{"id":507,"date":"2024-11-05T12:51:48","date_gmt":"2024-11-05T12:51:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/?p=507"},"modified":"2024-11-05T12:51:48","modified_gmt":"2024-11-05T12:51:48","slug":"test-005","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/2024\/11\/05\/test-005\/","title":{"rendered":"TEST 005"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Insanity for beginners<\/h1>\n

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The normally aspirated Lamborghini Countach teeters on the edge of reason, but a turbo version has to be the equivalent of a bespoke Versace straitjacket. Losing your marbles very, very rapidly indeed is guaranteed<\/p>\n

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Words ROB SCORAH
Photography GEORGE F WILLIAMS<\/p>\n

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I still find a Countach a strange animal to be around. Even after all that has come after it, including newer creations from the Sant\u2019Agata factory, Lamborghini\u2019s first truly raging bull still has an otherworldly quality. It\u2019s like stepping into a sort of psychic nimbus, wherein all of its symbols and associations clamour around \u2013 everything from Bob Wallace\u2019s Italy-to-Monaco prototype dash, through a thousand posters and car magazine features to the favourite choice of bad guys in Miami Vice.<\/p>\n

Pulling up the heavy scissor door of this black 1984 car, ducking down and doing a limbo into the leather curve that forms the seat reminds me that everything to do with this machine is a little different; either slightly more mannered or a little harder. Or simply excessive to the point of absurdity. Even in 1984 I remember thinking the extended skirts, wheelarch flares and rear wing were a bit over the top. But this car goes even further. As I sit back and heave the big door down \u2013 where is that handle again? \u2013 I glance up at the huge, flat windscreen and see another word, equally as potent as the name of this car, emblazoned in bold, square-shouldered script \u2013 TURBO.<\/p>\n

Rising to prominence largely on (or in) the back of Porsche\u2019s 911, the term had, by the Eighties, evolved into a synonym for the fastest, most effective version of just about anything from a graphics card to a food blender. But here, in this Lamborghini, the word retains all of its true potency and meaning. Fitting very snugly behind each cylinder bank of the V12 is a small red box. Each boldly declares itself to be a turbo \u2013 both on top and side \u2013 and each says, in a kind of boilerplate script, what this car is, when it was built (chassis ELS 12712, 1984 in this case), and that it is indeed the \u2018fastest and most powerful Countach built\u2019.<\/p>\n

Back in the cockpit, I\u2019m staring at a 425kph speedometer. Below is a boost gauge and, far more worryingly, a stout, knurled, black plastic knob with the word \u2018turbo\u2019 on it and two double-ended arrows. I\u2019m not going near that for a while, though the Britax four-point harness, red and yellow against the black leather, suggests I\u2019m going to need to be strapped in tight when I do.<\/p>\n

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Leather-clad space pod interior, ready for blast-off. Just add Barbarella..<\/p>\n

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For a moment, I\u2019d almost forgotten \u2013 the sensations so far are all standard Countach \u2013 but the hiss normally associated with Nissan Skylines or a Lotus Esprit reminds me of this car\u2019s aspiration. Glancing down at the black knurled knob again, I think it\u2019s safe to say the boost is turned down pretty low. I\u2019m thinking a Countach is a fearsome thing without any power add-ons. So why do it?<\/p>\n

It was probably inevitable. Forced induction had allowed the 911 and Esprit to punch way above their weight. Ferrari and Lamborghini were always glancing over their shoulders, trying to second-guess what the other would do next in the quest for more speed and power. The development came at a time when Lamborghini was at its most vulnerable and financially unstable. Although the project was endorsed by the factory, support and facilitation came largely from Max Bobmar, the Swiss distributor, while the engineering was carried out by Austrian tuner and ex-Porsche racer Franz Albert from W\u00f6rgl. Albert also worked on Koenig\u2019s equally outlandish bespoke Ferrari specials.<\/p>\n

His opting for two smaller turbochargers allowed for a greater breadth of power throughout the rev range. However, at full boost the force-fed motor would produce some 748bhp at 5000rpm and a cooling-tower-uprooting 646lb ft at 4000rpm. Dialled back, the car would feel little different from the standard model.<\/p>\n

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\u2018The mechanical sensuousness of the big Lambo surrounds me; induction roar from six carburettors, exhaust blast… and that punctuating hiss\u2019<\/p>\n

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At mundane speeds, like any other Countach it can paradoxically seem to lack feel in the way it engages with the road. Turn the relatively small steering wheel and it simply tracks where you point it, cornering flat. Bumps and potholes are dealt with, without the need to alter my line. The big tyres may follow undulations, but light correction brings the car back. A little more power and it will go round the bend quicker… and flat. I\u2019m using a little more force than in a normal car, but no big deal. It feels like a big endurance racing GT chugging along a pit lane. And like those racers, the Countach\u2019s abilities lie well beyond the everyday. It simply moves through the humdrum world without having to engage even a tenth of its ability. Only when I push more seriously on that stiff right-hand pedal will the Lamborghini\u2019s character and capability begin to manifest itself.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s as well the throttle is firm; the car picks up pace in direct relation to its travel without apparently encountering any resistance from any other forces. Early Countaches concentrated more of their thrust at the screechy end of the rev range, but this car pushes smoothly from low down. Moving swiftly through B-road bends, there\u2019s that same indifference \u2013 flat, locked down, neutral. Forces have to build up a lot before it shifts its weight and line in any way. The mechanical sensuousness of the big Lambo surrounds me constantly. The clack and snap of the metal-on-metal gearshift, geartrain whine on downchanges, induction roar from six carburettors, camchains reeling through their guides, exhaust blast. All just behind my shoulder blades. And that punctuating hiss.<\/p>\n

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Within the first few miles I realise the best way to guide it is to maintain a gentle but unyielding firmness, while never snatching at the controls. Everything about it has a resistant, tactile quality and is totally under my command from what at first seems an absurdly reclined driving position. The attitude and profile seem to suggest \u2018this is how drivers will drive in the future\u2019. That sense, combined with all the mechanical chatter and the car going quicker and quicker, conjures up a collision of the Countach\u2019s many disparate personas \u2013 track car, futuristic concept and glamour wagon.<\/p>\n

Once the heady rush is over, replaced by sober reflection, I conclude that I prefer the less fussy and cluttered interior of the old LP400. And as with settling into any Countach, I have to endure the ritual of banging my head, knee or elbow on something or other. In fact, with the style of driving the Countach demands, I don\u2019t want most of the stuff that\u2019s in here. What idiot wants a hi-fi in a car with a twin-turbocharged Italian V12 engine? Or aircon? Or leather? Give me the Countach Turbo Club Sport. Give me more boost.<\/p>\n

The curves begin to straighten and the tarmac unwinds into a long, level straight. I resist the temptation to floor it, just pushing down smoothly. The engine tone morphs through its whole spectrum in a flash before ending in a chainsaw flourish and that whiplash hiss. Clack, clack, downchange.<\/p>\n

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\u2018The rapidity with which the Turbo digs down and finds the thrust is exhilarating. Suddenly I\u2019m very glad of the skirts and tacky-looking wing keeping it on the floor\u2019 <\/p>\n

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The huge back wheels flow the power into the tarmac and the car launches itself forward. I seem to be simultaneously pushed from behind and pulled forward by the steering wheel. Road markings melt into the blacktop and the fields become a watercolour wash. This is what being strapped to the front of the bullet train must be like \u2013 it\u2019s the rapidity with which the Turbo digs down and finds the thrust that is simultaneously exhilarating and alarming. Suddenly I\u2019m very glad of all those appendages that are keeping this car on the floor \u2013 the skirts and big wing. The car still tracks straight and true, and the firmness of those controls is suddenly very reassuring. At these speeds the Countach becomes alive and almost incandescent with noise as I move the car with small and very considered movements. This kind of acceleration is more standard fare for early 21st century supercars, but back in the mid-Eighties the only machine to pull these kind of stunts was Doc Brown\u2019s DeLorean in Back To The Future.<\/p>\n

So, as a hard-driving Gumball type, would I want a Countach Turbo? I\u2019m not sure. Putting a turbo on Porsche\u2019s 911 added a new register to its dynamic range, balance and handling. I\u2019m not convinced we see an added facet to the Countach character by adding the blowers \u2013 apart from sheer, hugely impressive acceleration. I also get the feeling that one day I would turn that boost dial too far for too long and the thing would disembowel itself, spitting liquid pistons out of the exhaust pipes.<\/p>\n

As a collector? That\u2019s probably a yes. Someone, somewhere had to put all the madness of that era into one car \u2013 or a few \u2013 and this is a very credible example of those few.<\/p>\n

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The Countach feels fast enough to have accelerated from 1984 to the present day in the blink of an eye<\/p>\n

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Lamborghini Countach LP 5000S TT<\/h4>\n

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Engine<\/strong> 4754cc V12, dohc per bank, six Weber DCNF carburettors, twin Garrett T4 turbochargers Power and torque<\/strong> 748bhp @ 6500rpm, 646lb ft @ 4000rpm Transmission<\/strong> Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering<\/strong> Rack and pinion Suspension<\/strong> Front and rear; independent unequal-length double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes<\/strong> Vented discs front and rear Weight<\/strong> 1506kg (3320lb) Performance<\/strong> Top speed: 195mph; 0-60mph: 4.8sec Fuel economy<\/strong> 14mpg Cost new<\/strong> n\/a Value now<\/strong>; \u00a3350,000<\/p>\n

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FRANZ ALBERT<\/h4>\n

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\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

After a brief stint on motorcycles Austrian racer Franz Albert turned to sports cars in the late Fifties, campaigning both a Porsche 550 Spyder and later a 718 RS 60.<\/p>\n

By the Seventies he was racing BMW touring cars, but his tuning expertise was increasingly taking him away from the track and into his workshop at W\u00f6rgl. Albert was also becoming known for designing and manufacturing high-performance camshafts. As well as tuning racing cars, Albert turned to tuning and turbocharging road cars for wealthy owners and collectors.<\/p>\n

\u2018We did a lot of work for Koenig,\u2019 remembers former staff member Conrad Gruber, now a master tuner and turbocharging specialist in his own right. \u2018We did Ferrari 512BBs, Testarossas and the like.\u2019 Gruber began working with Albert in the Eighties and spent 14 years at his workshop. \u2018We also did these two turbo Countaches for [Swiss Lamborghini dealer] Max Bobnar,\u2019 he recalls. \u2018We did the first one in 1983 and the second one in 1986.\u2019<\/p>\n

Turbocharging the big V12 presented no particular issues \u2013 it was a strong engine with a good power spread, but space was limited in the engine bay. \u2018It was a very cramped space, but we managed to find room for two small turbos,\u2019 he explains. \u2018In the engine itself, we installed stronger turbo pistons and new high-profile camshafts.
\u2018In all, the work took around six months for each car, though there were other cars in the workshop at the same time, of course.\u2019<\/p>\n

After the project was finished Albert and Gruber thought that the resulting power was perhaps a bit much for the standard suspension to handle. Subsequent Countach Turbos would be treated to stiffer suspension and anti-lock brakes.<\/p>\n

What was Gruber\u2019s opinion of the Ferrari and Lamborghini engines? It draws both a smile and a frown. \u2018The components of the Ferraris were definitely better quality than the Lamborghinis,\u2019 he says. \u2018But I have a soft spot for the Lamborghini [he runs a 900bhp Diablo Turbo], and I liked dealing with the smaller, more informal company.\u2019<\/p>\n

Erwin Jelinek\/Technisches Museum Wien<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Insanity for beginnersThe normally aspirated Lamborghini Countach teeters on the edge of reason, but a turbo version has to be the equivalent of a bespoke Versace straitjacket. Losing your marbles very, very rapidly indeed is guaranteedWords ROB SCORAHPhotography GEORGE F WILLIAMSI still find a Countach a strange animal to be around. Even after all that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"kschwarz","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":511,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507\/revisions\/511"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}