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The Lamborghini Countach was a supercar produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1974 to 1990. It popularized, but did not pioneer, the wedge-shaped, sharply angled look popular in many high performance cars since. It also popularized the "cabin-forward" design concept that pushes the passenger compartment forward in order to accommodate a larger engine. Image File history File links Lamborghini Countach LP500S From the Scarsdale Concours Source: Photos by en:Wikipedia user Nrbelex, uploaded by permission File links The following pages link to this file: Lamborghini Countach ...
Automakers, also known as carmakers, automobile manufacturers, motor manufacturers, or the automobile industry are companies that design and manufacture automobiles. ...
Automobili Lamborghini S.p. ...
Factory of automobiles Lamborghini. ...
The Lamborghini Diablo was a high-performance supercar built by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1990 and 2001. ...
Car classification is subjective since many vehicles fall into multiple categories. ...
Supercar is a term used for a high end sports car, typically an exotic or rare one, whose performance is highly superior to that of its contemporaries. ...
Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. ...
The Peugeot 406 Coupé, designed by Pininfarina 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC coupé, noted for its large, angular design 1980s Volvo 480 two-box coupé 1997 Rover Vitesse Coupe, club coupe Mercedes CLS, a modern four-door coupé Gala-Coupé of Leopold II, Brussels 1970s Sunbeam Alpine fastback coupé A coup...
In automobile design layout is the place where both the engine and driven wheels are. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Mid-engine design . ...
The Lamborghini V-12 is a V12 engine designed by Lamborghini. ...
A V12 is an internal combustion engine with 12 cylinders in V configuration. ...
A V12 is an internal combustion engine with 12 cylinders in V configuration. ...
Supercar is a term used for a high end sports car, typically an exotic or rare one, whose performance is highly superior to that of its contemporaries. ...
Automobili Lamborghini S.p. ...
The word countach (help·
info) (pronounced ˈkun.tɑʃ) is an exclamation of astonishment in the local Piedmontese language - generally used by men on seeing an extremely beautiful woman[1]. While the term is considered untranslatable, it can be considered the verbal equivalent of a Wolf Whistle. Image File history File links Ipa-countach. ...
Piedmontese (also known as Piemontèis, and Piemontese in Italian) is a language spoken by over 2 million people in Piedmont, northwest Italy. ...
Untranslatability is a property of a text, or of any utterance, in one language, for which no equivalent text or utterance can be found in another language. ...
Finger whistling or wolf-whistling, is a form of whistling in which one or more fingers are inserted into the mouth to shape the opening, allowing a forceful stream of air to be blown through. ...
The name stuck when Nuccio Bertone first saw "Project 112" in his studio. The prototype was introduced to the world at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. Most previous Lamborghini car names were associated with bulls and bullfighting. Nuccio Bertone (Torino, July 12, 1912 – Torino, February 25, 1997) was a famed automobile designer and constructor. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
In 2004, Sports Car International named this car number three on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1970s, and it was listed as number ten on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s. Sports Car International is an automobile magazine in the United States focused on sports cars. ...
Sports Car International magazine compiled a list of the Top Sports Cars of the last few decades. ...
Sports Car International magazine compiled a list of the Top Sports Cars of the last few decades. ...
Despite the fact that the car has been discontinued for 17 years, it still enjoys a massive fan following this day. The Countach has since practically become a symbol for the 1980s, and is widely considered to be one of the most recognizable cars of all time.
Styling
 A Lamborghini Countach viewed from the top to show its futuristic styling. The Countach was styled by Marcello Gandini of the Bertone design studio, the same designer and studio that designed the Miura. Gandini was then a young, inexperienced designer—not very experienced in the practical, ergonomic aspects of automobile design, but at the same time unhindered by them. He produced a quite striking design. The Countach shape was wide and low (42.1 inches), but not very long. Its angular and wedge-shaped body was made almost entirely of flat, trapezoidal panels. There were curves, notably the smoothly coke-bottle wing line, but the overall appearance was sharp. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (768x1024, 746 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Lamborghini Countach ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (768x1024, 746 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Lamborghini Countach ...
Marcello Gandini, born 1943, was chief designer at Bertone and since 1980 has been a freelance designer. ...
Gruppo Bertone is an Italian car styling and coachbuilding house, which also manufactures cars. ...
A Lamborghini Miura S. Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lamborghini Miura Miuras in Los Angeles. ...
An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...
A trapezoid (in North America) or trapezium (in Britain and elsewhere) is a quadrilateral, which is defined as a shape with four sides, which has a pair of parallel sides. ...
The doors, a Countach trademark, were of a 'scissors' fashion—hinged at the front with horizontal hinges, so that the doors lifted up and tilted forwards. This was partly for style, but just as much because the width of the car made conventional doors impossible to use in an even slightly confined space. Care needed to be taken, though, in opening the doors with a low roof overhead. (With the car's poor rear visibility and wide sills, this 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 back of the car from outside.)
Aerodynamics, however, were still unfortunately unable to match the sleek looks of the car.
The pure style of the prototype was progressively enhanced or cluttered (depending on one's point of view) by the evolution of the car to improve its performance, handling, tractability, and ability to meet mandated requirements. This began with the first production model, which included several vents which were found to be necessary to cool the engine adequately. These included the iconic NACA duct on the door and rear fender of each side of the car. Later additions, including fender flares, spoilers, carburetor covers, and bumpers, progressively changed the aesthetic values of the car. Artists concept picture of a submerged inlet for a jet airplane The NACA duct or NACA scoop is a common form of low-drag intake design, orginally developed by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in 1945. ...
The Countach's styling and visual impression caused it to become an icon of great design to almost everyone except automotive engineers. The superior performance characteristics of later Lamborghini models (such as the Diablo, or the Murciélago) appealed to performance car drivers and engineers, but they never had the originality or outrageousness that gave the Countach its distinction. The different impressions left by the various Lamborghini models have generated numerous debates and disagreements over what constitutes 'classic' or 'great' automotive design (elegant looks and style, vs. technical and engineering superiority). The Lamborghini Diablo was a high-performance supercar built by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1990 and 2001. ...
Lamborghini Murciélago coupé Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 on display Lamborghini V12 engine, with the Murciélago roadster in the background The Lamborghini Murciélago is a supercar produced by a Italian automaker Automobili Lamborghini S.p. ...
Engine The rear wheels were driven by a traditional Lamborghini V12 engine mounted longitudinally with a mid-engined configuration. For better weight distribution, the engine is pointed 'backwards'; the output shaft is at the front, and the gearbox is in front of the engine, the driveshaft running back through the engine's sump to a differential at the rear. Although originally planned as a 5 liter powerplant, the first production cars used the Lamborghini Miura's 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. The Lamborghini V-12 is a V12 engine designed by Lamborghini. ...
Mid-engine in a Hanomag-Fahrgestell. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
A Lamborghini Miura S. Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lamborghini Miura Miuras in Los Angeles. ...
All Lamborghini Countaches were equipped with six Weber carburetors until the arrival of the 5000QV model, at which time the car became available in America, and used Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection. The European models, however, continued to use the carburetors until the arrival of the Lamborghini Diablo, which replaced the legendary Countach. Bosch is the colloquial short name for the German company Robert Bosch GmbH, as well as the last name of: Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516) - Dutch painter Robert Bosch (1861-1942) - German industrialist Carl Bosch (1874-1940) - German chemist and engineer Juan Bosch (1909-2001) - Dominican politician and writer Orlando Bosch...
// Fuel injection is a means of metering fuel into an internal combustion engine. ...
The Lamborghini Diablo was a high-performance supercar built by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1990 and 2001. ...
Construction The Countach used a skin of aircraft-grade aluminum over a tubular space frame, as in a racing car. This is expensive to build but is immensely strong and very light (in spite of its size, the car weighs approximately 1500 kg (3300 lb)). The underbody tray was fiberglass. Simplified space frame roof with the half-octahedron highlighted in blue A space frame is a truss-like, lightweight rigid structure constructed from interlocking struts in a geometric pattern. ...
Auto racing (also known as automobile racing or autosport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ...
Countach models
Prototype LP500 A single prototype was built, the LP500 (the 500 standing for the 5 L displacement of the engine which was intended to be used). Painted bright sunflower yellow, the car was a stunner at the Geneva Motor Show in 1971. Sporting Gandini's original design concepts, the car's design needed extensive modification for production. In particular, the small air intake ducts on the car's rear shoulders proved insufficient to cool the engine, and large 'air box' scoops were added in that position. Large NACA ducts were added on the sides to give additional air. The experimental car was also constructed of aluminum honeycomb sheeting among other things, which was dropped for production. 74th Geneva Motor Show The Salon International de lAuto (or Geneva Motor Show) is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. ...
Artists concept picture of a submerged inlet for a jet airplane The NACA duct or NACA scoop is a common form of low-drag intake design, orginally developed by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in 1945. ...
The car did not survive; it was sacrificed in a crash test to gain European type approval, even though its construction method was utterly unlike production vehicles.
Production LP400 The first 4.0-liter production Countach was delivered to an Australian in 1974. The first recorded person to own the LP400 was D. Milne, who was a member of the Australian Defence Force Transport Corps.[citation needed] Externally, little had altered from the final form of the prototype except at the rear, where conventional lights replaced the futuristic light clusters of the prototype. The styling had become rather more aggressive than Gandini's original conception, with the required large air scoops and vents to keep the car from overheating, but the overall shape was still very sleek. 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 top speed. Many people like the looks of this clean, fresh original model the 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 is found on more modern cars. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 288 KB) BP-Nostalgiccar-show-2005 Source: Stereo. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 288 KB) BP-Nostalgiccar-show-2005 Source: Stereo. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 309 KB) BP-Nostalgiccar-show-2005 Source: Stereo. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 309 KB) BP-Nostalgiccar-show-2005 Source: Stereo. ...
LP400S In 1978, a new LP400S model was introduced. Though the engine was slightly upgraded from the LP400 model, the most radical changes were in the exterior, where the tires were replaced with much wider Pirelli P7 units, and fiberglass wheel arch extensions were added, giving the car the fundamental look it kept until the end of its production run. An optional V-shaped spoiler was available over the rear deck, which, while improving high-speed stability, reduced the top speed by at least 10 MPH. Most owners ordered the wing. Dynamically, the LP400S was a better car, the wider tires making it more stable in cornering. Aesthetically, some prefer the slick lines of the original while others prefer the more aggressive lines of the later vehicles, beginning with the LP400S. The standard emblems ("Lamborghini" and "Countach") were kept at the rear, but an angular "S" emblem was added after the "Countach" on the right side. Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ...
LP500S
 Lamborghini Countach 500S 1982 saw another improvement, this time giving a bigger, more powerful 5 liter engine, which improved performance to be more in line with Lamborghini's somewhat exaggerated claims. The bodywork was unaltered. This version of the car is sometimes called the LP5000S, which may cause confusion with the later 5000QV (next section). Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 452 pixelsFull resolution (2034 × 1149 pixel, file size: 606 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 452 pixelsFull resolution (2034 × 1149 pixel, file size: 606 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
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 from the sides to the top of the engine for better breathing - unfortunately this created a hump on the engine deck, reducing the already poor rear visibility to almost nothing. Some body panels were also replaced by Kevlar. In later versions of the engine, the carburetors were replaced with fuel-injection. Bendix-Technico (Stromberg) 1-barrel downdraft carburetor model BXUV-3, with nomenclature The carburetor, carburettor, or carburetter (see spelling differences), also called carb (in North America) or carbie (chiefly in Australia) for short, is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. ...
For the first time, a US specification model was produced by the factory, with styling changes to allow bumpers to meet US federal standards (large, bulky bumpers were used that, to many people, ruined the smooth lines of the car). Although this change was the most notable on the exterior, the most prominent 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. Bosch is the colloquial short name for the German company Robert Bosch GmbH, as well as the last name of: Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516) - Dutch painter Robert Bosch (1861-1942) - German industrialist Carl Bosch (1874-1940) - German chemist and engineer Juan Bosch (1909-2001) - Dominican politician and writer Orlando Bosch...
25th Anniversary Countach | 25th Anniversary Countach |
 | | Production | 1988-1990 | | 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 (42 in) | | Curb weight | 1490 kg (3285 lb) | Named to honor the company's 25 year anniversary in 1988, the 25th Anniversary Countach was mechanically very similar to the 5000QV but sported much changed styling. The rear 'air boxes' were restyled and enlarged, while the vents behind them were changed so that they ran front to back instead of side to side. In addition, a new air dam and side skirting, both with air intakes, were fitted, and the taillights were restyled to be narrower, with body-colored panels replacing the upper and lower parts of the previous large taillights. The styling changes were unpopular with many, particularly since the intakes had strakes in them that appeared to mimic those on the Ferrari Testarossa, but they improved the engine's cooling, a problem the Countach had always struggled with. It also featured 345/35R15 tires; the widest tires available on a production car at the time. The Anniversary was produced through 1990 when it was replaced by the Lamborghini Diablo. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 448 pixelsFull resolution (2467 × 1380 pixel, file size: 405 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
A V12 is an internal combustion engine with 12 cylinders in V configuration. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Kerb (sometimes mis-spelled as curb by Americans) weight is the total weight of a vehicle with standard equipment, all necessary operating consumables (such as motor oil and coolant), a full tank of fuel and not loaded with either passengers or cargo. ...
The Ferrari Testarossa is a 12-cylinder mid-engined sports car made by Ferrari, which went into production in 1984 as the successor to the Ferrari 512 Berlinetta Boxer. ...
The Lamborghini Diablo was a high-performance supercar built by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1990 and 2001. ...
Walter Wolf Countach In 1975, Walter Wolf, a wealthy Canadian businessman and owner of the Wolf F1 Racing team in the 1970s, purchased an LP400; however, he was not satisfied with the LP400's engine and asked Dallara, the chief engineer of Lamborghini at that time and the founder of the Italian F1 racing team Scuderia Italia in the early 1990s, to create a special high-power version of Countach. It was the "code NO 1120148" Walter Wolf special with the original "5" engine from the Countach prototype which produced 447 hp / 7900 rpm and reached a supposed maximum speed of 315 km/h (195.7 mph). This model also featured the upgraded wheels, Pirelli P7 tires, large fender flares, and front and rear spoilers of the LP400S model. It was painted in red, with black fender flares, and was designated "LP500S" like the standard Countach model from the 1980s, and was the stepping stone that led to this later production model. This first Walter Wolf car is currently located in Japan. Two other Wolf Countaches were produced, one painted blue, NO 1120202 (currently in Germany) and one navy blue, NO 1121210. (This machine was owned by Mr. Wolf for a long time, but was eventually sold.) Walter Wolf was [is?] an Austrian-born Canadian oil-drilling equipment supplier who in the early 1970s made a fortune from the North Sea oil business and decided to join the world of Formula 1 (F1) motor racing. ...
Walter Wolf Racing was a Formula One constructor from 1976 to 1980. ...
Production figures A total of 2,042 cars were built during the Countach's sixteen year lifetime: | prototype | LP400 | LP400S | LP500S | LP500S QV | 25 Anniversary | | 1 | 157 | 237 | 321 | 676 | 650 | Substantially more than half were built in the final five years of production, as Lamborghini's new corporate owners increased production.
Countach replicas From around 1985 until the late 1990s, several companies replicated the Countach to various degrees of success. Back in 1985, Gary Thompson and Pete Jackson hired a real Countach from an up-market Manchester car hire company and took a glass fiber mold of it. This mold resulted in a number of UK-based manufacturers producing their own Countach replicas. A few were able to produce remarkably good replicas these included Paul Lawrenson of Prova Cars, Sienna Cars, Phil Cheetham of Mirage replicas and Brightwheel replicas. Ultimately, none of these companies survived.
Appearances in pop culture - As an automotive icon of the 1980s, the Countach was instantly recognizable as an exemplary fast car in popular culture. Countachs or replicas starred in such films as Speed Zone, Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II, Rumble in the Bronx, Rain Man, and Joshua Tree. Several of The Transformers toys and cartoon characters, such as Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, were based on the Countach. The Countach made its video game debut in Test Drive, and later appeared in other games such as Chase HQ, Stunts, Carmageddon, Automobili Lamborghini, and as recently as Project Gotham Racing 3 in 2005, Test Drive Unlimited in 2006 and Forza Motorsport 2 in 2007. The "Infernus" vehicle of the "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" video game is based on the Countach. The same models also appears in "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories".
- The Countach's scissor doors, consequently also called "Lambo doors", are currently a popular aftermarket modification on many other cars.
Cannonball Run can refer to the following: Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an outlaw automobile race of the 1970s or its many copycat successors Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II, movies inspired by the races Cannonball Run 2001, a USA Network reality television show inspired by...
See also Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash Cannonball Run II is a film that was released in 1984. ...
Rumble in the Bronx (紅番å€; Hong faan kui in Cantonese) is an action-comedy movie starring Jackie Chan and Anita Mui. ...
Rain Man is a 1988 film which tells the story of a selfish yuppie who discovers that his father has left all of his estate to the autistic brother he never knew he had. ...
Joshua Tree is a 1993 action film directed by Academy Award and Bafta winning stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong, written by Steven Pressfield and starring Dolph Lundgren and George Segal. ...
The Transformers franchise consists of a number of toy lines consisting of robots who could transform into vehicles, animals, and other objects. ...
Sideswipe (Lambor in Japan, Frérot in France, Freccia in Italy) is the name of three different characters in the Transformers Universes. ...
Sunstreaker (Solo in Canada, Lince in Italy) is a fictional character from The Transformers. ...
Screenshot of Test Drive I, Atari ST version. ...
Chase HQ is an arcade racing game, released in 1988 by Taito. ...
This article is about the video game. ...
Carmageddon is the first of a series of graphically violent driving-oriented video games produced by Stainless Games, published by Interplay and SCi. ...
For the motor company, see Lamborghini. ...
Project Gotham Racing 3 (PGR3 for short) is an arcade-style racing game that was released with the launch of the Xbox 360 on November 22, 2005 for the US market and December 2, 2005 in Europe, and was released on January 12, 2006 in Japan. ...
Test Drive Unlimited is an arcade-style racing game that features over 125 licensed sports cars and motorcycles and a terrain modelled after the Hawaiian island of Oahu that features some 1000 miles of roads and highways. ...
Forza Motorsport 2, or Forza 2, is a racing game developed by Turn 10 Studios, and the sequel to the original Forza Motorsport, for the Xbox 360 gaming system. ...
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (released in October 2002) is the fourth video game in the hit Grand Theft Auto series. ...
Scissor doors, also called Jackknife doors, are automobile doors that rotate up and forward on a hinge near the front of the door. ...
Aftermarket is an umbrella term for the collective network of vendors who design and sell vehicular components that are intended to replace the stock manufacturers parts in order to alter the appearance or performance of the vehicle. ...
References
External links - Information on most UK fabricated Lamborghini replicas
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