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115-469: The Lamborghini Countach ( / ˈ k uː n t ɑː ʃ / 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 style was introduced to

230-502: A Milan -based small external design office, Bertone Design, more focused on industrial design and architecture. Bertone Design was sold to the group AKKA Technologies in the second quarter of 2016, which already had automotive design activities through Mercedes-Benz Technologies. The AKKA Technologies group subsequently sold the Bertone brand in 2020 to Mauro and Jean-Franck Ricci, the new owners. In 2022, Mauro and Jean-Franck Ricci revived

345-423: A 1971 road test by Bob Wallace. This made it clear that further revisions to the basic engine design were required to improve durability. The LP500 prototype was subsequently fitted with a 3.9-litre engine for the remainder of pre-production testing. The first production cars used a 3.9-litre engine as durability issues with the new 5-litre engine could not be resolved in time. As equipped to the 1974 Countach LP400,

460-681: A 5.2-litre engine, also called the 5000QV. The LP- designation was dropped entirely for the 1988 25th Anniversary Edition, also called the Anniversary. The Countach was styled by Marcello Gandini of the Bertone design studio. His design for the Countach's predecessor, the Miura, achieved commercial success and critical acclaim from the automotive press when it was introduced in March 1966. Following

575-410: A Hewland VG-C racing transmission. The engine was built under the direction of Luigi Marmiroli and used data derived from Lamborghini's marine engines. Lamborghini's British importer David Jolliffe commissioned the car. The car was entered in the 1985 season of LeMans but didn't have any success despite keeping up with the winning Jaguar. It was entered again in the 1986 season by its sponsor, Unipart, but

690-497: A chassis that was easier for the factory to fabricate and easier to protect from corrosion. Following testing of the LP500 prototype during 1971, Stanzani and his team decided to further revise the chassis design. The dimensions and layout were similar, but the steel sheet and square tube construction used in the prototype was entirely disregarded in favor of a full space frame constructed of welded round-section steel tubing. Compared to

805-430: A concept consisting of dual-raised sections and tri-ducting, to one that embodies a centre-raised section incorporating dual-ducting become another feature. Various redevelopments to the rear were made; most notably the introduction of a rear bumper extending outwardly from the lower-portion. These styling changes, particularly features such as the fin strakes within the primary rear-intake-ducts openings, appeared to mimic

920-500: A few times at Indianapolis between 1939 and 1947. In 1953 Porsche premiered the tiny and altogether new RMR 550 Spyder and in a year it was notoriously winning in the smaller sports and endurance race car classes against much larger cars – a sign of greater things to come. The 718 followed similarly in 1958. But it was not until the late 1950s that RMR reappeared in Grand Prix (today's " Formula One ") races in

1035-462: A former Scaglietti employee who worked closely with Stanzani. By the end of production in 1978, the company had produced 157 Countach LP400s. In 1978, a new LP400 S model was introduced. Though the engine was slightly downgraded from the LP400 model at 350 PS (257 kW; 345 hp), the most radical changes were on the exterior, where the tyres were replaced with 345/35R15 Pirelli P7 tyres;

1150-444: A larger displacement, more powerful 4,754 cc (4.8 L) engine. The bodywork was unaltered, however, the interior was given an update. This variant is sometimes called the 5000 S in some markets, which may cause confusion with the later 5000 QV. 321 cars were built. In 1985, the engine design evolved again, as it was bored and stroked to 5,167 cc (5.2 L) and given 4 valves per cylinder— quattro valvole in Italian, hence

1265-443: A lower tendency to understeer . However, since there is less weight over the front wheels, under acceleration the front of the car can be prone to lift and still have understeer . Most rear-engine layouts have historically been used in smaller vehicles, because the weight of the engine at the rear has an adverse effect on a larger car's handling, making it 'tail-heavy', although this effect is more pronounced with engines mounted behind

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1380-724: A new plant was opened near the Monginevro 119 in Turin. Twenty people were on the payroll. One year later, a contract on a torpedo -styled body based on the SPA 23S chassis was signed by the company. Then, the FIAT "501 Sport Siluro Corsa" was designed. During the 1920s, Giovanni Bertone began doing bodywork on the Fast, Chiribiri, Aurea, SCAT, and Diatto chassis. Vincenzo Lancia nicknamed him "Bertunot"; he commissioned Bertone to create cars for

1495-496: A reference to create the wooden master pattern for all body panels. This car currently resides in the Lamborghini factory museum. The third Countach prototype (chassis number 1120002) was shown at the 1974 Geneva Motor Show and was the first to be constructed entirely in the Lamborghini factory, except for the chassis built by Marchesi. It is sometimes called the first pre-production or first production LP400 Countach. This car

1610-451: A retractable lower half. Additional small windows were added behind the side windows, slightly improving rearward visibility. The futuristic dashboard and diagnostic displays seen on the prototype were replaced with a conventionally styled dashboard using Stewart-Warner analog gauges, while the single-spoke steering wheel was replaced with a three spoke wheel similar to those used on other production Lamborghinis. The periscope rear-view mirror

1725-463: A schematic view of the entire car, located on the dashboard to the driver's left. Due to the poor rearward visibility inherent in the Countach design, a periscope was integrated into the passenger compartment roof, instead of a conventional rear-view mirror. This periscope system was obtained from Donnelly Mirrors, who had first developed it for an ESV project. Gandini also used a single-spoke steering wheel and deeply recessed bucket seats, which shared

1840-597: A second Countach prototype and would be used basically unchanged on subsequent production cars. Chassis fabrication added a significant amount to the cost of the car as each chassis required laborious hand-welding, first by Marchesi then again during final assembly at the Lamborghini factory. However, logistically this method of fabrication was relatively easy to incorporate into the low-volume, manually skilled production line. Prototype and production Countach bodies were constructed primarily of unstressed aluminum panels. Stanzani had initially considered fabricating body panels from

1955-431: A stylised motif of segmented blocks. The low seating position, prominent transmission tunnel and wide door sills all contributed to the sensation of being inside a race car cockpit. The scissor doors of the Countach prototype were a prominent design feature carried over to the production Countach as well as many subsequent Lamborghini models. First appearing on Gandini's 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo concept car, they attached to

2070-681: 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

2185-424: A suitable buyer was not found by the end of April. In May 2013, the license rights to the brand were granted by Bertone Cento to Bertone Design. They also formed a partnership with Citroën , but since the 2013 acquisition of the name, a car prototype or series was never made. In June 2016, the Bertone brand was acquired for more than € 2.6 million by AKKA Technologies, an engineering company. The rights to use

2300-486: A top speed of 295 km/h (183 mph). 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

2415-710: A tribute to the company's founder, the Maserati Khamsin and the Fiat X1/9 were released. Based on the Fiat 128 chassis but with a mid-rear-engine layout, the X1/9 was in production from 1972 to 1988, with 160,000 units manufactured. The company also began working for Volvo on the 264 TE . The Volvo 262C was presented at the 1977 Geneva Motor Show . From the start of the 1980s, the Fiat Ritmo Cabrio and

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2530-805: A workforce of 1,500 staff, and the Grugliasco factory covered an area of 267,000 square metres (2,870,000 sq ft). The partnership with Lamborghini led to the development of the Lamborghini Espada . The design was inspired by the Jaguar Pirana . After his initial success with the Espada, he went on to design the Lamborghini Jarama and the Lamborghini Urraco . In 1972, Giovanni Bertone died. In that year, as

2645-531: Is desired, such as in some supercars and in the Group B rally cars. The 1900 NW Rennzweier was one of the first race cars with mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. Other known historical examples include the 1923 Benz Tropfenwagen . It was based on an earlier design named the Rumpler Tropfenwagen in 1921 made by Edmund von Rumpler , an Austrian engineer working at Daimler. The Benz Tropfenwagen

2760-407: 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,

2875-437: Is how the name was coined. This is the only true story behind this word. Lamborghini used a system of alphanumeric designations in order to further delineate Countach models. This designation begins with "LP", an abbreviation of the Italian longitudinale posteriore , meaning "longitudinal rear". This refers to the engine orientation and placement shared by all Countach models. For the prototype and early production models, "LP"

2990-722: The Ferrari Testarossa , though providing crucial improved engine cooling. Nonetheless it was only outsold by the QV model. It continued to feature 345/35R15 tyres. The Anniversary edition was produced up until 1990 before being superseded by the Lamborghini Diablo. The 25th Anniversary Edition was the most refined and possibly the fastest variant of the Lamborghini Countach, accelerating from 0 to 97 km/h (0 to 60 mph) in 4.7 seconds and achieving

3105-516: The Fiat 850 Spider . The commercial success of this model led Nuccio Bertone to increase the company's production capacity to 120 units per day. Between 1965 and 1972, nearly 140,000 were produced, the great majority of which were sold in the United States. With the Fiat 850, the company increased its production volumes, from 13,000 units produced in 1966 to nearly 30,000 in 1968. At the end of

3220-730: The Isetta or the Zündapp Janus . The first rear mid-engined road car after WW II was the 1962 (Rene) Bonnet / Matra Djet , which used the 1108cc Renault Sierra engine, mated to the transaxle from the FWD Renault Estafette van. Nearly 1700 were built until 1967. This was followed by the first De Tomaso, the Vallelunga , which mated a tuned Ford Cortina 1500 Kent engine to a VW transaxle with Hewland gearsets. Introduced at Turin in 1963, 58 were built 1964–68. A similar car

3335-892: The Iso Rivolta GT 340 , and the Iso Grifo were also created in the 1960s. Giorgetto Giugiaro designed a prototype cabriolet of the latter and a racing version known as the A3C. The Grifo years were also the years of the Chevrolet Testudo , driven personally by Nuccio Bertone to the Geneva Motor Show in 1963. The following year, they created the Alfa Romeo Canguro , followed in 1965 by the Alfa Romeo Giulia GT . In 1965, Bertone launched

3450-658: The Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet, the Fiat 1100 Stanguellini racing car, and the Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica (BAT) concept cars. In 1956, they produced the Abarth 750 Record ; it was built on a Fiat 600 chassis and tested on the high-speed track at Monza . Abarth 750 Record sets ten world records, including doing 4,000 kilometres (2,500 mi) at an average of 156.36 km/h and covering 10,125.26 km in 72 hours. In 1957,

3565-476: 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

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3680-464: The gearbox and differential . This represented an extremely innovative sportscar at a time when all of its competitors (aside from the rear-engined Porsches), from Ferraris to Aston Martins , were traditional front-engined, rear-wheel-drive grand tourers. The Pontiac Fiero was a mid-engined sports car that was built by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1984 to 1988. The Fiero

3795-803: The "limited series". Giovanni Bertone produced torpedo and saloon bodies for FIAT and Lancia and for Itala , Diatto , and SPA . Alongside sports models like the 1928 Ansaldo 6BS, Giovanni Bertone also designed cars like the Fiat 505 limousine and the Itala 51S , both in 1924. He later designed the Lancia Lambda VIII Series in 1928. In 1932, Giovanni designed the Lancia Artena , which was produced until 1936. In 1933, Nuccio Bertone officially began working in his father's company. The company moved to Corso Peschiera 225. Gruppo Bertone now had fifty members of staff. In 1934, Bertone created

3910-875: The 1960s, they formed a partnership with Ferruccio Lamborghini . The first vehicle to come out of this was the Lamborghini Miura . The Miura was followed by the Marzal in 1967 and the Espada in 1968. In the same period, two other coupés appeared: the Alfa Romeo Montreal and the Fiat Dino Coupé , both out in 1967. At the Paris Motor Show of 1968, Bertone presented the Carabo concept car, based on an Alfa 33 chassis. By 1970, Bertone had

4025-490: The 1971 debut of the prototype. Lamborghini reported this engine would be rated at 328 kW (446 PS; 440 hp) at 7,400 rpm. One experimental engine was constructed by boring out a conventional 3.9-litre engine block and was fitted to the Countach LP500 prototype for testing purposes. It incorporated many lightweight castings made from Elektron , an expensive magnesium alloy. This engine self-destructed during

4140-410: The 1973 Paris Motor Show (painted green). The bodywork of this car was much closer to that of the LP400 production model, and now incorporated the side NACA ducts and air intake boxes tested on the first prototype. This car showed some styling details from the first prototype that would not carry over into production, including trapezoidal windows and a bumperless nose with silver, recessed grill. This

4255-508: 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. 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

4370-501: The 1985 LP5000 Quattrovalvole. All variants of the Countach were equipped with six Weber carburetors until the arrival of the LP5000 QV model, some of which used Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection to meet US emissions regulations. European-specification cars continued to use carburetors until the arrival of the succeeding Diablo . Paolo Stanzani and the Lamborghini engineering team developed an all-steel partial space frame chassis for

4485-444: 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

4600-740: The Bertone brand. The first in a series of limited edition vehicles, the GB110 , was presented in December 2022, then unveiled in June 2024. Giovanni Bertone started a carriage manufacturing business in Turin, Italy , at the age of 28. Along with three workers, he built horse-drawn vehicles . In 1914, Bertone's second son, Giuseppe , nicknamed "Nuccio", was born. The outbreak of the First World War forced Giovanni Bertone to close his company. In 1920,

4715-456: 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

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4830-405: The Countach body in order to improve the model's performance, safety and appearance. Despite these updates, the basic shape of the first Countach prototype revealed in 1971 remained virtually unchanged over its 19-year lifespan. The Countach was designed around the existing Lamborghini V12 engine in a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. In contrast to the Miura's transversely mounted engine,

4945-479: The Countach engine's power over the maximum of 279 kW (379 PS; 374 hp) as seen on the Miura SV. The 3.9-litre version had been tuned to be rated approximately between 307–324 kW (417–441 PS; 412–434 hp) in the experimental P400 Jota , but an engine of this specification was expensive to manufacture and was difficult to handle in normal city driving due to lack of low-RPM power. Therefore,

5060-490: The Countach originated in 1963 and was designed by Giotto Bizzarrini . Versions of this engine were used in preceding and then currently produced Lamborghini models including the 350 GT , 400 GT , Islero , Espada and Miura. As used in the Miura, this engine had a 3,929 cc (3.9 L) displacement, a 60º cylinder bank angle, double overhead camshafts per bank, two valves per cylinder, lubrication and distributor ignition. Paolo Stanzani's engineering team wished to increase

5175-402: 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). This engine was given the type designation "L 406." Externally, little had changed from the second prototype. The nose panel was altered,

5290-487: The Fiat 527S Ardita 2500. With the outbreak of the Second World War , Bertone reacted to the crisis by turning to manufacturing military vehicles. The company created vehicles such as the Bertone ambulance on a Lancia Artena base. The chassis Fiat 2800 cabriolet was manufactured; it was built on commission for race driver and motoring journalist Giovanni Lurani Cernuschi . Nuccio Bertone also created cars like

5405-804: The Fiat X1/9 were produced and sold directly under the Bertone brand. In 1982, Marcello Gandini turned out the Citroën BX . A new commercial agreement drawn up with General Motors Europe in 1986 saw the production of the Kadett Cabrio handed over to Bertone. In 1993, the Opel Astra Cabrio and the Fiat Punto Cabrio began production. Next year, Bertone presented the Zero Emission Record (ZER); Gruppo Bertone

5520-438: 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

5635-477: The LP500 Countach prototype. This prototype chassis was constructed of both a steel sheet and square-section steel tubing, with wall thicknesses between 0.8–1.0 mm (0.031–0.039 in). The front section primarily used stamped and spot-welded sheet steel, with certain areas stiffened by stamped ribs and welded reinforcement panels. Stiffening frames constructed of sheet steel and tubing extended through

5750-492: 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

5865-452: The Miura chassis. It weighed 107 kg (236 lb), while the Miura's chassis weighed 75 kg (165 lb). The additional weight was partially due to the lack of the lightening holes used in the Miura and partially due to the need to construct an extra-durable chassis for pre-production testing. In addition to the strength and stiffness improvements over the Miura design, engineers believed that greater use of steel tubing would result in

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5980-507: The Miura's debut, Gandini began experimenting with a new, more angular and geometric design language in a series of concept cars for Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo and Lancia . In particular, the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo and 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero were direct styling precursors to the Countach. Like the Countach, they were both entirely wedge-shaped, mid-engine designs with a low, flat front, truncated tail and angular details. Both of these concept cars featured unconventional methods of entry into

6095-431: 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

6210-505: The Miura, was wide and very low but shorter in overall length. Overall dimensions of the prototype were 185 cm (73 in) wide, 103 cm (41 in) tall, and 401 cm (158 in) long. The nose of the prototype tapered sharply to a thin grille, an uninterrupted slope enabled by headlights in retractable housings that flipped down inside the body when not in use. The prototype's body lacked bumpers, aerodynamic spoilers, side mirrors and any other addition that would have interrupted

6325-467: The beginning of the LP112 project. Most previous and subsequent Lamborghini car names are associated with famous bulls and bullfighting , but the Countach broke with this tradition. The name originated from the word contacc ( pronounced [kʊŋˈtɑtʃ] ), an exclamation of astonishment in the Piedmontese language . Marcello Gandini, the designer of the Countach, explained the origin of

6440-465: The brand, however, were shared with Bertone Design which does not have the authorization to use it in the automotive field. Starting from November 2018, AKKA Technologies sold the license to use the Bertone brand in the electric automotive sector to Flymove Holding Limited UK, which in May 2019 proceeded with the definitive purchase of the brand for all applications and sectors. They relaunched Bertone through

6555-456: 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. In 1975, Walter Wolf , a wealthy Canadian businessman and owner of

6670-482: The cab right to the front of the vehicle, thus increasing the loading area at the expense of slightly reduced load depth. In modern racing cars, RMR is a common configuration and is usually synonymous with "mid-engine". Due to its weight distribution and the favorable vehicle dynamics it produces, this layout is heavily employed in open-wheel Formula racing cars (such as Formula One and IndyCar ) as well as most purpose-built sports racing cars . This configuration

6785-595: The car but was modified during testing with additional air inlets to improve engine cooling. The 5.0 liter V12 engine initially fitted to the LP500 was destroyed during testing and replaced with a 3.9 liter V12, similar to the engine used on the production LP400. The LP500 prototype was destroyed in a crash test on March 21, 1974 at the MIRA facility in England to gain European type approval, even though its construction method

6900-416: The car to accelerate from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 3.7 seconds and attain a top speed of 335 km/h (208 mph). A manual boost controller, located beneath the steering wheel, could be used to adjust the boost pressure from 0.7 bar to 1.5 bar at which the engine generated its maximum power output. The Turbo S has 15" wheels with 255/45 tyres on the front and 345/35 on the rear. The Countach QVX

7015-429: The car was made. Named to honour the company's twenty-fifth anniversary in 1988, the 25th Anniversary Countach, although mechanically very similar to the 5000QV, sported considerable restyling done by Horacio Pagani . Notably, enlargement and extension of the rear 'air-box' intake-ducts was among other refinements undertaken (extending them to a more gradual incline further in-keeping with aerodynamic-streamlining), while

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7130-402: The car with the wing despite this disadvantage. The LP400 S' handling was improved by the wider tyres, which made the car more stable while cornering. The standard emblems ("Lamborghini" and "Countach") were kept at the rear, but an angular "S" emblem was added after the "Countach" on the right side. There are three distinct Countach LP400 S Series: 1982 saw another update to the Countach, with

7245-409: The cars operational. At that time you could even roll into the car shows with the car running, which was marvelous. So jokingly I asked Bob Wallace how it sounded to an Anglo-Saxon ear. He said it in his own way, strangely. It worked. We immediately came up with the writing and stuck it on. But maybe the real suggestion was the idea of one of my co-workers, a young man who said let's call it that. That

7360-416: The center of the car, along both door sills and around the central transmission tunnel. The rear section of the chassis consisted of almost entirely square-section tubing and included diagonal bracing and multiple cross-members for strength. This prototype chassis was constructed by Marchesi of Modena, which had produced chassis for earlier Lamborghini models. The prototype chassis was stiffer and heavier than

7475-668: The commissioning client; and the others for his personal use, the Aston Martin DB4 GT 'Jet' and the Maserati 5000 GT . At the same time, two new industrial partnerships were worked on with the Simca 1000 Coupé and the BMW 3200 CS limited series. The ASA 1000 GT , better known as the "Ferrarina", or "little Ferrari" (as the project originated with Enzo Ferrari ), was a commercial failure upon its release. The Iso Rivolta GT 300 ,

7590-815: The company expanded to start the production of the NSU Sport Prinz . Construction work began in Grugliasco for a new plant that became operative in 1959 with a workforce of 550. At the end of the 1950s, Bertone created the Giulietta Sprint Speciale , the Aston Martin DB2/4 , and the Maserati 3500 GT . Giorgetto Giugiaro came up with five variations of five GT models: the Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint , in coupé and cabriolet versions; two Ferrari 250 GTs , one named 'Wax' after

7705-406: The doors following an accident, although neither were incorporated into the production Countach. Following the LP500 prototype's public debut, the body design was progressively altered during pre-production testing to improve aerodynamic performance, high speed stability, engine cooling and ability to meet mandated safety requirements. This resulted in many differences between the LP500 prototype and

7820-487: The engine in the Countach was longitudinally mounted. This layout was a first for a road-going V12, previously used only in the Ferrari P-series racing cars. However, chief engineer Paolo Stanzani wanted to improve the weight distribution of the car even further and devised a new type of longitudinal layout that would avoid placing the mass of the transmission at the rear of the car. The resulting configuration had

7935-455: The engine was rated at 276 kW (375 PS; 370 hp) at 8,000 rpm. The stated power output was less than that of the Miura SV, which was blamed on the use of side-draft Weber 45 DCOE carburetors instead of the down-draft carburetors used on the Miura. Later engine development eventually increased the engine displacement to 4,754 cc (4.8 L) in the 1982 LP500S, and then to 5,167 cc (5.2 L) with four valves per cylinder in

8050-410: The engineers decided to increase the engine's displacement to 5-litre, in order to extract more power while avoiding the usability problems of a race-tuned engine. This increase in displacement would require a major redesign of the existing V12. Lamborghini's plan was to produce the 5-litre engine in time for series production and published specification sheets for the proposed production 5-litre engine at

8165-698: The form of the Cooper - Climax (1957), soon followed by cars from BRM and Lotus . Ferrari and Porsche soon made Grand Prix RMR attempts with less initial success. The mid-engined layout was brought back to Indianapolis in 1961 by the Cooper Car Company with Jack Brabham running as high as third and finishing ninth. Cooper did not return, but from 1963 on British built mid-engined cars from constructors like Brabham , Lotus and Lola competed regularly and in 1965 Lotus won Indy with their Type 38 . Rear mid-engines were widely used in microcars like

8280-425: The funding soon ran out and the car was pulled out of competition. Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout In contrast to the fully rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout , the center of mass of the engine is in front of the rear axle. This layout is typically chosen for its favorable weight distribution . Placing the car's heaviest component within the wheelbase minimizes its rotational inertia around

8395-461: 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

8510-512: The introduction of the LP400 production model. The first prototype was the LP500, which was displayed at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show and later used for pre-production testing and development by the factory. This car had many mechanical and styling differences compared to the production LP400. It was built on a partial spaceframe steel chassis which was heavier and simpler compared to the production version's full tubular spaceframe. The bright yellow bodywork closely followed Gandini's original design for

8625-447: The length of the engine between the mid-mounted transmission and the rear-mounted differential. This configuration had numerous advantages over the Miura's transverse engine, including an increase in stability from placing more mass near the car's center, a shorter overall wheelbase, a more direct gear-shift linkage for easier and faster shifting, better cooling and easier maintenance access to engine components. The Lamborghini V12 used in

8740-416: The lightweight alloy Avional , primarily used in aircraft construction, but found it expensive and difficult to obtain. A more conventional aluminum alloy was used instead. Prototypes used aluminum panels between 1–1.2 mm thick, increased to 1.5 mm (0.059 in) for the production LP400. The aluminum body panels were fabricated by Bertone . These panels were supported by thin steel frames welded to

8855-499: 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 . Subsequently, the Lamborghini engineering team spent three years refining this radical prototype into the production-ready LP400 Countach, which debuted in 1974. The Countach name originated in late 1970 or 1971, near

8970-423: The lines of Gandini's design. Trapezoidal shapes appeared throughout the body, including in the windshield, side windows, door openings, hood and engine covers and taillights. Air was supplied to the engine and side-mounted radiators through louvered vents immediately behind the side windows, although road testing quickly demonstrated these vents alone were inadequate to control engine temperatures. The interior of

9085-561: The main chassis. Once the panels were in place, factory workers would then hand-form them in order to adjust the final body shape, surface smoothness and gaps between panels. As the spaceframe chassis did not have an integrated floor panel, a separate fiberglass and aluminum panel was installed underneath the passenger compartment. Although the LP400 used an all-aluminum body, later versions of the Countach would incorporate body components made of fiberglass and carbon composites . Lamborghini created three pre-production Countach prototypes prior to

9200-442: The mechanical details of the prototype were finalised. Shortly before the 1971 Geneva Auto Show, the finished chassis was shipped to Bertone, where the prototype bodywork and interior were installed. The resulting Countach LP500 prototype was unveiled at the 1971 Geneva Auto show, where its unconventional design drew great public interest and extensive press coverage. The LP500 prototype had a crisp, wedge-shaped design that, compared to

9315-452: The model's name, Countach LP5000 Quattrovalvole or 5000 QV in short. The carburetors were moved from the sides to the top of the engine for better cooling—unfortunately this created a hump on the engine cover, reducing the already poor rear visibility to almost zero. Some body panels were also replaced by Kevlar. In later versions of the engine, the carburetors were replaced with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system. The Fuel injected engine

9430-446: The name: When we made cars for the car shows, we worked at night and we were all tired, so we would joke around to keep our morale up. There was a profiler working with us who made the locks. He was two meters tall with two enormous hands, and he performed all the little jobs. He spoke almost only Piedmontese, didn't even speak Italian. Piedmontese is much different from Italian and sounds like French. One of his most frequent exclamations

9545-403: The output shaft at the front of the engine, immediately connecting through the clutch assembly to the transmission. The transmission itself was a 5-speed manual with Porsche -type synchromesh and was mounted in the middle of the car between the two seats. The driveshaft ran from the transmission through the engine's oil sump to a differential at the rear. This arrangement effectively sandwiched

9660-551: The passenger compartment—a hinged windshield for the Stratos Zero and scissor doors for the Carabo—foreshadowing the scissor doors used on the Countach. At the start of the LP112 project in 1970, Lamborghini commissioned Gandini and his team at Bertone to develop a body for the then-unnamed prototype. Chief engineer Paolo Stanzani supplied the design team with chassis information so that body design could proceed while

9775-493: The presentation of new models of electric cars designed by Carlos Arroyo Turon (former Bertone Designer) and which use the battery swap system. The AKKA Technologies group subsequently sold the Bertone brand to Ideactive, a company owned by Mauro and Jean-Franck Ricci. In 2022, the two Ricci brothers revived the Bertone brand. The first in a series of limited edition vehicles, the GB110, was launched in December 2022. In June 2024,

9890-536: The production LP400. The most visible change was the addition of several vents to improve engine cooling and air intake. These included NACA ducts spanning the doors and rear wings on each side and protruding air intake boxes, which replaced the louvered vents behind the side windows. The slope of the nose was made shallower to reduce excessive front-end downforce that destabilized the prototype during braking. The side windows inset with small trapezoidal glass sections were changed to horizontally split two-piece windows with

10005-544: The prototype was equally notable to contemporary audiences as the exterior, as it incorporated new technologies and bold styling decisions. Gandini initially sketched a dashboard with all-digital readouts for the Countach. This dashboard design was not fully realised in time for the debut, the LP500 prototype instead used a conventional analog speedometer and tachometer. However, the LP500 dashboard incorporated other innovations from Gandini's original sketches, including aircraft or spaceship-inspired warning lights placed centrally on

10120-412: The prototype, this design used a much more complex welded assembly of cross-braced tubular frames and was reinforced with sheet metal gussets in a few key areas. Tubes of 30 mm (1.2 in), 25 mm (0.98 in), and 15 mm (0.59 in) diameter were used, all with 1 mm (0.039 in) wall thickness. Overall, this new design was stiffer and weighed less, at 90 kg (198 lb). At

10235-721: The public in 1970 as 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. The development of the Countach was initiated by Ferruccio Lamborghini with the goal of creating

10350-419: The rear axle. It is felt that the low polar inertia is crucial in selection of this layout. The mid-engined layout also uses up central space, making it generally only practical for single seating-row sports-cars, with exception to a handful of 2+2 designs . Additionally, some microtrucks use this layout, with a small, low engine beneath a flat load floor above the rear wheel-wells. This makes it possible to move

10465-475: The scissor doors under low ceilings. Due to poor rearward visibility and the wide sills, many Countach drivers park by opening the door, sitting on the sill, and reversing into the parking spot while looking over the back of the car from outside. The scissor doors made it difficult to exit the car following a rollover accident . Lamborghini engineers studied solutions to this problem including an easily removable "kick-out" windscreen or using explosive bolts to remove

10580-487: The secondary pair of debossed ducts, originally situated further behind them, were brought forward and relocated directly on top, encompassing refashioned fins now running longitudinally rather than transversely, this allowed the airboxes, located behind the radiators to be rotated from a transverse to a longitudinal position, allowing better airflow from the radiators out through the secondary fins. Additionally, further reconstruction of an already modified engine-bay cover, from

10695-475: 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

10810-409: The steering column, within the arc of the steering wheel. One of these warning lights served a similar purpose as a modern automatic cruise control system, illuminating when a set speed was exceeded. Another innovation was the inclusion of an on-board diagnostic system (long before their standardization and widespread adoption) that displayed the status of the car's individual subsystems superimposed on

10925-474: The suspension was compressed. To improve long-term durability`, the thickness of the body sheet metal was increased from 1.2 mm to 1.5 mm and the suspension and gearbox mounting points were made from tubing with a greater wall thickness. The interior was changed to final production form, losing Gandini's electronic diagnostic displays from the first prototype and using instead conventional gauges manufactured by Stewart-Warner. The first production model of

11040-461: The time, this construction technique was used in Formula One but was extremely advanced for a road-going automobile. In addition to the performance benefits of this design, engineers recognized that building a technologically advanced and visually complex chassis would align with Lamborghini's marketing strategy and sell better than a conventional design. The full space frame chassis was tested in

11155-510: The two prototypes; this was accomplished between 1980 and 1982. One was based on an LP500 S and was painted black, while the other was based on a Series I LP400 S and painted metallic red. The LP500 S Turbo was presented to the public at the 1984 Geneva Motor Show. The LP500 S twin turbo weighed 1,515 kg (3,340 lb), while its 4.8 litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine had a claimed maximum power output of 558 kW (759 PS; 748 hp) and 876 N⋅m (646 lb⋅ft) of torque, enabling

11270-506: The vehicle structure at the front of the door using horizontal hinges, so that they lifted up and tilted forward when opened. The mechanism was assisted by gas struts , which supported the weight of the doors and smoothed the opening and closing motion. Gandini incorporated this door design as both a styling gesture and to facilitate entry. The car's wide chassis and high and wide doorsills made entry using conventional doors difficult in narrow spaces. Conversely, care needed to be taken in opening

11385-401: The vertical axis, facilitating turn-in or yaw angle . Also, a near 50/50% weight distribution, with a slight rear weight bias, gives a very favorable balance, with plenty of weight on the driven rear axle under acceleration, while distributing the weight fairly evenly under braking, thereby making optimal use of all four wheels to decelerate the car rapidly as well. The RMR layout generally has

11500-536: The widest tyres available on a production car at the time , and fiberglass wheel arch extensions were added, giving the car the fundamental look it kept until the end of its production run. An optional V-shaped rear wing was available over the rear deck following the popularity generated from the rear wing of the Walter Wolf Countach, which, while improving high-speed stability, reduced the top speed by at least 16 km/h (10 mph). Most owners ordered

11615-422: Was 'countach', which literally means plague, contagion, and is actually used more to express amazement or even admiration, like 'goodness'. He had this habit. When we were working at night, to keep our morale up, there was a jousting spirit, so I said we could call it Countach, just as a joke, to say an exaggerated quip, without any conviction. There nearby was Bob Wallace, who assembled the mechanics—we always made

11730-509: Was a short-lived Group C sports racing car built in 1985. It was not built or designed by the Lamborghini factory, but instead used a Spice Engineering and CC engineering built chassis and an engine derived from the Lamborghini Countach's V12 having a displacement of 5.7-litres. This engine was reported to generate a maximum power output between 485–522 kW (659–710 PS; 650–700 hp) depending on track conditions and utilised

11845-404: Was also a car manufacturing company . The company was based in Grugliasco , northern Italy . Gruppo Bertone was founded as Carrozzeria Bertone in 1912 by Giovanni Bertone . Designer Nuccio Bertone took charge of the company after World War II and the company was divided into two units: Carrozzeria for manufacturing and Stile Bertone for styling. Until its bankruptcy in 2014, the company

11960-630: Was also awarded the ISO 9001 quality certification . By 2009, a worsening financial situation caused Bertone to sell its Grugliasco plant, along with its manufacturing activities, to FIAT. Bertone underwent a major restructuring process. By then, the Bertone workforce had dropped to roughly 300 people, mainly engineers and designers. The financial situation continued, prompting Bertone to sell off some of its concept cars in 2011. After having ceased trading because of financial difficulties, Bertone, on 18 March 2014, confirmed that it would be declared bankrupt if

12075-454: Was also common in smaller-engined 1950s microcars , in which the engines did not take up much space. Because of successes in motorsport, the RMR platform has been commonly used in many road-going sports cars despite the inherent challenges of design, maintenance and lack of cargo space. The similar mid-engine, four-wheel-drive layout gives many of the same advantages and is used when extra traction

12190-606: Was designed by Ferdinand Porsche along with Willy Walb and Hans Nibel . It raced in 1923 and 1924 and was most successful in the Italian Grand Prix in Monza where it stood fourth. Later, Ferdinand Porsche used mid-engine design concept towards the Auto Union Grand Prix cars of the 1930s which became the first winning RMR racers. They were decades before their time, although MR Miller Specials raced

12305-496: Was followed by a three digit number designating nominal engine displacement, "400" for 3.9-litre engines and "500" for 4.8 and 5-litre engines. Therefore, the full name of the first production Countach was the Lamborghini Countach LP400. As in the Miura, the letter "S" (short for Sport) was added for later high performance variants. This naming scheme was disrupted by the 1985 LP5000 Quattrovalvole equipped with

12420-449: Was headed by the widow of Nuccio Bertone, Lilli Bertone. At the time of bankruptcy, it had around 100 direct employees. In 2014, most employees lost their jobs and were not absorbed by following acquisitions. Cars from the company museum went to other museums, like Automotoclub Storico Italiano and Volandia . After its bankruptcy, the Bertone name was acquired by an architect and retained by some of its former employees, who continued as

12535-403: Was painted bright yellow and had the finalized production LP400 body style, which was 13 centimetres (5.1 in) longer than the previous prototype bodies to increase interior space. The trapezoidal side windows seen in the first prototypes were replaced with a three-panel design, which was easier to manufacture. The wheel arch shape was slightly changed to prevent the rear tyres from rubbing when

12650-408: Was rated at 309 kW (420 PS; 414 hp). The European carbureted (also known as "Downdraft" or "DD") versions used six Weber carburetors and were rated at 335 kW (455 PS; 449 hp) at 7,000 rpm and 500 N⋅m (369 lbf⋅ft) of torque at 5,200 rpm. 610 cars were built in this specification, with 66 having the fuel injection system. On the 26th of June 2024, a Lego set of

12765-492: Was retained for the LP400, but for subsequent Countach models it was replaced with conventional rear view mirrors. The overall dimensions of the LP400 were slightly larger than the prototype, at 189 cm (74 in) wide, 107 cm (42 in) tall, and 414 cm (163 in) long. The styling of the Countach was continually altered as new production models were introduced. Later additions—including flared arches, spoilers, carburetor covers and bumpers—progressively changed

12880-495: Was the Renault-engined Lotus Europa , built from 1966 to 1975. Finally, in 1966, the Lamborghini Miura was the first high performance mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive road car. The concept behind the Miura was that of putting on the road a grand tourer featuring state-of-the-art racing-car technology of the time; hence the Miura was powered by a V12 transversely mounted between the rear wheels, solidal to

12995-439: Was the first car to be equipped with the tubular full spaceframe chassis used on production models. This car was fitted with the 3.9-litre engine, although contemporary press releases still designated it as an "LP500", possibly because Lamborghini engineers still intended to use a 5.0-litre engine in the production version. In addition to appearing at motor shows, Lamborghini engineers used the second prototype for road testing and as

13110-453: Was the first two-seater Pontiac since the 1926 to 1938 coupes, and also the first mass-produced mid-engine sports car by a U.S. manufacturer. Gruppo Bertone 45°27′47″N 9°10′21″E  /  45.4631558°N 9.172412°E  / 45.4631558; 9.172412 Gruppo Bertone , commonly known as Bertone , was an Italian industrial design company which specialized in car styling , coachbuilding and manufacturing . It

13225-418: Was utterly unlike production vehicles. In 2017, a recreation of the LP500 prototype was constructed by Lamborghini Polo Storico, the Lamborghini factory's restoration division. The completed recreation was first displayed to the public at the 2021 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este . The second Countach prototype (chassis number 1120001) was shown to the public at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show (painted red) and at

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