Lamborghini Countach
The poster boy for the 1970s supercar boom, this rare and exotic road machine was first revealed as a prototype in the spring of 1971. The 25th Anniversary edition, to celebrate Lamborghini’s dawn in 1962, was fundamentally the same car, but by 1988 it possessed a near-mythical reputation for mid-engined style and excitement. The word countach comes from the dialect of the Piedmont region in northern Italy; it is an expression of approval of a beautiful woman from admiring men.
AFTER SEVERAL mid-engined supercar prototypes had stunned visitors at late 1960s motor shows, Lamborghini and design house Bertone were determined to be first to put such a car in customers’ hands. Lamborghini’s engineers were tasked with designing the tubular spaceframe chassis for “Project 112.” Into this, the V12 power plant earlier seen in the Lamborghini Miura was installed. behind the two seats but ahead of the rear wheels. The engine was longitudinally positioned, with the five-speed gearbox in front, and the driveshaft ran back through the oil sump to the rear differential. Bertone’s star designer Marcello Gandini created the aggressive wedge-shaped design, and the car was manufactured with aircraft-grade aluminum. The prototype was called the LP500, and the first production car arrived in 1974 as the Countach LP400 with a 3,929 cc engine.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Model | Lamborghini Countach, 1974-90 |
| Assembly | Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy |
| Production | 2,042 (incl. 650 Anniversary cars) |
| Construction | Spaceframe chassis, aluminum panels |
| Engine | 3,929-5,167 cc, V12 |
| Power output | 448 bhp (5.21) at 7,000 rpm |
| Transmission | Five-speed manual |
| Suspension | All-independent coil |
| Brakes | All-round discs |
| Maximum speed | 183 mph (295 km/h) (5.21) |
Founder’s star sign
Company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini named the Lamborghini Miura after renowned Spanish bullfighter Antonio Miura. But the company emblem of a charging bull signified Ferruccio’s own star sign, Taurus. He sold his car-making firm in 1971, three years before the Countach went on sale.
Signature scissors
The scissor-type doors are easily the Countach’s most distinctive feature, as seen here on this 25th Anniversary edition. They open upward and forward simultaneously, easing access in tight spaces, but Bertone really designed them as a solution to the high sills inherent in the Countach’s racing-car-style tubular chassis.
THE EXTERIOR
The Countach was the first high-performance road car with an uncompromising wedge shape. It is low and wide, with very little frontal area, and a visual emphasis on the rear, where several intakes feed the high-performance engine with air to keep it cool under hard driving. Rear visibility is always tricky for Countach drivers, made even worse by the huge aerofoils fitted to many cars. This Anniversary model has custom wheelarch extensions and side skirts.
Lower-case nameplate is characteristically quirky
Charging bull emblem hints at ferocious performance
Pop-up headlights preserve purity of line
Door release in air duct
Lightweight polished alloy wheels
“Designed by Bertone” in Italian
Sculptural air intake
Internal door release
Louvres on tail allow engine heat to disperse
Taillight clusters unique to Anniversary edition
THE INTERIOR
The extremely snug two-seater cockpit is notable for the recumbent angle of the two bucket seats, which give the authentic impression of this being a racing car tamed for road use. Many of the smaller controls and components in specialist Italian cars like this are taken from mass-production models—often Fiats—but the craftsmanship that goes into the leather trim counteracts this and creates a purposeful ambience.
Leather-rimmed steering wheel fronts pleasing white-on-black dials
Push-buttons for minor controls, and an Alpine high-tech hi-fi
Airvents skilfully incorporated from another car
Controls for electrically adjusted seats
Leather-covered gearshift and exposed gearshift “gate”
Well-bolstered hump between seats houses gearbox
UNDER THE HOOD
At the heart of any Lamborghini is the hand-built masterpiece that is its engine. All Countachs have V12 power units, and the one in the Anniversary car is a 5.2-liter version that was supplied with no less than six Weber carburetors for European markets, or else Bosch K -Jetronic fuel-injection for sale to the United States, which resulted in a power output drop of 35bhp as a trade-off for cleaner exhaust emissions. The engine and its ancillaries are tightly packed in, and are accessible through an opening engine cover on the tail of the car.
The V12 engine designed by Giotto Bizzarrini was unveiled in 1963, and is still made today—with double the capacity
It is a quote. The Definitive Visual History Of The Automobile 2011
