which while improving high-speed stability, reduced the top speed by at least
10 mph. Most owners ordered the car with the wing despite this disadvantage.
Interestingly the rear wing never went through type approval meaning that
it couldn’t be fitted on the production line. When the car was finished and
signed off for release, 2 men would go into the car park and fit the rear wing.
By the end of 1981, Lamborghini had produced 237 of the LP400S.
In 1982, the LP500S model was introduced. It saw a big improvement in
the performance of the Countach. A bigger, more powerful 4.8Litre engine
generating 370 bhp was fitted. It had a 0-62mph time of 5.2seconds and a
top speed of 182mph. The bodywork was unaltered, however the interior was
given an update. By the end of 1984, Lamborghini had produced 321 of the
LP500S.
In 1985, the LP5000 Quattrovalvole was introduced or 5000 QV in short. The
engine design had evolved significantly. The capacity was increased to 5.2
Litre and it was given 4 valves per cylinder “quattrovalvole” in Italian, hence
the model’s name. These improvements increased the top speed to 185mph
and reduced the 0-62 time to 4.8 seconds. The carburettors 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. The carburetted versions used six Weber carburetors and generated 449
bhp. In later versions of the engine, the carburettors were replaced with Bosch
K-Jetronic fuel injection system. The Fuel injected engine generated a power
output of 414 bhp. 610 5000 QV’s were produced, 66 of which were fitted with
the fuel injection system.
In 1988, the 25th Anniversary Edition Countach was introduced to honour
the company’s twenty-fifth anniversary. The 25th Anniversary Edition
although mechanically very similar to the 5000QV was considerably restyled
by Horacio Pagani. Enlargement and extension of the rear ‘air-box’ intake-
ducts was among the refinements undertaken. While the secondary pair
of debossed ducts, originally situated further behind them, were brought
forward and relocated directly on top and encompassed refashioned fins now
running longitudinally rather than transversely. This allowed the air-boxes
located behind the radiators to be rotated from a transverse to a longitudinal
position. Allowing better airflow through the radiators and out through the
secondary fins. Various redevelopments to the rear were made, most notably
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the introduction of a rear bumper extending outwardly from the lower-
portion. These styling changes were unpopular with many enthusiasts. In
particular the fin’s within the rear intake-ducts, which appeared to mimic the
Ferrari Testarossa. Though these provided crucial improved engine cooling.
There were 657 of the 25th Anniversary model making it the most successful
Countach model produced. The 25th Anniversary Edition was produced
until 1990 before being superseded by the Lamborghini Diablo. The 25th
Anniversary Edition was the fastest Lamborghini Countach produced,
accelerating from 0–62 mph in 4.5 seconds and achieving a top speed of
185mph.
A total of 1,983 Countach’s were built during its sixteen year lifespan with
more than half being built in the final five years of production. Current values
of the Countach are upwards of £300k with early unrestored models reaching
£750k. In the late 90’s you could have purchased one for less than £30k. A
great investment if you had the foresight to buy one back in the 90’s.
For me as with many 40 something males, the Countach was the car which
ignited a lifelong passion for cars and in particular Lamborghini’s. The
futuristic styling which has become a major part of the Lamborghini’s DNA,
set it apart from every other car in production at that time. It became the
main bedroom poster of most of the boy’s who grew up in the 1980’s. The
Countach’s popularity grew enormously when it featured in the opening
scene of the most successful movie of 1981,The Cannonball Run. It was
driven by Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman who tried to use their sex
appeal by unzipping their race suits to display copious amounts of cleavage
to their advantage when pulled over by a traffic officer. Only to be met by the
busty and equally sexy cop Valerie Perrine. More recently the Countach stared
in the 2013 movie “The Wolf of Wall Street” where an extremely intoxicated
Leonardo DiCaprio completely destroys a white 25th Anniversary Countach.
If you want a Countach, expect to pay between £350k to £1.5 million.
For all things Lamborghini contact [email protected]