At some point in our lives, we may have had dreams of purchasing our very own sports or luxury cars. The movies we see often in the big screen inspire us to get one. And sometimes, these movies lead us to think of crazy ideas and how much fun that would be.
Bull In The Basement
A great example would be this one man from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His name is Ken Imhoff. When he saw the 1981 film “The Cannonball Run,” his love for cars – since his early years – grew immensely. He was immediately inspired to build the perfect Lamborghini in his basement.
A Case Of Trial And Error
Even as he was a kid, he already had a sense of how cars, in general, were made. But it was then that he figured that that knowledge was not enough for his dream to come to fruition. He discovered that it was a learn-as-you-go type of experience.
Ken Imhoff/Ken’s Countach
Of course, with any other person trying to experiment on something new, there were a lot of road bumps. He made mistakes often such as this one time when he warped the panels by accident. But when he figured out the rest and how it worked, he moved on to build the frame.
Building The Chassis Frame
As a person who loves doing what he does and is super immersed in his experiment, it always is fun in many ways than you can imagine. Imhoff reckons that every milestone he achieves, he gets this exhilarating feeling from it.
Ken Imhoff/Ken’s Countach
After working on the panels of the car, he worked on the frame. It was built out of five-and-a-half-inch blocks so that he could fit the chassis in place. This would also mean that the height of the car will remain consistent all throughout. Building the frame right was essential and he couldn’t proceed with the next step if he doesn’t do this right.
Now For The Engine
Imhoff knew right from the start that this was not an easy feat because he did not have the right tools or even machinery. But his perseverance just led him to continue this experiment. And he was going to see every bit of this through.
Bull In The Basement
After he made the panels of the car, it was on to the next most important part – installing the engine. He installed a Ford Cleveland Engine which is basically the same engine that was used on the DeTomaso Pantera, a highly sought-after mid-engine sports car produced from 1971 to 1993.
Alignment Was Important
When he installed the engine of the car, he already saw how it would turn out. Because he was really adamant to give this car the justice it deserves, he needed to build it the way Lamborghini would. He installed a 351 cubic inch V8 with a ZF-25 5-speed transmission.
Bull In The Basement
After he finished installing the engine, the next step was going to be one of the most laborious tasks. He needed to build the body of the car and get the upper frame right so it could support the chassis. However, getting everything to align perfectly was nothing short of a nightmare.
Planning Ahead
So far, Imhoff’s progress on the super car was impressive. He says that just by seeing how the frames look like, this had to be one beautiful machine. And the outcome was something that he was looking forward to seeing. This was his baby.
Bull In The Basement
Building this car from scratch was done on impulse. However, he knew he had to carefully plan out what he needed and how he was going to do it. Since he wasn’t an expert, it took him quite some time to. He welded a few pieces of the car together at once and worked on repairing some of those warped panels by this method called tacking.
British-Born American
Before we proceed to the story, we should get to know a little bit more about the inventor of this custom sports car. Ken Imhoff was originally born in Oxford, England where his father was assigned in the Air Force.
Bull In The Basement
When his father completed his assignment, they had to decide to return to their home country. And even after some serious discussions, they finally moved back to the United States and settled in Milwaukee, Wisonsin.
Passion For Cars Since Childhood
When Imhoff and his family moved back to the United States, they were prepared to start life anew. Imhoff grew up in an environment where cars were at every corner of his surroundings. This is where he developed his love for cars.
Bull In The Basement
In the photo above, you will see Imhoff as a child and clearly taking an interest in the car chassis that his father built for him. He would go up the chassis and on to the steering wheel and pretend to drive it. Because of this, his love for cars was cosmic.
Love At First Sight
It was back in the year 1990 when Imhoff was watching the 1981 film, The Cannonball Run. It was an all-star movie that had his favorite actor in it – Burt Reynolds. He was also an avid fan of this movie because of the fact that it had cars in it. Not just regular cars, but fast cars.
20th Century Fox
The film in particular revolves around the story of a team of competitors that participate in a wild and illegal cross-country road race. It was basically a movie about the participants willing to do anything to win the race, including low-down, dirty tricks.
The Lamborghini Countach
The movie was all about cars. Understandably, you would see a variety of cars featured in the movie. Think of it as an earlier version of the Fast and Furious, its main focus would be showing sports cars. And there was one in particular that caught Imhoff’s eye.
Cannonball Run/20th Century Fox
The Lamborghini Countach that was featured in the movie was an eye-catching one. Not only was it fast but it was slick, slim and definitely something that was from the far future. It really made an impression in Imhoff’s mind.
Turning Fantasy Into Reality
Even after a few years had passed, it was still undeniable. Even though Imhoff had taken interest in many other things and topics, he really could not forget that one movie he saw a few years back. Especially the main star of the film, the Lamborghini Countach.
Ken Imhoff
One fateful day, he decided that he needed to take things into his own hands. He still could not get the Countach out of his mind. He was finally at a point where he needed to turn this fantasy into reality. And no, he wasn’t going to buy this Lamborghini. He was going to make it himself.
Building His Own Lamborghini
Imhoff really wanted to be in command and wanted to do things in his own terms. He was serious and wanted to really learn how to build this mean machine on his own without all the machinery you would find in a car factory.
Ken Imhoff
Because he had space down in his basement, that was where all the planning and estimating was done. This project was going to take more than determination and perseverance. It was a bit more challenging than what he first initially expected it to be.
The Right Engineering Skills
By profession, Imhoff was an engineer. This skillset was one of the few factors that led him to make good on his decision to build the Countach from scratch. He loved to build and he loved to work on things. It was simply in his nature.
Bull In The Basement
Imhoff was also a pro at metal wielding and he knew that he was going to put this skill into good use for this project. However, when it came to the technical aspect of building a car, unfortunately, that skill was not going to be enough.
The First Wooden Model
Right after building the chassis frame and installing the engine, Imhoff believed that he had to inspect what he was working with. In order to fully picture out how this car was going to look, he knew he had to build a wooden scale model.
.jpg)
Bull In The Basement
This wooden scale model was going to serve as a perfect example of the Countach he was going to make. Once he was able to piece things together for this wooden scale, he knew he was on the right track. Imhoff spent a year working on this.
Basement Over Garage
Because the car that he was going to build was going to take so much space, he needed to be somewhere spacious. He had two options. The first option was the garage, and the second was going to be in the comforts of his basement.
Bull In The Basement
He didn’t need to think much about how and where he was going to be building the car. If he was going to build the car in the garage, he knew that the car would not be safe from extreme weather conditions like winter for example. This means he could save money from spending too much on heating. The basement was the most ideal place since it was naturally warm and was spacious.
Building A Wooden Frame
When he first started the project, it was way back September 1990. He could not get the Countach out of his mind, so he had to follow through on his relentless dream to build on for himself. It took him almost two decades to complete.
Bull In The Basement
Not to mention that it wasn’t just years spent on the car, but also thousands and thousands of dollars to complete. He used a 1:16 scale model to build himself a wooden frame. This ratio also helped him measure the shape of the car’s body panels.
Update For The Fans
Because a lot of people were aware of this project of his, he drew a lot of media attention. He made his own blog page just so he could track progress and update those who were eager to learn more about this almost-ridiculous venture.
Bull In The Basement
He named his blog “Bull In The Basement” all while working on the car. In the blog, he would describe each step of the building process in detail. He even includes a couple more photos for everyone’s viewing pleasure. This is also one way for him to show his fans that he knew what he was doing.
Handmade Panels
Imhoff was really bent on proving naysayers wrong saying that he couldn’t do it. He used his available funds to purchase materials to be used for the car and the machinery that he needed for the fabrication as well.
Bull In The Basement
He bought metal panels and he also bought a forming tool called an English wheel. He was able to successfully shape the car’s panels into their ideal form by using this machine. However, it was time consuming. It took almost a year to create these panels alone.
The Most Hands-On Job Ever
Imhoff was an engineer by skill and he knew that he needed to apply this in order to get things right. It took him some time to complete the frame and the panels because he did not have the all the right tools and he was the only one working on the car.
Bull In The Basement
In order to form the shape that he wanted, he needed to manipulate the metal into the shape of the vehicle by eye and feel. So even with the English wheel to help him through this process, it was incredibly complicated.
Long Days And All-Nighters
Imhoff was very willing to take his skills to a new level and learn as he goes. He did not take any type of shortcuts, and he was also adamant that he does the building solo. Although he did acquire help from a machinist to make sure that the wheels are made perfectly.
Bull In The Basement
The wheels were built from thick aluminum to make sure that they didn’t deform when the car was being used. Each wheel took approximately 10 hours of fabricating and once the right shape was achieved, they were finished with a black powder coat to give them a sleek look.
Next Up On The List
Because Imhoff wasn’t just building an ordinary car, he had to take into consideration many things. Weight, speed and how much the car responds to the engine will need to be taken into account. This was what he was exploring carefully.
Bull In The Basement
Sportscars tend to heat up very quickly than regular cars on the market. So what he decided to do was to install two radiators to keep the engine cool even while the car was active and in use. He placed one on each side of the vehicle so that air from the sides would enter easily.
Multiple Layers Of Bodywork
Completing the chassis frame, panels and the engine are all just standard framework for the car. It was far from finished and Imhoff knew that the worst bit was yet to come. Getting to install the body work of the car will take a lot of work.
Bull In The Basement
Before he could even think of painting the vehicle, Imhoff had to start by applying self-etching primer. He then sealed it with epoxy primer. After letting it dry, he added another layer and when it was completed, he added a high-build primer to finish the job.
Beginning To Look A Lot Like The Countach
After all the paint work, he was finally seeing his project with a clearer set of eyes. He didn’t have to second guess what it was going to look like overall. Because now that the paint has been done, the frame was beginning to look like the car he was imagining it to be.
Bull In The Basement
The wheels and outer panels had not been added yet to the skeletal framework, but the car was visible. It was still missing a few pieces here and there but Imhoff was growing more and more excited at the fact that his hard work was slowly coming together.
He Needed Help From The Pros
Next up on Imhoff’s itinerary was installing the integral parts of the car’s engine and navigation system. This car was not just a regular fast car and he needed to treat it with the same respect and do it justice.
Bull In The Basement
He added a fuel cell, break lines and pedals. Each of the 33 pieces of bodywork too were transported back and forth to an off-site booth to professionally paint them. Since he could only do one at a time, the entire process took about 25 hours.
Installing Other Components
After he was done with the paint job and sealing what needed to be sealed, he proceeded with adding other components of the car. He needed to make sure that the engine was going to function as it should before he could do anything else.
Bull In The Basement
The next most intricate part was installing the doors of the car and the wiring. This was very tedious, but he knew it needed to be done. He needed to be careful as the functionality of the car heavily relied on it.
Never Really Over
to install the tires and tweak out the engine to make it perform like the car it was meant to be. Imhoff knew this was no easy feat. “The task is never finished really. There is always something new that can be improved on. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Imhoff said.
Bull In The Basement
He also reinforced the rear carriers and fixed a couple other issues on the second-hand engine he installed such as an annoying leak in the coolant. He also replaced the spark plugs and did his best to improve the engine.
A Major Snag
After 17 long years doing everything on his own, Imhoff was ready to reveal his creation to the world. He finished the project sometime in the late months of 2007. However, as he was ready to unveil to the world his masterpiece, he ran into such a huge snag.
Bull In The Basement
He built and assembled the car in his own basement and he did not have any visible entry or exit points that would fit the car. Obviously, he needed a remedy to this problem ASAP without have to pull everything apart. So he hired an excavator to dig through and break the wall.
Starting The Engine
The whole process of excavating and breaking the wall took about 90 minutes in total. After the inside of the basement was exposed, Imhoff was feeling all the excitement to reveal the car to the general public who were eagerly waiting for the reveal.
Bull In The Basement
Imhoff’s love for cars started out when he was young and this was all because of his father. His father came out to see the unveiling to car. Unbeknownst to the public, Imhoff had a little help from him wiring the car’s engine so that it would start.
Dream Come True
When the car was slowly pulled out of the basement and into the open, everybody was in awe of how legit-looking this handmade car was. However, there was one last thing Imhoff had to test to be able to say that he did a great job in building the car.
Ken Imhoff
When Imhoff’s father finished wiring up the car to make it start, the first initial reaction was shock. Not because it did not work, but because of how loud the engine roared. Imhoff did not expect it to be this good. Speaking to Miller Welders, he said, “I thought it blew up, it was so loud.”
Inspiration To Many
People were drawn to this fiasco as Imhoff made it to the news. When the car was unveiled, Imhoff would speak out about all the troubles he encountered in the 17 years that he was building the car. He spoke to many other outlets about this and how this project of his has affected his life and his family’s in general.
Bull In The Basement
Before getting married, Imhoff’s wife Eileen even pitched in to help the then young engineer to make his dreams into reality. Eileen lent Imhoff money to buy a transmission and shortly after their honeymoon, Imhoff started work on the Lamborghini.
The Ultimate Decision
Imhoff’s 17-year journey has now finally come full circle. While many people still applaud him for the amazing project build that he’s completed, he still did not feel complete. In the course of that time, unfortunately, he paid the price and sacrificed his family and the relationship he had with his wife.
Bull In The Basement
After much deliberation, he has decided to put the car up for sale. People thought that he was crazy for even thinking about selling the car that took 17 years of his life. But he did not think so. He had already spent so much money into building it and putting up with the cost of maintenance was something that he was not willing to do.
Emotional Conclusion
“I don’t value its ownership as much as I did creating it…Life after its completion was not as well thought out as the build itself. And truth be known, it probably really belongs to someone who can appreciate it more than I do,” Imhoff laments.
Jim Harger
He listed the car on eBay and in the listing, Imhoff encourages bidders to ask questions and carefully consider what they might be buying: “There needs to be a lot of discussion between me and its next owner. It means a lot to me that it goes to the right home.”
Always His First Love
Even though Imhoff went through a great deal of achievements and heartaches in the process, he says he never regrets what he did. The car provided him with invaluable lessons and a rediscovery of himself along the way.
Ken Imhoff
And also just because he sold the incredible vehicle, did not mean that he has lost all hope and love for cars. During his free time when he’s not in church, he keeps himself occupied by modifying and viewing cars just like the old days.