Countach, the ultimate supercar

I hope you are referring to the car and not the Sheep dog! lol
Thanks Emillio
The Espada is mines too. Sadly the other three cars belong to a friends collection. All are lovely to drive too. My favourite is the Quattro. So light and delicate to drive.

 

Harry Metcalf just published a new 30 minute video on the Countach.

Nicely done. I found it amusing at the 18:30 mark when he is talking about all the bumpers added on for the USA market, he shows a rear end shot of my car! LOL!

I think some of his production numbers for the Quattrovalve are a bit off. If I understood what he was saying, he thought that about half of the 610 were carbureted cars and the other half were fuel injected cars. I think we discussed on this site before where we felt that about two thirds of the Quattrovalves were carbureted where one third were fuel injected.

Anyhow it's a nicely done video. I found it really interesting the additional box on the side of the instrument binnacle that Alpine had used for one more head unit. I guess since his car was the London show car they really had to do it up nicely.

http://youtu.be/qZuZBZyV6Eg

Mike

 

I liked it. You can tell he is genuinely enthusiastic about the Countach.

 

Is Harry on Lchat? If not, why not?

 

I really enjoy Harry's videos.

Cheers Jim

 

Harry is a major force behind the Countach attention in the recent years.his magszine ownership and Valentino connection in addition to driving his car all over europe, have made the public aware how amazing this car actually is.

 

Enjoyed every minute of that one. His passion shows clearly.

 

Many thanks for your kind comments Mike and I had no idea it was your QV in the photographs I used, thank you! That just goes to show how tiny this Countach world actually is.

Regarding the fuel injected v carburettor QV split, I have asked this question several times on Ferrarichat before but I never had a proper reply. It's interesting this subject was debated on here very recently but unfortunately I recorded this video before Christmas, so I did not have this latest information to hand.

My 50:50 split came after talking to Lamborghini personnel, other journalists and fellow enthusiasts at the 50th Anniversary celebrations last year. I would still love to see definitive figures on this subject, though, as even the one third/two thirds split isn't absolutely definitive either..

Regarding the additional DIN housing on my QV, Portmans told me they fitted this on several new Countach in period, basically as a way of making extra money by fitting either a graphic equaliser or a separate CD player, which were just being introduced at the time.

 

LOL

Please let me know when you are coming over next and it would be great to meet you and take you around the my old cars.

 

I agree. There is a difference between a journalist doing a review and someone who injects passion and indeed their own money into something they clearly care about.
James May, of Top Gear On BBC presented an excellent series on Cars in 2014 and had borrowed Harry's car for part of the program. Top Gear had previously 'did reviews' of the CT. As it is primarily an entertainment program and not a serious motoring one, the reviews were funny but not too accurate. Whilst what James May in his program said was generally accurate and very well presented, it didn't quite get the to the crux of the car. Whilst we all look at our cars through 'rose tinted CT glasses', that surely is the point! Harry is (or was until his new vocation), a motoring journalist. But he cares and thats what makes this piece special.

 

Like you Harry, I L-O-V-E my Countach!

You can hear your passion come through clearly in the video! You are a great ambassador for the marque!!

Keep the great videos coming! Speaking of the rear ends of the Countach, here is a full on rear shot of mine at the Kirkland Concours d' Elegance a couple years ago.

Mike

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Many thanks for this info regarding the split between FI and carb QV, Joe, I've posted the correct figures you sent me on the Countach vid YouTube home page.

 

Thought you all might appreciate this unusual perspective of the Countach, this one is a 1981 LP400S
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So if there were roughly 380-390 built as DD QV cars, my next question is how many 88.5 cars are there? I am guessing as Lamborghini got on stronger footing with Chrysler they were able to ramp up production for that year and subsequent years as well? Anyone know? L

The QV was built for 4 years vs the Anni for 2 years. The factory became twice as efficient almost overnight. Demand for the Anni was obviously a factor at the time. Would be interesting to know.

 

Joe

Thanks for that. Those figures would therefore roughly tie in with Harrys guess of the RHD QV non skirted cars, being about 40. The usual 10% rule of RHD cars coming to the UK.
610- 220= 390. Additionally someone prepared a list of all CT's that passed through Portmans and also Espadas and Urracos. I think Harry has the sets. he may have got his figure from that list?
Sadly, I think there are only about 16 RHD non 88.5 QV's left in the UK? A mate has one In Aberdeen Scotland, and there another local to me, being 3. Plus another 2 CT's up here in Scotland, again both local.

I hadn't realised the large number of FI cars or that approx. 1/3rd were coming to the USA!

Every day is a school day!

Paul

 

Absolutely amazing video!!!

Thank you so much Harry for making those videos.

It expresses so well what it is like to drive and own a Countach. What a car! I also pinch myself whenever I go to the garage and look at it... Which is only the beginning, as the driving is as spectacular as the looks.

I loved every second of the video. A real must see.

 

Thank you Joe. I may have not been clear enough in what I was getting at. Sorry.

Knowing that the "88.5" cars built in late 87 and early 88 were skirted, there must not be too many. But if the factory could produce twice the volume by that point (Chrysler buys Lambo in early 87) could they have made almost 100 of the roughly 390 QV DD's as skirted cars during that period? Trying to find out how many round body DD's there actually are. There could be less than 300 LHD cars if there are around 40 non skirted RHD cars that went to the UK. As Valentino has said they are pure Countachs....

I consider it the end of the pure Countachs as well, then you get the changes once the American firm took over. I have come around to liking the Anni cars but they are different.

I was able to look over a later "88.5" DD car and it had a lot more Anniversary quality aspects in the build than the earlier ones.

 

Harry your video perfectly illustrates the ownership experience of one of these wild machines. Bravo!!