world. People like Ralph Lauren (#5), Miles Collier (#1) and Jay Leno (#33). Ranked #9 is Albert Spiess, an entrepreneur from Switzerland, who is not quite as fond of public appearances as some of the others mentioned here, but who is no less passionate when it comes to classic cars. Something else that sets him apart is his obsession with the Lamborghini brand. Only on one occasion did he break with this passion. For a Ferrari, of all things, an F40.

We meet Albert Spiess at Centro Stile, the Lamborghini design center in Sant’Agata Bolognese. This is where Mitja Borkert, Lamborghini’s Head of Design, and his team are busy sketching out the future of the brand. There are already a number of ideas here on a 1:1 scale. As we arrive, Albert Spiess is speaking candidly with Borkert about Lamborghini’s past and its present but also about its future. Hardly any of this is intended for the public. A little later, Borkert takes his leave.

So now Lamborghini has rebuilt its legendary LP 500 prototype. At Spiess’s insistence. But how did it all get started? “It was always my dream. After all, the car no longer existed. And I just thought to myself it’s got to be doable.” At this point, Spiess briefly breaks off. In front of him are his meticulously organized documents, from which he pulls out a copy of a letter he wrote to Lamborghini on April 3, 2016. Concise and succinct, he tells the management of his idea to reconstruct the first prototype, simply because “this Lamborghini represents a very important vehicle for the history of the brand”. He goes on to let Lamborghini know that it would be “no problem for him to do it”. But – and this is where his pronounced politeness comes into play – he first asks for Lamborghini’s approval and support. “They weren’t all that excited at first,” Spiess laughs, mentioning that it did take a few “reminders” on his part before he received a letter from Sant’Agata Bolognese shortly before Christmas 2016, telling him in equally succinct terms that they would support the project. The document was signed by Federico Foschini, Commercial Director, and Paolo Gabrielli, Head of After Sales. Attached to the document was a contract stating who would pay for what. Albert Spiess was delighted. He had achieved his first goal.

Then the real work began. In close cooperation with Mitja Borkert and his team, Lamborghini invested around 25,000 hours of labor in rebuilding the first prototype of the Countach. The pristine green LP 500 with chassis number 1120001, which is on display in the Lamborghini Museum and forms the foundation for the legendary Countach story, is actually the second prototype. The first one, which was yellow, met with an abrupt end in the early seventies when it was crashed into a concrete block in England. In the inconspicuous little town of Nuneaton, at the MIRA crash test facility (today HORIBA MIRA), the car was subjected to a frontal impact test – which it passed but did not survive. Tragic and senseless, says Albert Spiess, “but that’s the way things were back then”. Which made it all the more important for him to rebuild the prototype. “And if anyone could do it, it would have to be Lamborghini itself.” So it came to be. But where did Albert Spiess’s enthusiasm for the Lamborghini brand come from in the first place?

Spiess: On the one hand, it’s the design. I find it really fascinating how Lamborghini has always stood out with its design and how it still does so today. And the colors! I’m thinking of the Miura: green, orange, yellow. At the time, that was completely crazy. You see that in so many brands today. And then there’s the technology: Lamborghini has always come up with its own fascinating solutions. Not to mention Ferruccio Lamborghini as a personality – simple, down-to-earth, a good sense for people and for the customer. And he transferred this personal intuition to the company, which has always had something very familiar about it. You could come and go whenever you wanted. That’s still the case today, even if things have changed a bit now that Audi is in charge, of course. But it’s this combination that fascinates me to this day.

You mentioned the technology, a very personal motivator for Ferruccio Lamborghini from the very beginning...

Absolutely. He simply couldn’t understand how you could put a clutch that didn’t work in a sports car. He himself built tractors with far more torque, and his clutches worked. He was straightforward and plainspoken. And so he just went and did it himself. What impresses me especially as an entrepreneur is that he always managed to win over the best people. That is incredibly important. Take young people coming out of university and bring them together with experienced, established personnel. Then things can never go wrong.

Lamborghini is extreme. How do you perceive the brand in this respect and in comparison to others? What brand values do you think account for Lamborghini’s success?

Lamborghini has always remained true to itself. In its marketing, too. They haven’t changed the logo seven times. That’s a problem that many brands have today. A new manager comes along and designs a new logo. At Lamborghini, the philosophy has always remained the same. When I drive a Lamborghini today and a group of schoolchildren sees me pass by, they always shout: “A Lamborghini!” No matter if it’s a Huracán or an Urus. I’m often amazed at how the kids always recognize a Lamborghini right away. But they do. That’s the easiest proof. You don’t need a lot of marketing.

Do you remember your first encounter with a Lamborghini?

My parents once got a visit from a friend who had a 350 GT, an early version with three seats. I was in my teens at the time. I looked at the car and I liked it. It’s a beautiful car. But it’s not like I was so blown away that I fell out of my chair. A short while later – I was doing my apprenticeship in Basel – I saw a green Miura P 400. And that was this one experience, that was the wow effect. From that moment on, I was hooked. Looking back, I can also see the difference: The 350 was a GT, a great car, but I was too young to understand that. Today I collect cars like that, but back then it didn’t excite me, despite the great technology. But the Miura, that was an encounter that I will never forget for the rest of my life. A little later, in 1971, I saw the Countach LP 500 at the Geneva Motor Show. I was swept away! I could hardly sleep. What a car! A car from another star. Shortly after that, Lamborghini released the first production version, the LP 400 and the LP 400 S. And at that time I even had the means to buy a car like that. The problem was that Lamborghini was under receivership at the time. There was a lot of cheating, everybody wanted to sell contracts, I also had a contract, made a down payment, didn’t get the car at first, then did, an LP 400 S. That was my first Lamborghini. 

Was it a good car?

[laughs] How should I answer that? Let me put it this way: It was a crazy car. It actually drove very well. Contrary to what a lot of people say, the car didn’t break down all the time. We drove it all over Europe.

While Albert Spiess talks about his first Lamborghini Countach S, he pulls out the original sales contract from among his documents. It is dated September 20, 1979, issued by Claus Automobile in Schmerikon, Switzerland. Chassis number: 1121092. Color: blue metallic. Odometer reading: 918 km. The contract also shows that Albert Spiess paid 45,000 Swiss francs in advance and another 95,000 on delivery.   

Spiess: With a rear spoiler, of course. That’s how it had to be in those days. It roared and thudded and made a lot of noise. It was a real joy. I still think back to it often today.

You no longer have the car. What happened?

What happened indeed. That’s a good question. It was just about the time that the Ferrari F40 came out. And so I sold my Countach to buy an F40. I simply didn’t have the money for both.

Though an F40 certainly wasn’t a poor choice.

The F40 is still one of the best cars and certainly one of the best Ferraris ever. And I was lucky enough to be able to buy it new and pick it up directly from the factory. I still own the car today. It’s got around 3,000 kilometers on the clock. But it’s the car I gave up my first Lamborghini Countach for.

Surprisingly, the price of an F40 – considering its importance in Ferrari’s history – is still quite reasonable.

That has to do with the number of units produced. Over 1,300 cars were built. That is too much from a collector’s point of view.

Getting back to Lamborghini, what experiences, what emotions do you associate with Lamborghini?

I have some very specific images there. And not just in my head. [Albert Spiess pulls some photos out of his files.] 1983, Steigenberger Hotel in Constance. Ferruccio Lamborghini was there in person. We went for a drive, all the cars were lined up in the garden.

Was that the first time you met?

You could say that. I had seen him before at the factory, but I really only met him on this occasion. He stayed with us at the hotel, sat with us at dinner. He was very approachable, talked to everyone, very down-to-earth, granted all signature requests. No airs and graces, not at all affected or stuck-up.

What did you talk about?

About his cars, of course.

What other personal experiences can you think of?

The 1982 Formula 1 Grand Prix in Monaco. My car on the track before the start of the race together with the Lamborghini safety car. Just imagine that! I also remember a trip to Italy, to Umbria, to the mountains. There was another dinner with Ferruccio Lamborghini, he showed us around his winery, talking with the same passion about wine as he did about his cars. He knew everything there was to know about the vines and the production process. Then he said, “So, come on, let’s eat!” We sat down, he took a cutting board, cut up some fine ham and cheese and served it to everyone personally with a glass of wine. There are so many impressions that you keep in your memory that also define my relationship with the brand to this day.

It’s connected to the personal relationship with a specific person...

Absolutely. And I don’t think you could have done something like that with Enzo Ferrari. The two were completely different.

Have you ever met Enzo Ferrari in person?

No, never.

Are there any other memories, perhaps more recent ones?

[briefly reflects] Sure. Lots of them. And they always have to do with people. A crazy story from 2011 just popped into my head involving a Miura Roadster in Kuwait. I had been invited by the sheik, who was organizing a concourse, and we went there with the Miura Roadster. [Albert Spiess pulls out a photo of Valentino Balboni sitting at the wheel and him in the passenger seat.] The story goes like this: The sheik saw the car, was thrilled, and wanted Valentino Balboni and me to drive around Kuwait City so his film crew could shoot a video. I told Valentino that we would have to explain to the sheikh that we had no license plates, no registration with us. We had nothing. Everyone on the sheik’s team just looked at us a bit oddly and then told us we should just drive. So we did. And all the traffic lights were green, the road was completely empty, all for us. That was totally insane.

What was your first car?

My mother owned a Lancia, and I was allowed to drive it.

Even before you had your license?

No, of course not. [short pause] Well, okay, maybe one or two times on the farm. [laughs] I got the car as a gift from my mother, so I didn’t actually buy it myself. The first car I bought myself was a DeTomaso Pantera GTS, with the fenders riveted on. That was a dream. It was fast, it was loud. A real sports car.

But you still hadn’t come across the Countach at that point.

That’s right. The Countach came from another planet. There was and is nothing like it. The doors alone! What a show! Sometimes I would open them just because it was too warm. The air conditioning doesn’t really deserve the name, it gets very warm inside the car. But otherwise, a Countach drives extremely well. Brakes, steering, the acceleration, of course. The important thing is that the engine is properly tuned, then it’s a real pleasure to drive. The rear view is not so good, but if you sit on the side sill, it’s fine. And then there’s the sound! A good car needs the right exhaust system. If you ask me, nobody has been able to match that to this day.