The year was 1990 and super sports brands were still "hanging over" from the follies committed in the 80s. It was a decade transformed into a festival of power, melted tires and excesses in all aspects. But in the midst of that general “after party” feeling there was a small builder with energy for at least one more party. That builder was Lamborghini.
I would venture to say that the Lamborghini Countach Turbo is the automobile personification of at least five deadly sins: anger, lust, gluttony, pride and vanity.
In the exclusive club of supersports brands, Lamborghini embodies the role of bon vivant. In contrast to the “very polite” Aston Martin, the pragmatic Porsche or the “femme fatale” Ferrari.
And like the bon vivant that it is, Lamborghini has prepared a kick-ass party to celebrate the latest version of the Countach model. In what would be his "last tango", the Countach appeared at his best: shocking, powerful, showy, haughty and proud.
A sinner par excellence. we talk about Lamborghini Countach Turbo . The ultimate version of one of the most charismatic cars ever. Officially there are only two copies, a concept version and a production version — the latter proudly appears provocative in the photos that accompany this article.
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Though born, raised and educated in lands near the Vatican, the Countach is anything but Catholic. I venture to say that the Lamborghini Countach Turbo is the automotive personification of at least five deadly sins: Anger, lust, gluttony, pride and vanity.
anger and gluttony
Will because your engine exudes tension, anger and performance. The years have passed him by but his virtues remain: the Countach Turbo remains the same old devil. Ready to devour any road or curve that comes before it, leaving it invariably different in its path: the straights get shorter and the curves less bent.
They are 748 hp of power powered by a 4.8 l capacity V12 engine powered by two huge Garrett T4 turbos. Exactly 48 hp more than those who develop the Lamborghini Aventador . A model that at the foot of this Countach Turbo looks like a «choir boy».
THE greediness have already guessed what is due to: the monstrous consumption of this engine! A driving unit that already in the distant year of 1990 propelled the Coutach, from 0-100 km/h in less than 3.7s in a race that only ended when the pointer already passed the 360 km/h . The price to pay for such performance came in the form of consumption that had to be measured in dekaliters.
But there are more details of "evil" in the Countach Turbo. Forget the traction control buttons, the stability program, the brake distribution or the pilot suspension, because the Countach Turbo doesn't have any of these systems. These "guardian angels" would never be able to control an analogical sinner like this. Furthermore, in the 90's these systems still did not apply to cars of this caliber...
On the other hand, there is a command in this Countach that must have direct contact with the depths of the Earth and that unfortunately is not present in current models. A command that awakened or put to sleep, at our pleasure, an inferno of potency. I speak of «boost knob» , a button that increased or decreased the turbo pressure (between 0.7 and 1.5 bar) and consequently the power.
I'll bet you that there's no button more badass than this one on today's supersports. The Ferrari manettino? Yeah, yeah.
Vanity, luxury and superb
“Too much ambition for the perfection of physical appearance, beauty, to impress others” is the definition of vanity. Is it worth adding anything else? It's a definition that fits perfectly in this Lamborghini Countach Turbo.
Just look at it. It's an ode to materialism, to the lust and the superb ! Who wouldn't feel vain and above any mortal aboard this car? To corroborate my opinion, the photos that accompany this article were decorated by two beautiful ladies in costumes that are nothing like the provocative Lamborghini Countach Turbo.
A unique super sport
If they gave me a choice of a super sports car, maybe this would be the one I chose. It was neither its contemporary Ferrari F40 nor its distant relative Lamborghini Aventador. It may not be — nor is it … — the most effective, speediest, and sharpest supersport ever built. It's not, but it's everything an “old school” supersport should be: untimely, vibrant, stubborn and flashy.
I'm sure it would never bend as far as I wanted, accelerate as far as I intended, or slow down as far as I needed. But I'm sure it's in this love/hate relationship that the fertile ground is found to plant and grow feelings impossible to nurture by most modern cars.
You laughed at this scribe of yours now, but that's how I felt when I drove little imps — compared to this portent of evil… — like the Citroën AX GT or the Fiat Uno Turbo IE. They rarely did what I wanted, but it was from that stubbornness that sprang the will to lead them.
But back to the king of sinners of Sant’Agata Bolognese… Legend has it that Countach Turbo is banned from the roads of the Vatican, a heretic like him has no place on the asphalt of the holy pontiff.
He doesn't know what he's missing and we'll hardly know. It's a shame, who wouldn't want to get lost in "bad ways" at the wheel of this four-wheeled heretic? But we always have one possibility: to build a specimen in our basement…