Without any argument, the Lamborghini Countach is the most important car that was ever built and wore the raging bull on the front.
This car, which adorned millions of bedroom walls, school notebooks, and computer screen savers, wasn’t built in large numbers but is a name known around the globe. Even though the Countach only reached 2,000 in total models sold over the sixteen years in production, it’s a car that still carries a respected name today.
The Car With a Different Name
Lamborghini was originally a company that made farming tractors, which is still part of the operation today, but when it took on the process of building supercars, a naming structure came about. Using the raging bull as a logo, every model until the Countach was named for a fighting bull. The Countach was named for the exclamation sound many in Italy made when feeling astonished, which is what many felt when they saw this incredible car.
Performance that Stood Out
Keep in mind that the Lamborghini Countach was made in the 1970s and 1980s and you’ll understand that the power levels were amazing for that time. Speed was expected out of this car which had a speedometer that topped out at 264 mph. Until this car came about, no other car has been set to more than 200 mph. This car could reach 517 horsepower and 646 lb.-ft. of torque when maximum power was being used.
The Future of the Countach hasn’t been Reached Yet
The shape and build of the Countach were such that it looked like it belonged in the future. When 1984 arrived and the 500 S model was revealed, an even more advanced build was found, which made this car appear to be one that shouldn’t be made for several decades. This futuristic build is part of what we still admire about this car today.
The Turbo S Model was Unconventional; to Say the Least
When the Turbo S version of the Lamborghini Countach arrived, it had only one job and that was to blow the doors off every other vehicle. This model could have simply offered a pair of turbos to give the current version more power, but the Lamborghini team didn’t stop there. This model was the first to have the scissor doors that would eventually become a trademark of all Lamborghini models.
Lamborghini Took the Easy Route
You might not look at the exotic supercars offered by this brand and ever think they took the easy way out of anything, but they did. Instead of putting the Turbo S into production, Lamborghini took a U-turn and gave us the 5000 QV. This car had 300 fewer horsepower than the Turbo S prototype that should have been what we had. While we don’t know why the Turbo S was never made, we can see the scissor doors and always wonder what might have been.
The Trouble with the Turbo S
Some reasons did surface as to why we never had the Lamborghini Countach Turbo S, but nothing was definitive. First, the rear wing was thought to slow the car down, by nearly 15 mph. Another possible reason was that test driver Valentino Balboni considered the car to be unsafe for public roads, which might be the main reason this car was never made.
The Rear Wing Was Only Made for Looks
No matter which version of the Countach you see, if it has a rear wing on it, there isn’t any function of this part of the car. It should be used to provide downforce for cars that are taken to the track, but it was only made for aesthetic beauty. This part wasn’t supposed to be part of the plan for this car, but due to the popular demand for the wing, it was added to every model.
The Cabin Was Pure Italian Supercar
With doors that open upward, the interior area of the Lamborghini Countach would be exposed to public viewing, which meant it needed to showcase its prowess as much as the exterior. The cabin of every model offers sporty features including bucket seats, harness seatbelts, unique dials, and an amazing shifter to give you the simple but sporty look you want to enjoy during your drive.
Plenty of Power, But More Should have Been Allowed
The traditional V12 engine offered in the Countach gave this car 375 horsepower, which was amazing at the time. Of course, if the Turbo S had ever been put into production we would have had a car that made nearly 750 horsepower at the time. The naturally aspirated power was more than enough for this car to give you a glorious ride around any track.
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