Fraternal Twins

Two bright colored Countach replicas captured a lot of hearts and minds at the recent Carlisle Import/Kit Replicar Show. Built from kits by Euro-Works, they share the same parental shape but are as different as night and day under the skin. One of the big advantages of building a kit car is the freedom you have to make your care as personal as you like, and these two owners have certainly added their own touches to these Fiero-based kits.

Euro-Works has been in business since 1989 and makes two models of the Countach replica. The Mirage K is based on the stock 93.5 inch wheel base Fiero chassis, while the Mirage S is stretched to a 98.5 inch wheel base. Our experience has shown the Mirages to be well-build cars with high levels of fit and finish.

The company has a novel hinge arrangement to handle the big, unique Countach doors, historically a problem area on such replicas. Euro-Work's doors work easily and don't require any fiddling. The company uses hand-laid fiberglass construction in the Lambo look-alikes and offers plenty of options to customize the car. Though the cars can be tailor to suit individual tastes, Euro-Works like VDO gauges, fiberglass bucket seats, a disguised dash and a custom wiring harness to tie all the electricals together. But as you'll see on these cars, individuality still prevailed.

The interiors are comfortable and allow drivers of virtually any height good seating positions, but as in most Lambo interpretations, the visibility, particularly to the rear, is quite limited. This is a sacrifice to wind-cheating contours that owners learn to live with for the sake of getting noticed. Countach replica owners also quickly learn that in some situations, operating these cars requires a rather unnatural driving position - sitting on the sill with the door open and driving in a kind of side-saddle position. It looks awkward but it works and is necessary if reverse is employed.

Scarlet Fever

This red clone belongs to Jeff Bettinger of Union, New Jersey, and was built by Euro-Works as a turnkey car. Bettinger used to be a Vette man, so his new ride had to be pretty radical. Since he knew he'd be driving it as much as possible, Jeff wasn't looking for a radical engine package, deciding instead on the stock V6 Fiero mill. Euro-Works stretched the frame on an '85 Fiero and added quite a bit of stiffening to keep it sturdy. Two inch tubular steel was installed in the doors to triangulate to the rear firewall. More steel was used in the bumper supports, around the trunks front and rear, and in the windshield area. Monroe gas shocks were used with lowered springs to get that aggressive, hunkered-down silhouette. The rest of the suspension and the brakes were rebuilt with stock components.

Wheels and tires are important on a kit this radical, and Jeff opted for 15x8 CenterLines in front with 15x10s bringing up the rear. The tires are Yokohama 225/50ZR15 in front, 285/50ZR-15 in the rear.

The interior also received its share of attention. The Fiero seats were reupholstered with a leather kit from Mr. Mike, while the rest was covered with luxurious black doeskin vinyl. The instruments are comprised of VDO night design gauges, while a Grant steering wheel keeps the car on course. An Alpine detachable-face stereo with four speakers provides good driving music, and luxury touches include air conditioning, power mirrors, power antennas, and retractable seatbelts.

The brilliant Porsche Guards Red paint attracts plenty of attention, but not always the kind Jeff wants. He was pulled over by the New Jersey police the first day he drove it on an Interstate highway - twice. The offense? They just wanted to see his car.

Yellow Peril

This brilliant Chrome Yellow car is owned by Corey Pfeifer of Bellfort, New York, who built his Euro-Works Mirage kit himself with a little help from his friends. Not only does it show a lot of original thinking, but Corey wanted a little oomph as well. After all, any car looking this exotic needs some power to back it up - say, for instance, a 350ci Chevy TPI V8 bolted to an Isuzu transaxle. Corey is also a Corvette guy, so the TPI motor was a natural.

Corey started with an '86 Fiero, which he picked up for $1,600. It was duly put on the rack for a 5-inch stretch, and a full cage was installed on the inside. The nose and tail were shortened, and the radiator was relocated. A support frame for the body was installed from front to rear, and the body mounted with rubber and PL400 construction adhesive.

Side impact protection bars were installed in the doors for safety. The door hinges are Euro-Works parts, but the other hinges are modified Fiero. The trunk, engine cover, and front trunk were all framed with 1/2 inch steel tubing and laminated with fiberglass. Corey then laminated aluminum bands into the backs of the trunk lids and engine cover to keep them flat.

The 245hp Camaro mill is fitted with a computer chip, and Hedman block-hugger headers direct the exhaust to a real Lambo exhaust system. The suspension springs were cut to lower the ride height, and Gabriel struts were used. The wheels are 15-inch Ultra Design repro Lambo units mounting Pirelli P7 rubber. The lights wired into the Fiero harness are also authentic Lambo bits.

Corey modified the dash to hide as much of the donor Pontiac's distinctive shape as possible and fitted Auto Meter white-face Phantom gauges to keep track of what was going on. The steering column was modified and moved forward 5 inches. Black leather Pisa hides cover the Fiero bucket seats and combined with the black carpeting to make the interior appear sinister. A Grant GT wheel handles the helm duties, and a rockin' stereo system is installed in the tall steel center console. The sound system consists of two Alpine decks, one incorporating a cassette and a radio and the other a graphic equalizer and a CD player.

The NACA ducts on the sides of the care were put to good use. The passenger side is ducted to a airbox with a filter to feed cool air to the engine, while the driver-side duct houses the gas filler and also directs air to the engine compartment. The rear exhaust vent tunnels hot air out the engine compartment.

The final trim work included buying from New Jersey Tempered Glass and preparing the body for paint. The vibrant basecoat/clearcoat paint is Corvette Competition Yellow.

Corey says his Countach attracts crowds everywhere he goes. The only downside is that people take their eyes off the road when he drives by, causing some close calls. "This car should almost be illegal," he says, with emphasis on the almost. The entire project took three years and about $30,000 Corey was one busy guy since he worked full-time, complete a college degree in Business Administration, and stayed in the good graces of his girlfriend.

Different but the Same

Although these two cars are very different in details and running gear, they share all the features that have made Euro-Works one of the top Countach replica builders. Euro-Works president Alan Schrager says a turnkey car like Jeff's starts at about $33,900, plus the donor car. The final cost depends on the kinds of options chosen. For those like Corey who want to it themselves, the basic Mirage S kit costs $4,995 and includes inner and outer doors, a front hod, a trunk lid, an engine cover, headlight pods, wing pedestals, and a one-piece wing. Euro-Works also offers an informative buildup video to help with the difficult bits.

The short-chassis Mirage K model begins at $3,795, and turnkeys can run as little as $22,000. So if you hanker for Countach looks but want to add your own personal touch, these two Euro-Works examples should give you plenty of ideas and stir your imagination.

Kit Car Magazine September 1997