If Miura defined the term Supercar, the Lamborghini Countach it has become the archetype of what is a super sports car practically until our days.
The first prototype of the Italian super sports car — called “Progetto 112” — was presented at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, already with most of the components that would come to integrate the production version two years later.
Legend has it that the name “Countach”, an exclamation expression in the Piedmontese language (the equivalent of “wow!” in Portuguese), came about when Giuseppe Bertone, one of the most important figures in the Italian automobile industry, saw the prototype for the first time. — however Marcello Gandini, the Countach designer, recently clarified the origin of the name…
The exotic and timeless design of the Countach was in charge of Marcello Gandini, responsible for its predecessor, the Lamborghini Miura. Unlike this, the Countach had more rigid and straight lines. Admittedly, it wasn't the first sports car with this futuristic design, but there's no doubt that it helped to popularize it. It's beautiful, impressive and was one of the main “poster cars” of the last century.
The bodywork itself is quite low: just 107 cm high, which puts the driver's view less than a meter off the ground, and the length is on the level of a modern SUV. Despite the small dimensions, it could accommodate a V12 in a longitudinal position behind the occupants. The interior of the cabin stands out for its elegance, as you would expect.
At the time, Gandini abdicated the car's practical and ergonomic aspects (the “bad tongues” say it was inexperience…) in favor of a body with an angular profile and perfect weight distribution — anyone expecting large luggage space will be disappointed …
Rear wing? just for style
As if its unique shape were not enough, the Lamborghini Countach was also recognized for its large rear wing. Curious fact: it's not doing anything there except serving as decoration. Initially designed for one of its customers, it created such an impact that Lamborghini had no other solution than to make it available, which created problems.
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In reality, the Countach's front axle suffered from lift, so a rear wing “gluing” the rear to the asphalt would only exacerbate this characteristic. Thus, the engineers of the Sant’Agata Bolognese brand canceled the tilt of the wing so that it did not affect the load on the rear axle in any way, making it just an aesthetic, not an aerodynamic, appendage.
V12 of course
On a technical level, the Lamborghini Countach is almost impeccable. The LP500S QV version (the most popular), launched in 1985, was equipped with the traditional engine V12 (at 60º) of 5.2 l in central longitudinal position, rear Bosch K-Jetronic injection system and, as the name implies (QV), four valves per cylinder.
This version already charged some expressive 455 hp of power and 500 Nm of torque at 5200 rpm . All of this resulted in overwhelming performance: acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h was achieved in 4.9s, while the maximum speed is of 288 km/h , as this German driver could see on an Autobahn.
In 1988, the Countach was privileged to have been chosen to celebrate the brand's 25th anniversary, and as such, received a revamped version. The slight design changes didn't suit everyone, but the 25th Anniversary Countach was the most refined model with better performance, which was reflected in sales — 4.7s from 0 to 100 km/h and 295 km/h top speed.
As a note, a certain Horacio Pagani was responsible for the ultimate evolution of the Countach.
referential
The production of the exotic sports car lasted 16 years and during that period they came out more than two thousand cars from the Sant’Agata Bolognese factory, with the latest versions being the best sellers. The Lamborghini Countach figured in the lists of the best sports cars of the various reference publications of the time.
In fact, the Lamborghini Countach is a unique and special model, if only because it was the last “ruling bull” built under the auspices of founder Ferrucio Lamborghini (died 1993). More recently, it was possible to recall the Italian model in Martin Scorsese's film The Wolf of Wall Street.
The late 1980s was not exactly kind to the Countach, largely due to the development of automotive engineering that Lamborghini did not know how to keep up perfectly. In 1990 the Countach was replaced by the Lamborghini Diablo, which despite the louder specifications, did not make us forget its predecessor.
A model inseparable from the history of the “bull brand”. Grazie Ferrucio Lamborghini!