Continuing with our vintage reviews, this one is of course the cover story from R&Ts’ December 1978 issue. I’ve included some of my own photos inside
Those of us who grew-up in the Seventies and Eighties, still remember the impact this car had on everyone who saw it. I maintain that even with the latest crop of Hyper-cars such as Pagani or Koenigsegg, and almost forty-five years after its initial unavailing, the Countach still is outrageous to look at, and unlike any other car.
So to me it’s funny to read that R&T are asking in 1978 whether it’s still the ultimate exotic. Yes, I know the Ferrari 512BB and the Lotus Esprit were around by then. Sorry- IMHO, not as WOW as the Lambo.
Anyway, here’s the issue’s cover:
And the Article, enjoy:
Back in 1994, I was on a trip through some of Europe’s best automotive museums and collections- purely by chance, I stumbled upon Renn und Sportwagen Museum Bruno de Cillia, which is a collection of racing cars, super-cars and what-have-you. Whilst there, I took photos of two Countachs-
One early model:
And one very late:
The Countach in the R&T article is somewhere in between, so it’s nice to compare the model’s evolution.
And if you’re wondering whether the Countach is faster than a Camry, here’s the answer
The Countach was Lamobrghini’s best looking car I’ve seen. I’ve never driven one, but I’ve seen at least two in person. The only thing I’ve never liked is its engine. Most sports car engines have more than enough horsepower for the job, but nowhere near enough torque.
325hp @ 7500 rpm
260 lbs.-ft. @ 5500 rpm
Really?
I would think that for 325hp, I would think that it would deliver something like 430 lbs.-ft. of torque.
You need to keep in mind these engines had very low displacements despite being V12s – 240 cubic inches. They were built to rev
Keep in mind that horsepower is just basically work over time, so it is directly related to torque and engine speed. Horsepower is torque (lb-ft) x RPM / 5252. So when an small displacement engine like this doesn’t make much power in the lower RPM range, it means that the torque in this range is also HAS to be low since they are mathematically related.
The 401 Buick was rated at 325 HP @4400 RPMs which requires 387.9 Lb-Ft of torque @4400. Peak torque for this engine was 445 @2800. The Cadillac 390 was also rated 325 HP@4800 RPMs which requires 355.6 lb-ft @4800. This V12 engine, rated at 325 hp @7500 RPMs, requires 227.6 lb-ft of torque @7500. The peak torque, 260@5500, is probably net and is reasonable for a 4 liter engine of its time. My 3.6 V6, rated at 321 HP, has about 260 lb-ft from 2000 RPMs to 6500 RPMs (not flat though as the peak is 275@4800).
The point here is that it takes more torque to produce the same horsepower at low engine speeds vs higher engine speeds.
According to the article this engine is not happy running less than about 3000 RPMs. I would guess the torque output below 3000 RPMs is less than 200 lb-ft.
@4000 RPMs (roughly), 430 lb-ft of torque is 325 HP. If this is the peak horsepower, then torque has to decrease quite fast (415 lb-ft @4100).
Thank you sir, I’ve been enjoying all your scans but this is the review I’ve been waiting for!
The featured 400S was my favorite aesthetic iteration of the Countach. The original 400 looks much more futuristic(in a early 70s ideal of it) and there is definitely a purity to it but the flares and wide wheels really completed the look the tall air intakes already established. The blatant Testarossa like rockers and slats added to those late iterations though ruined it. To me the Testarossa and Countach both had perfect individual identities in the mid 80s, no detail that distinctive should be shared between them like that, it reminds me of those Mercedes with those bad bodykits
Thanks for posting this article! Brings back lots of memories reading those old articles, please keep sharing! I remember when I was young how these cars were so unattainable and so fast. I never thought I’d own something with that kind of performance. Now, my everyday driver is a pickup that was within 0.2 secs of the Lambo’s 1/4 mile time (albeit the trap speed on the truck is a fair bit slower). I agree with XR7Matt, these were the best looking Countachs, just enough added to give it a muscular look without being too over the top/cheesy.
You guys don’t have a clue!
If you have ever been in one you would know that they are fast, bloody fast.