Lamborghini Countach Homage: A Raw Definition of Italian Supercars
Every boy and every man of certain age (and taste....) had a poster of it hanging on his bedroom wall at some point of his life. Yes, I'm talking about the ultimate exotic supercar of the mid-to-late 1970's and 1980s, the Lamborghini Countach. If there was ever a model that epitomizes the values of Ferruccio Lamborghini's brand, then this is it. Even today, 35 years after its release, it's threatening yet indisputably erotic hard-edge styling and imposing scissor-like doors make many modern supercars look like they were penned by gangly men with turtlenecks and hair pieces.
The Lamborghini Countach was a hardcore supercar, a 'raging bull' designed and engineered to be driven by real men and it had no problem whatsoever showing it.
I remember the first time I ever saw a Countach up close as if it happened yesterday. It was in Melbourne in the beginning of the 80's when a car dealer in the neighborhood that specialized in Italian vehicles brought a black example of the Countach. I've seen many supercars of all sorts since then, but none has ever made a bigger impression on this lad than the Countach.
Like the Miura it replaced, the Countach was designed by the magic hands of Marcello Gandini who was then working for Bertone.
Three years after the introduction of the prototype model at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, Lamborghini launched the production model dubbed LP400 that was powered by a longitudinally mounted 375HP 4.0-liter V12 (hence the LP name - Longitudinale Posteriore).
Until its demise in 1990 when it was replaced by the Diablo, Lamborghini constantly developed the Countach presenting newer and more powerful versions with the last being the "25th Anniversary".
Named to honor the company's 25 year anniversary, it was produced from 1988 to 1990 and it featured some 500 changes and improvements over the 5000QV including the unpopular to many, front and side spoilers and modified air vents that brought to mind Ferrari's Testarossa.
The last Countach was powered by a 5.2-liter version of the V12 engine producing 455HP (80 horsepower more than the original model, that launched the supercar to a top speed of 295 km/h or 183mph.
Sure the Countach had many flaws including its overtly cramped cabin, zero practicality and its characteristically heavy controls (gearbox, clutch and steering wheel), but the fact that it remained in production as a top player in the supercar segment for 16 years is a feat few vehicles throughout history of cars can match.
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