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reprinted with permission |
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Take a man's dream, find a stock Fiero chassis, and spend a year building onto that platform, and your auto-motive fantasy can come true. Well, sort of... sometimes another person comes along with the same dream, and the first person can sell his dream and present it to the other car guy.
At least, that's how it was for Demetrios Koroneos of Exotic Illusions. His dream? To create his version of the 25th Anniversary Lamborghini Countach, with no holds barred.
He began with a stock Fiero and stretched it 5 inches to accommodate the Countach's 98-inch wheelbase. He chose a Chevy 305 V8 for power because he liked the sound it made----w"No weak-sounding engine for me... I wanted that low-end grunt," he said, of the engine set-up he got from V-8 Archie, painted red to match the body-the engine that churns out 300 horsepower at 5,500 rpm for the 3,750-pound replicar. He added a stock GM steering column, made modifications on
his molds, handlaid the fiberglass, had the shell painted a sexy 25th Red, and installed Holley Ram Horn headers, a Fiero four-speed tranny, and for more sound inside, he installed a Sony tape player. He installed Bilstein front & rear shocks, Accell electronic distributor and coil, and put on custom headlights, original Lambo taillights, 15-inch Countach wheels and 225/50RI5 Super Sport tires. He was close to finished when Kevin Jerome of Barnegat, New Jersey, came to the factory and was mesmerized by the exotic and erotic look of the Countach. He decided he MUST have that car.
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A 1970 Chevy 305" V-8 puts out 300 horses. The setup, including the custom red valve covers, was completed by V-8 Archie. Holley Ram Horn headers and manifold, and Accel electronic distributor complete the package. |
Past and Present
Koroneos has gained a reputation for doing quality work in an industry that almost lost him before he got started. His introduction to the kit car industry would have turned lesser men off to the genre. About 15 years ago, he purchased a Lambo kit from a Canadian firm, and the kit was incomplete--only the body was delivered. Soon thereafter, the company went out of business. Koroneos recruited a friend, and the two began to make all the other necessary pieces out of plywood. "I learned fiberglass from Adrian Corbett in Pennsylvania," he said. Adrian was building a VW-based Countach and I hung around and helped him for free, so I could learn from him. We took all the hand-made wood pieces and handlaid the fiberglass. Jerry Tulley--a tinkerer and professional body man-and I made all the pieces and did the body work, then made some artistic changes and soon I was in business without knowing it. I made a car, and someone wanted another one and I made that, and someone else heard about it and I built another. Soon, it was a business."
Fast-forward 15 years, 12 turnkeys and 50 kits that Exotic Illusions has sold, and Jerome enters the picture. Jerome owns a mortgage company, and was happily driving a Lincoln Navigator SUV, but he yearned for the excitement of a fun car, and he has always wanted to own a Countach. "I had a poster of one on the wall when I was a kid, and have wanted a real one ever since," he said. "A real one costs way too much money to spend on a car, and one day my brother told me about kit cars. Now, I always thought that kit cars are flimsy and unreliable, ill-made reproductions, but one day, around town, I saw a white Countach kit that was based on a Fiero, and I was interested until I saw that the lines were all off and the workmanship looked poor up close-the door jamb was out of line and the stitching was terrible. still, I kept hunting for a kit I could trust."
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Jerome spent months doing intensive research through magazines and on-line, and he heard about Exotic Illusions. "They came highly recommended by everyone I talked to who was knowledgeable on the subject. I sent Demetrios an e-mail," he said, "and he called back and said he had a car available. I went to his facility and was blown away. He showed me a used Exotic Illusions Countach that was owned by a doctor who wanted to sell it. Demetrios wouldn't even make a dime on the deal... he was just helping a customer. I was stunned by the quality and beauty of this used car. Demetrios offered to give me a one-year, bumper-to-bumper warranty on this used car, if I bought it, and I knew then, that I wanted a NEW one ... and that I wanted it from HIM."
Jerome continued, "I wanted EVERYTHING in my car. I wanted a V-8, remote doors, high-end stereo system, and pretty much everything Koroneos had built in HIS car."
Koroneos didn't want to part with HIS dream, but Jerome was persistent.
A few talks and negotiations later, a deal was struck, and Koroneos parted with his dream and Jerome drove off in it. One man's dream became another man's pride and joy; all for $50,000.
Koroneos said, "It was difficult to part with MY car, but Jerome wanted it so badly, I couldn't refuse. He spent five hours in our shop and asked a ton of questions. He came back and showed up a week later with his wife. I HAD to let him have the car... it was meant for him."
Koroneos pridefully talked about his work: "We built this car for speed. We do all the work here ... all the wiring--we modify a Fiero harness, drop in the V-8 engine and make a complete harness from the computer back. We have four more cars under way and each has its own custom harness. Nothing leaves here until we've checked for complete quality."
Jerome nodded when the subject came to quality, and he grinned when asked about showing off his dream car. Since taking delivery of his Countach, Jerome has frolicked among original Porsches, Corvettes, Mercedes Benzes and Beemers, at his Long Beach Island stomping grounds. "I get noticed," he said. "even among the real high-roller cars. I love this car, and whatever my next kit is-maybe a Ferrari-I will buy it from Demetrios. He is the guy I want... he gave me my dream car and it is better than I imagined."
Now, Jerome has HIS dream car, and Koroneos is working to build another dream car. This time he'll keep it for himself. KCI
