Countach, the ultimate supercar

Alberto: having owned both models (LP500S & QV DD), I would like to state that in my humble opinion a well-tuned LP500S is as fast as the QV DD any day. I am not going to get into a long discussion as to why, but let's put that down to "personal experience".

For example - Barry Robinson's LP500S did 0-60 in 4.8 secs. Furthermore, I do not think the press had access to a properly tuned LP500S. Additionally, I think the myth of the QV DD's superiority lies in the Fast Lane article which is terminally flawed because they used the F1 driver Pierluigi Martini's factory-tuned example. If you look at all other tests of the QV DD, the car struggled to best 170 mph.

By the way, I think you should buy this book
http://www.editions-palmier.com/toute-l-histoire-lamborghini,us,4,EPA002.cfm
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http://www.editions-palmier.com/lamborghini-1973-94-road-tests-articles,us,4,TSB438.cfm

http://www.editions-palmier.com/lamborghini-1964-2000,us,4,UNI004.cfm

For those who like compilations....
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In March 1984 Motor tested an LP500S, 0-60 in 4.8

In April 1986 Car & Driver tested a QV DD, 0-60 in 5.2

* Of course, as posted earlier, magazine testing numbers should be taken with a pinch of salt! But it does lend credibility based on similar personal experience that the LP500S in original side-draft carburetted form is no slouch.

Apologies for the small pics, I have originals I can scan in large size & post sometime.
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My suggestion of the day :
with all the cars owners you know, why don't you organise such comparison test in a dedicated area with a fine tuned model of each generation... and then report the average accelaration for each car with the same in board computer/recorder and of course the same professionnal racing driver, neutral judgement !!! That would be a great contribution and a way to see how it goes versus Fast Lane and so many others magazines...

 

Great idea. Easier said than done though...

 

My Countach at a rest stop on a recent charity drive -- a friend was walking by and this photo was taken by another friend (professional photographer Brian Ach). I have a framed black and white version of this at home now which looks like a period photo from the early 70's in many respects. Very cool.
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Taken by my friends, Brian Ach and his wife Michelle Enfield. I thought the Lambo logo in white against the blue background was an interesting contrast.
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Photographer caught her at the perfect time.
B&W+pose+car=retro

 

Very very cool indeed, and many thanks for sharing!

 

It DOES look like a 70s period image indeed!
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Also from Ach/Enfield
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That is my dream also. Either that or a wealthy enthusiast commission a replica. Where are the Countach Glickenhaus when you need them? Come on Joe you know you want too

 

Actually, I fall into the "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" camp.

Replicas, whilst being the sincerest form of flattery, are never faithful. We have plenty of pics to take that journey down Memory Lane when we need to, I say let it be.

 

Among my visits... I've noticed another 25th Anniversary fitted with the option racing buckets instead of standard seats #KLA-12955 !
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Thanks for the info, Joe: that book will be mine!

I do not have much experience on Countach models except 5000S of course, but i was a passenger of Alex alias Dwndraft1 QVDD, a very well tuned car with Ansa exhaust: that car is faster than mine even if now my 5000S is very fast.
I think 5000S has a big amount of power and enough to kill you very quickly if you do not be careful: the low-mid size power is stunning and better than QV, so you can have a very dangerous and violent power oversteer even in second gear at 3000 rpm if you push a bit coming out a bend. Fortunately the limided slip differential works well and helps a lot to recover the car.
But Alex's QVDD is faster when the RPM grow up. I think not many cars also today have the thrust/weight ratio that a well tuned QVDD has: CT is very light without the air pump and the oem muffler, 400 lbs less than a Gallardo, as example.
A very well tuned "stage 1" 5000S stands at 390-400 HP, a bad tuned oem QVDD stands at 420-430 hp and it's heavier so the performance difference is very small, but a good tuned "stage1" QVDD stands at 470-480 hp and there is no game. This is what my mechanic told me: according to his "title" he should be world no.1 Countach expert, but sometimes i do not appreciate him too much so may be he just told me some bull****s.

ciao

 

excellent pictures, thanks for sharing!


ciao

 

this 5000S was slower than Auto Motor und Sport (or what it was...), but faster tha BB512... Magazine says the car had just 200 km so was not at the top of its performance.

Curb weight is just 1321 kg, not bad.

ciao
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Awesome, I remember this article from the period. Thanks for posting!

 

One of the fist DD in 1985: http://www.countach.ch/TestAMS1986/index.html

Martini's car vs. a factory tuned Testarossa: http://www.countach.ch/SportAuto1987/index.html


I drove yesterday a good running LP5000s and my QV, no comparison...
Even BR33 had it good and less performing days, I have a test when this car reached only 269kmh in a comparison. (Autokraft 1987).
In the comparison of CAR April 1984 BR33 was measured 0-60mph in 5,7s ... almost a difference of 1sec is hard to explain.

 

In the CAR article it clearly says the carbs were not working properly with the tester struggling to maintain revs. That can easily explain a sec difference in 0-60.

Also, the Autokraft test was his QV DD not LP500S! Barry Robinson had LP400S, LP500S, QV DD and Annivesario, in succession, all red, all with the famed "BR 33" registration.
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Last Countach owned by Barry Robinson was ZA9C005A0KLA12462, and it too got the "BR 33" UK registration...
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Another featuring the same car...
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Thank you very much for sharing your magazines test data!

5000S is faster than 400S and QV is faster than 5000S: that's obvious. But the difference you find are depending by the tune level and conditions of the various cars: as you know a bad tuned car is by far slower than a good tuned car. Big carbs are very sensibles to temperature and pressure so may be you pefectly tune your carbs but temperature changes or you change altitude and you will have bad tune car with a big hp loss.
5000S is listed at 375 hp, but the car has 349 hp, as factory official papers say (i have a 2010 official Lamborghini paper that says this and related to my VIN number). With oem muffler and air filter and air pump 5000S has an average power (OEM data) of 349 hp. I do not know the real data of QV but is less than the listed 455 hp power. If you get rid of that stupid and heavy oem muffler, you have 370 hp and you could touch 380 or 390 hp on a well tuned and "lucky" engine. So 5000 S power can easily go from 300-320 hp of a bad tuned oem car that needs some carbs works to 390 hp of a perfect tuned car with Ansa sport and no air pump. The same happened to QV. I think this explains the big difference you have testing two different cars, but same model. And if you add the wing, top speed drops a lot.



ciao

 

Ok fellas, I have not seen this poster posted before. I have had this since, I'm guessing, 85/86. If not then, maybe 90.
Notice the bent wing ends.
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Valentino wearing shades behind the wheel in the upper picture!
Great shot!