Lamborghini · 1974–1990

Lamborghini Countach

The Lamborghini Countach ( KOON-tahsh) is a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini from 1974 until 1990. It is one of the many exotic designs developed by Italian design house Bertone, which pioneered and popularized the sharply angled "Italian Wedge" shape. The wedge style was introduced to the public in 1970 with the Lancia Stratos Zero concept car. The first showing of the Countach prototype was at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, as the Lamborghini LP500 concept. The "Countach" nameplate was reused for the Sián-based limited-production hybrid-electric model called the Countach LPI 800-4 in 2021.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Lamborghini Miura · Successor: Lamborghini Diablo

All Lamborghini Countach data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Design and development

The development of the Countach was initiated by Ferruccio Lamborghini with the goal of creating a successor to the Miura. The Miura was widely acclaimed after its introduction in 1966, but by 1970 new competitors including the Ferrari Daytona had been introduced to the market, and the Miura was showing its age. Chief engineer Paolo Stanzani and his staff began work on the Miura successor in 1970 under the project name "LP112." From the beginning of the project, Stanzani's collaborators included test driver Bob Wallace, assistant engineer Massimo Parenti and designer Marcello Gandini of Bertone. Stanzani and Ferruccio Lamborghini agreed that the Miura's successor required a mechanical design that enabled the greatest possible performance as well as a body that was both aerodynamically efficient and aesthetically daring. These principles had formed the Miura's development and enabled the commercial success of that model. Despite Mr. Lamborghini's preference for comfortable grand tourers, he recognized the commercial value of a more uncompromising sports car like the Miura and gave Stanzani's team permission to further push boundaries with the LP112 project. The resulting Countach incorporated successful aspects of the Miura, such as the rear mid-engine, rear wheel drive layout along with many new engineering and styling innovations. Lamborghini's engineering team addressed several flaws in the Miura design, improving high-speed stability and reducing lift-off oversteer as well as addressing the limited maintenance access, uneven weight distribution and cooling issues endemic to the Miura's transverse engine layout. After a year of intensive development work, the first Countach prototype, designated LP500, was shown to the public at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. Subsequentl

Production history

=== LP400 === The first production model of the Countach was the LP400, produced from 1974 until 1978. It was first offered for sale at the 1974 Geneva Auto Show, where 50 orders were placed. The LP400 was equipped with a 3,929 cc (3.9 L) engine delivering 276 kW (375 PS; 370 hp) at 8,000rpm and 266 lb⋅ft torque at 5,500 rpm. This engine was given the type designation "L 406." Externally, little had changed from the second prototype. The nose panel was altered, the side windows now split horizontally, and various details of interior trim were changed. The LP400 was equipped with Michelin XWX tires, sized front 205/70R14 and rear 215/70R14. The narrow tires and the slick styling meant that this version had the lowest drag coefficient of any Countach model. The emblems at the rear simply read "Lamborghini" and "Countach", with no engine displacement or valve arrangement markings as is found on later variants. The LP400 chassis was constructed by Marchesi, then delivered to the Lamborghini factory at Sant'Agata where the car was assembled and painted. The engine and transmission were also manufactured at Sant'Agata. Each engine was run for a total of 5 hours and inspected before being installed in the car. The LP400 production line was developed and supervised by Giancarlo Guerra, a former Scaglietti employee who worked closely with Stanzani. By the end of production in 1978, the company had produced 157 Countach LP400s. LP400 S. In 1978, a new LP400 S model was introduced. The engine was slightly downgraded from the LP400 model at 350 PS (257 kW; 345 hp) at 7,500rpm with torque the same as before. The most radical changes were on the exterior, where the tyres were replaced with 345/35R15 Pirelli P7 tyres; the widest tyres available on a production car at the time, and fi

North America

The United States is Lamborghini's biggest market and has traditionally been the largest market in the world for expensive cars such as exotic sports cars. However, neither the Countach, nor its closest competitor, the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer, were built from the factory to meet United States or Canadian safety and emissions regulations. Americans purchased the Countach anyway, and individual consumers paid to modify each vehicle to meet United States Environmental Protection Agency and United States Department of Transportation regulations. This was known as the grey market era (1976-1988). While the Countach, Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer, and Range Rover were among the first such vehicles, the infrastructure they created allowed the "grey market" to reach 66,900 vehicles in 1985. In 1985, with the introduction of the 5000 QV, a U.S. specification model was produced by the factory, meeting United States federal safety and emissions regulations. Changes to the American specification models included larger energy-absorbing bumpers, as the original bumper design did not meet the American "5 mile per hour" regulation (1974–1981), and a Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system. Many owners removed the bumpers immediately or received their new cars without bumpers installed. American federal law exempts all vehicles older than 25 years from all design, safety, and emission regulations. Therefore, any original Countach can be freely imported into the US and registered for unrestricted road use in states that permit such activity.

Special versions

=== 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 Giampaolo Dallara to create a special high-power version of the Countach. Dallara was the former chief engineer at Lamborghini and had founded his own company, Dallara Automobili, in 1972. Dallara modified chassis 1120148 to create the "Walter Wolf Special" with an engine identical to the 5.0 L (310 cu in) engine from the original 1971 LP500 prototype, which generated 333 kW (453 PS; 447 hp) at 7,900 rpm and enabled the car to attain a theoretical maximum speed of 315 or 324 km/h (196 or 201 mph). This model also featured upgraded wheels, Pirelli P7 tyres, flared arches, and front and rear spoilers, all features that would become integrated on future Countach's starting with the LP400 S. Wolf's car was painted red with black flared arches, was designated "LP500 S" like the standard Countach model from the 1980s, and was the key stepping stone that led to the development of these later production models. Two subsequent Wolf Specials were produced, the first, painted Bugatti blue, No. 1120202 was kept by the factory, and the last, a darker navy blue, No. 1121210 was the very first LP400 S and presented at the 1978 Geneva Motor Show. Both of the later Wolf cars used the original 5.0-litre engine commissioned by Wolf, transplanted to each car in turn. Countach Turbo S. During the early 1980s, two modified turbocharged Countachs were commissioned by Max Bobnar, the official Lamborghini distributor in Switzerland. Bobnar hired Master Technician Franz Albert to convert the cars to a twin-turbo configuration and to make other performance modifications unique to th

Production figures

A total of 1,983 cars were built during the Countach's sixteen-year lifetime: Substantially more than half were built in the final five years of production, as Lamborghini's new corporate owners increased production. A small number of new Countachs were assembled in Cape Town, South Africa during the mid-1970s by local dealer and importer Intermotormakers (IMM). IMM imported Countachs and other Lamborghini models from the Lamborghini factory as complete knock-down kits. This import arrangement was active until the South African government revoked IMM's exemption to phase V of the local content programme, which took effect in 1980 and mandated that cars manufactured in South Africa incorporate a minimum of 66% locally produced content. The total number of Intermotormakers-assembled Countachs is unknown, but they constitute a very small fraction of Countach production.

Countach LPI 800-4

In order to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Countach in 2021, the nameplate is reused on a limited-production hybrid-electric model called the Countach LPI 800-4 which has a naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 engine with a 48-volt electric motor based on the technology of the Sián FKP 37.

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Specifications

name: Lamborghini Countach
Manufacturer: Lamborghini
Production: 1974–1990
Assembly: Italy: Sant'Agata Bolognese
Designer: Marcello Gandini at Bertone
Class: Sports car (S)
Body style: 2-door coupe
Layout: Longitudinal mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Related: Lamborghini LM002
Engine: Lamborghini V12, LP400, LP400 S: 3929 cc, LP500 S: 4754 cc, 5000 QV, 25th Anniversary: 5167 cc
Transmission: 5-speed synchromesh manual
Wheelbase: 96.46 in
Length: 162.99 in
Width: LP 400: 74.28 in, Rest: 2000 mm
Height: 42.13 in
Kerb weight: 1300.5 kg (LP400), 1351 kg (LP400S), 1488 kg (LP5000QV)
Predecessor: Lamborghini Miura
Successor: Lamborghini Diablo (direct), Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 (nameplate)
sp: uk
Top speed: 290 km/h