-
Home
-
Latest Headlines
-
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
-
Latest Headlines: NASCAR
-
-
Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
-
Latest Headlines: Moto-Racing
-
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Games
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
Automotive Lifestyle
VINTAGE: Spectacular Lamborghini Countach
A custom-ordered version of the groundbreaking mid-engine supercar from 1975 lights up the collection at Concorso Villa d’Este.
The famous design of the Lamborghini Countach by Marcello Gandini was an award-winner at the recent Concorso Ville d'Este. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)
Among the many stars at this year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este was this Countach LP400, built to special order of Albert Silvera. Among the things the wealthy Haitian specified for the 28th Countach off the line were a silver bumper, an antelope-suede leather dashboard cover and the “periscope” rear-view mirror.
The car was also fitted with an engine that reportedly produced as much as 60 or 70 horsepower more than the standard V12. Having been handed the keys by Ferruccio Lamborghini himself, Silvera first drove the car from Sant'Agatha to Paris and subsequently from New York to Miami.
He sold the car to make room for another Countach in 1975 and after the customized Countach passed through various American hands, it is now in Dutch ownership. After carefully piecing its history back together, the highly original machine was carefully returned to its original specification. The spectacular result can be admired in this 18-shot gallery.
It must not have been easy for Marcello Gandini to pen a replacement for the highly acclaimed Miura. Instead of continuing along the lines of that mid-engine sports car, the Bertone designer and Lamborghini started off with a clean sheet. In a bold move, both the curvaceous lines and the transverse engine were replaced by a modern wedge and a longitudinal V12.
When Feruccio Lamborghini was shown the first prototype he exclaimed “Countach,” which in the Italian Piemontese dialect is used to describe an attractive woman. The name stuck.
First shown at the 1971 Geneva Motorshow, the Countach prototype featured a 5-liter version of the much-acclaimed V12 engine. The drivetrain's longitudinal configuration and displacement explained the type indication LP500.
Like its predecessor, the Countach featured an innovative adaptation of the mid-engine layout; this time the gearbox was mounted in front of the engine for a better weight balance. The power was then transferred to the rear wheels by a driveshaft that ran through its own tunnel in the engine's sump. This would become a trademark mid-engine Lamborghini layout for decades to come.
Although visually similar, the production car was almost completely different from the first running prototype. Gone were the monocoque chassis and 5-liter engine, which were replaced by a tubular frame and the Miura derived four-liter V12. The prototype's powerplant proved to be too fragile and eventually self destructed in a high-speed test session.
Some of the original car's clean lines were lost by the addition of a number of necessary cooling ducts and vents. What was retained was the unique scissor-like door mechanism, which became a signature Lamborghini feature.
Two years after the prototype's debut, the production car was launched and officially dubbed Countach LP400. Production of Lamborghini's iconic supercar would last for nearly two decades.
The car was also fitted with an engine that reportedly produced as much as 60 or 70 horsepower more than the standard V12. Having been handed the keys by Ferruccio Lamborghini himself, Silvera first drove the car from Sant'Agatha to Paris and subsequently from New York to Miami.
He sold the car to make room for another Countach in 1975 and after the customized Countach passed through various American hands, it is now in Dutch ownership. After carefully piecing its history back together, the highly original machine was carefully returned to its original specification. The spectacular result can be admired in this 18-shot gallery.
It must not have been easy for Marcello Gandini to pen a replacement for the highly acclaimed Miura. Instead of continuing along the lines of that mid-engine sports car, the Bertone designer and Lamborghini started off with a clean sheet. In a bold move, both the curvaceous lines and the transverse engine were replaced by a modern wedge and a longitudinal V12.
When Feruccio Lamborghini was shown the first prototype he exclaimed “Countach,” which in the Italian Piemontese dialect is used to describe an attractive woman. The name stuck.
First shown at the 1971 Geneva Motorshow, the Countach prototype featured a 5-liter version of the much-acclaimed V12 engine. The drivetrain's longitudinal configuration and displacement explained the type indication LP500.
Like its predecessor, the Countach featured an innovative adaptation of the mid-engine layout; this time the gearbox was mounted in front of the engine for a better weight balance. The power was then transferred to the rear wheels by a driveshaft that ran through its own tunnel in the engine's sump. This would become a trademark mid-engine Lamborghini layout for decades to come.
Although visually similar, the production car was almost completely different from the first running prototype. Gone were the monocoque chassis and 5-liter engine, which were replaced by a tubular frame and the Miura derived four-liter V12. The prototype's powerplant proved to be too fragile and eventually self destructed in a high-speed test session.
Some of the original car's clean lines were lost by the addition of a number of necessary cooling ducts and vents. What was retained was the unique scissor-like door mechanism, which became a signature Lamborghini feature.
Two years after the prototype's debut, the production car was launched and officially dubbed Countach LP400. Production of Lamborghini's iconic supercar would last for nearly two decades.
Lamborghini 50th Anniversary Parade
LATEST HEADLINES: AUTOMOTIVE
-
GREEN: Porsche Adding All-Model Hybrids
Gas/electric plug-versions of its entire lineup – including… -
AUTOS: Porsche Boosts 918 Spyder Power
The upcoming supercar will produce 887 horsepower from its gas/electric… -
AUTOS: Acura NSX Details Revealed
The rebirth of the mid-engine sports car – now an all-wheel-drive… -
DRIVEN: Jaguar’s Many-Splendored XJ
The British luxury sedan comes in 10 different flavors, with plenty… -
AUTOS: Lamborghini Egoista Launched
The wild single-seat concept car is unveiled at the end of the epic… -
AUTOS: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Hot Pontiac G8
NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick helped his driver modify the 2009… -
VINTAGE: A Fast Historic Tour Of France
Vintage race and touring cars compete in the 22nd annual Tour de… - More News
