It’s not everyday that you get to see a Lamborghini Countach review, especially not one coming from a guy like Harry Metcalfe. Evo Magazine’s founder, which has left the building and now serves Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations go-nuts arm, decided to include a Countach in his precious metal collection four years ago.
After 18,000 km (11,180 miles) covered in his 1987 Countach Quattrovalvole, the man is ready to talk about this retro Raging Bull. The 5000 QV was brought to the world in 1985, with its V12 being bored and stroked to 5,167 cc. Carburettor migration and other social phenomenons of this kind brought the muscle to 461 PS (455 hp) - just in case you’re looking for a Countach, try to avoid the fuel-injected models, they only delivered 420 PS (416 hp).
Given the right-hand drive form of this particular car, we are dealing with an ultra-rare Lambo here. A Lambo that Harry doesn’t exactly baby in this review.
We get to know many of the Countach’s dirty secrets, starting from the way in which the water can invade the boot up front on rainy days or the water compartment when you’re at the car wash.
Our favorite part is when Harry talks about the spare wheel replacement. That’s because there’s something wildly ironical about such a feature on a car as impractical as the Countach. In between seeing the shortcomings of the Sant’Agata Bolognese cabin ergonomics and being shown the Valentino Balboni autograph on this particular car, this review pleases us thanks to the real-world factor.
One would imagine a Countach is prone to serious overheating issues, but Harry explains his QV never shed a tear while being driven in heavy traffic.
Sure, the Countach may have a ton of drawbacks, but the moment Harry takes it out on the road, the smile on his face explains why he bought the thing. For crying out loud, that V12 aurally wrestles the man while he’s trying to describe how the car drives.
The exhaust sound swallowed most of the explanations, so we only heard something like “comfortable at 140 mph.” Enjoy!
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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