The Lamborghini Countach

The Lamborghini Countach was a mid-engined sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1974 to 1989. Its design both pioneered and popularized the form of corner angles were so popular in many high performance cars sport. The cabin "before" design concept, which pushes the passenger compartment from the front to accommodate a larger engine, was also popularized by the Countach.

In 2004, Sports Car International named this car number three on the list of top sports cars of the 1970s, and was listed as number ten on their list of top sports cars in 1980.




The Countach word (pronounced [kuntɑʃ] (President Icon.svg listen)) is an exclamation of astonishment in the local Piedmontese language - generally used by men on seeing an extremely beautiful woman. [1] The term is often regarded as equivalent to an excited obscenity in English. It may also be considered the verbal equivalent of a wolf-whistle. [Edit]

The Countach name stuck when Nuccio Bertone first saw "Project 112" in his studio. The prototype was presented to the world at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. Most previous Lamborghini names were associated with bulls and bullfighting.
Styling
A Lamborghini Countach LP500 from above to show its futuristic style.

The Countach was designed by Marcello Gandini of the Bertone design studio, the same designer and studio that designed the Miura. Gandini was then a young designer inexperienced, not very experienced in practice, the ergonomics of the car design, but at the same time unhindered by them. He produced a design quite striking. The Countach shape was wide and low (42.1 inches), but not very long. Angle and the corner of her body shape was made almost entirely of flat, trapezoidal panels. There were curves, notably the smoothly coke in bottle wing line, but the overall appearance was sharp.

Doors, a Countach trademark, were pierced with scissors doors: hinged front with horizontal hinges, so that the doors lifted and tilted forward. It was partly for style, but equally because the width of the car to make conventional doors impossible to use in a space, even slightly reduced. Care needed to be taken, whether by opening the doors to a low roof. (With the poor visibility behind the car and off thresholds, which led to drivers adopting a method of reversing the car for parking by opening the door, sitting on the sill and reversing while looking over the rear of the car from outside.)

The style of the prototype was progressively enhanced or cluttered (depending on his point of view) by changing the car to improve its performance, handling, tractability, and ability to meet the requirements. It started with the first production model, which included several vents which were found to be necessary to cool the engine adequately. These include the iconic NACA duct on the door and the rear wing on each side of the car. The car design changes ended with a large engine vent directly behind the driver, reducing the rear view. Subsequent additions, including fender flares, spoilers, carburetor covers, and bumpers, progressively changed the aesthetic value of the car.

The appearance of the Countach and visual impression caused it to become a design icon ideal for almost everyone except automotive engineers. The performance characteristics superior to later models, Lamborghini (such as the Diablo or the Murciélago) appealed to drivers of performance cars and engineers, but they never had the originality or the excesses that Countach given its distinction. The different impressions left by the various Lamborghini models have generated much debate and disagreement about what constitutes a "classic" or "great" of automotive design (elegant looks and style, from the technical and engineering superiority ).
Engine

Engine

The rear wheels were driven by a traditional Lamborghini V12 engine mounted longitudinally with a mid-engine configuration. For better weight distribution, the engine is done 'behind', the output shaft is at the front and the gearbox is in front of the engine, the driveshaft running back through the motor housing to the rear differential. Although originally conceived as an engine of 5 liters, the production cars first used the Lamborghini Miura 4 liter engine. Later advances increased the displacement to 5 liters and then (in the "Quattrovalvole" model) 5.2 L with four valves per cylinder.

All Lamborghini Countach were equipped with six Weber carburetors until the arrival of 5000QV model, when the car became available in America, and used Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection. The European models, however, continued to use the carburetor until the arrival of the Lamborghini Diablo, which replaced the legendary Countach.
Construction

The Countach used a skin of aircraft-grade aluminum over a tubular space, like a racing car. This is expensive to build, but it is extremely strong and very light (despite its size, the car weighs about 1,400 kg (3.100 lb). The plate was underbody fiberglass.
Countach models
Prototype LP500

Only one prototype was built, the LP500 [1] (500 for permanent removal of 5 L engine that was intended to be used). Painted in bright yellow sunflower, the car is a stunner at the Geneva Motor Show in 1971. Sporting Gandini's original concepts, the design of the car needed extensive modification for production. In particular, the inlet air on small shoulders back of the car proved insufficient to cool the engine and air box big scoops "have been added in this position. Large NACA ducts were added on the sides to give additional air. The experimental car was also built in honeycomb aluminum sheets among other things, this has been abandoned for production.

The car did not survive, he was killed in a crash test to gain European type approval, even if its method of construction was quite unlike production vehicles.
LP400
LP400 Front Side
LP400 rear-side

The Countach went into production as the LP400 with a 4.0-liter engine. The first production Countach was delivered to an Australian in 1974. The first person to own the LP400 was D. Milne, who was a member of the Australian Defense Force Transport Corps. [Edit] Externally, little has changed from the final form of the prototype except at the rear, where conventional lights replaced the futuristic light clusters of the prototype. The style became a bit more aggressive than the original design Gandini, with the required air scoops and large vents keep the car from overheating, but the overall shape was still very elegant. The original LP400 rode on the quite narrow tires of the time, but their narrowness and the slick styling meant that this version had the lowest drag coefficient of any Countach model and possibly the highest speed. Many people like the look of this cleanup operation, the original model fresh most of all the Countach variants, and indeed it is simple, with smooth lines and few decorations. Even the emblems at the rear simply read "Lamborghini" and "Countach", with no engine displacement or valve arrangement clutter as found on most modern cars.
LP400

In 1978, a new model LP400 was introduced. If the engine was slightly improved compared to the model LP400, the most radical changes were outside, where the tires were replaced by units much wider Pirelli P7, and wheel arch extensions fiberglass were added, giving the car the fundamental look it kept until the end of its production cycle. An optional V-shaped spoiler was available on the deck, which, while improving high speed stability, reduced the maximum speed of 10 MPH. Most owners ordered the wing. Manipulating the LP400 has been improved by larger tires which made the car more stable when cornering. Aesthetically, some prefer the tidal lines of the original while others prefer the more aggressive lines of the later models, starting with the LP400. The standard emblems ( "Lamborghini" and "Countach") were kept at the back, but an angular "S" emblem was added after the "Countach" on the right side.

There are three distinct Countach LP400 Series.

Series One - The first 50 cars are supplied with Campagnolo "Bravo" wheels in 1978 and 79. The 1978 early cars had the original LP400 steering wheel. Stewart Warner gauges small, 45mm carburetors and a lowered suspension (lowbody) parameter is a characteristic mark of this first series famous. Halfway through the 1979 production, larger sizes have been used. 50 cars were built and one is noted to be 1121100 *

Series Two - These cars are recognized by their smooth finish shaped base / concave wheels while keeping the implementation lowbody. 105 cars were built and one is rated for 1,121,310 *.

Three series - It claims that, chassis number 1121312 from the space of the cockpit has been raised by 3 cm. These cars are recognized by their community raised suspension. 82 cars were built, and one is rated at 1,121,468 *
LP500
Lamborghini Countach 500S

1982 saw another improvement, this time giving a bigger, more powerful 5-liter engine, which improved the performance to be more consistent with a somewhat exaggerated claims of Lamborghini. The body was unchanged. This version of the car is sometimes called the LP5000S, which may cause confusion with the side 5000QV.

The 1985 LP500 is characterized as a toy named Sideswipe from the popular TV series Transformers.
5000QV

In 1985 the engine was improved again, bored and stroked to 5.2 liters and given four valves per cylinder (Quattrovalvole in Italian). The carburetors were moved to the side towards the top of the engine for better breathing - unfortunately this created a hump on the bridge of the engine, reducing visibility to the rear hard enough to almost nothing. Some body panels were also replaced by Kevlar. In later versions of the engine, carburetors were replaced by injection.

For the first time, a model of U.S. specification was produced by the factory, with styling changes to allow bumpers to meet U.S. federal standards bumper (big, bulky have been used for many people, ruined the smooth lines of the car). Although this change was most noticeable on the outside, the most significant change under the hood was the use of Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, rather than the six Weber carburetors used in the Euro-spec model. In 1985, U.S. model had a base price of $ 99,500. Only two extras are optional: a spoiler $ 5,500 and $ 7,500 sound system. Many models have been sold with two options. [Edit]
Countach 25th Anniversary

25th Anniversary Countach Lamborghini Countach Silver Edition 25 Years
Production 1988-1990
658 products
Engine (s) 5.2 L (5167 cc) V12
Wheelbase 2500 mm (98 in.)
Length 4140 mm (163 in.)
Width 2000 mm (79 in.)
Height 1070 mm (36 in.)
Curb weight 1490 kg (3285 lb)

Named in honor of the Society's 25th anniversary in 1988, the 25th Anniversary Countach was mechanically very similar to the 5000QV but sported much changed hairstyle. The rear 'air boxes have been renovated and enlarged, while the vents behind them were changed so that they ran from front to back instead of right to left. In addition, a new air dam and side skirting, both with air intakes were equipped and taillights have been redesigned to be narrower, with a colored body panels to replace parts upper and lower rear lights important precedent. The style changes were unpopular with many, especially since the provision had strakes in them that seem to imitate those of the Ferrari Testarossa, but they have improved the engine coolant, a problem the Countach had always struggled with. It contained 345/35R15 tires, wider tires available on a production car at the time. This anniversary has been produced until 1990 when he was replaced by the Lamborghini Diablo.
Walter Wolf Countach

In 1975, Walter Wolf, a wealthy Canadian businessman and team owner of Wolf F1 Racing in the 1970s, purchased an LP400, but he was not satisfied with the LP400 engine and asked Dallara , chief engineer of Lamborghini at that time and the founder of the Italian F1 team Scuderia Italia in the mid 1980s to create a special version of high power Countach. It was the code "1120148 NO" Walter Wolf special with the original "5" Countach prototype engine that produces 447 hp / 7900 rpm and reaches a maximum assumed velocity of 315 km / h (201.1 mph). This model also features the updated wheels, Pirelli P7 tires, fender flares big spoilers front and rear of the LP400 model. It was painted red with black fender flares, and was designated "LP500" as the standard model Countach 1980s, and was the springboard that led to the production model later. This first Walter Wolf car is currently in Japan. Two other Wolf Countach were produced, one painted blue, NO 1120202 (currently in Germany) and a navy blue, NO 1121210. (This machine was owned by Mr. Wolf for a long time, but was finally sold.)
The production figures

A total of 2042 cars were built during the lifespan of sixteen years the Countach's:
LP400 prototype LP400 LP500 LP5000QV 25 Anniversary
1 157 237 321 676 650

Well over half were built during the last five years of production, as Lamborghini new corporate owners increased production.
Countach replicas

In 1984, Rod Ladret of Ladret Design Studio located in Alberta, Canada began to produce and market a replica of the Countach. The form of the kit was carved in plaster and then a mold in fiberglass has been made of the form. The kits and cars built Ladret Design Studio includes a tubular chassis with a V8 American plant. Ladret Design Studio built 141 of these replicas and industrial customers who bought its forms fiberglass have built several thousand over the last two decades. From 2007 there are still several companies building kits based on forms Ladret built in 1984. In 1993, Ladret ceased manufacturing the Countach replica and move on to other projects.


From 1985 until the late 1990s, several companies have replicated the Countach with varying degrees of success. In 1985, Gary Thompson and Pete Jackson hired a real Countach from up-market Manchester car hire company and had a mold fiberglass thereof. This mold has caused a number of British manufacturers to produce their own replica Countach. Some were able to produce remarkably good replicas, including Paul Lawrenson of Prova Cars, Alan Booth, Sienna Cars, Phil Cheetham of Mirage replicas, and replicas of Brightwheel. DC Supercars now Phil Cheetham molds and produces Countach replicas.