1974 is a significant date in the life of Lamborghini, when serial production of the Countach began Saint Agatha Bolognese in his factory, and many people already knew about the sports car with a radical shape that it would become a legend. The Countach was the first model whose body was made in-house, and the design of the interior, upholstery and leather were also under the central control of Lamborghini for this model.
To celebrate this milestone, the fifty-year anniversary, Lamborghini’s management took the first Countach LP400 back to its birthplace, to the production line where such high-tech wonders as the Revuelto are now born.
The Italians flashed the promise of the Countach at the Geneva Motor Show in the spring of 1971, and after three years of testing, development and several prototypes, the 370 horsepower Countach LP 400 equipped with a V12 engine from Miura was born. The factory was renovated in conjunction with the development of the type, which made it possible for the plates to be designed under the full supervision of Lamborghini instead of external body builders.
The car factory has changed a lot over the years, expanding from the initial 12,000 square meters to today’s 346,000 square meters, but some parts have remained unchanged. The space is the same, but the work was done differently in the days of the Countach.
Production increased in the 1980s, but artisanal methods remained
At that time, the Italian wonders were born in a large workshop, the elements of the body were shaped into their final form with hand tools. Of course, there were templates and measurable values, but we are talking about Italians who are a bit of an artist, to put it mildly, they put their soul into such industrial work, so every Countach is slightly different from the others.
Only 152 of the first series were produced in four years, it took time to shape the aluminum into the right shape. The production of the next LP 400 S was already ramped up, 235 units were produced between 1978 and 1982. The appearance of this character was already defined by the low sidewall Pirelli tires and the distinctive, “telephone dial” rims, and for many, this form is the real Countach. It became truly world famous, with wider fenders and a spectacular rear wing.
On the right is the first Countach with 370 horsepower, next to it is the Lamborghini Revuelto, the highest output of which is 1,015 horsepower, which enables acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds and a top speed exceeding 350 km/h.
There was no stopping from there, 323 units were produced in the following two years, and the Countach Quattrovalvole was almost a mass model with 631 units produced between 1985-1988. This included a V12 engine with a displacement of 5.2 liters instead of 4.8 liters, with four valves per cylinder, double Weber carburetors, and for the American market, Bosch K-Jetronic injection.
The Countach 25th anniversary series was produced in a series of 658 units between 1988 and 1990 to celebrate the company’s founding. This model received a revised aerodynamics package and, for the first time in the history of the model, body parts made of carbon fiber plastic.
Source: www.vezess.hu
