One of the most popular car companies out there are Lamborghini. On my scale of expensive cars, Porshe comes out cheapest. Then come Ferrari and Aston Martin which are in-between. But the mother loads are Lamborghini and Vector. Anyway, one of my closest friends has a father who is a major car collector. His favorite cars are Ferraris and the Porshe 911 Turbo. He himself is a car lover, and rants non-stop about Ferrari. So, I was in his car garage which stored his cars, and he had very many Ferraris, including the 348 which they don't make anymore. He also had the much newer Ferrari 550 Marinella. He was very proud of that car, but then I looked over, and I saw that he had a couple of Lamborghinis. He did not have a Diablo yet, but he did have the Countach and the Jalpa. I was very impressed with the looks of the Countach. The car itself was a 1985 Lamborghini Countach with a 455HP V-12 engine, quite massive, but very comparable to the cars from Ferrari. Lamborghini is rated higher than Ferrari, but he and his father still prefered Ferrari and even Porshe over Lamborghini. So, he asked me if I wanted to take the Lambo onto open roads in Indiana, and push it to the max. He and his dad came, he in a Ferrari 348, and his dad took up his Lincoln Navigator to watch the action.
-Fairly Poor Handling On Normal Roads-
*I'm the SUV type, I like to be in big cars that are high off the ground. The Countach however is very low to the ground, just like the Diablo. Sure it was uncomfortable, but many other sports cars were like that. However, the Lambo was still TOO low. Well anyway, it was early summer, and I ignited the engine. That huge V-12 was right behind me, I said, "Wow" to myself. Then I looked back, and my rear view was almost entirely blocked. So, pulling out of parking spaces or tight areas must be one hell of a terrible time with the Lamborghini Countach. My cousin bought a damaged Porshe 928 and had a friend fix it. He doesn't drive it much, but he added a nice large spoiler to it, and still I was capable of seeing behind it when I drove it. It was different with the Countach though... Well anyway, he lives in suburbia on a quiet street, so I managed to pull out after he did. Then I turned and decided to start driving, he was already moving quite quickly with his Ferrari 348. Then I thought, "This is a Lamborghini, I can smoke him easily." Well not really, this may be a Lamborghini, but it still is a pretty big car, it accelerated like the much cheaper $7,500 Porshe 928. Even my cousin's Ford Mustang GT could outperform it on a normal road. The Countach was just too low to the ground, and the steering and suspension felt incredibly stiff. Well, I managed to drive. The seats were moreover uncomfortable, and the A/C seemed very weak. It was in the mid 80s outside, so it got pretty hot in the cabin. I was behind the Ferrari, and at that point I wished I was in the Ferrari. Overall, if you're never gonna hit the open road and push this thing, then it'll perform pretty bad on normal every-day driving. It's a wide, heavy, low suspension car with a really bad rear view.
-The Interior-
*The interior was what you'd expect for a car of this age. Much nicer than what you'd find on an American sports car from the same time frame. The seats weren't all too comfortable though. I saw the cockpit of a new 2001 Lamborghini Diablo in a show room by my house, and it looks much nicer than the Countach. However, my friend loaded up the Countach with McIntosh car audio components... How nice. It was very hot in the car though, the A/C in the Countach is surprisingly weak. The Ferrari 348 had a soft top though, so he was able to cruise with the breeze. Even if the car was entirely sealed, it had an adequate A/C when I was in it. The interior of the Countach is OK, but Ferrari does a better job. The Ferrari 348 comes from the same time frame, and despite not having the sexy looks of the Countach, it still beats it in every aspect.
-The Highway-
*Well, I finally was able to cruise down the highway to Chicago, and then northern Indiana. The car felt more free on the highway. I got looks from people around me, sure that was nice, but the car still didn't give me that incredible feel that I'd get from cars such as the Porshe 928 (modified) or the Ferrari 348. I've even been in the Ferrari 360 Modena Spider, and I would much rather be driving it rather than the Lamborghini Countach, or even Diablo for that matter. Well, the car acted very nicely when I was on the straight roads, but it felt heavy while turning. The Ferrari 348 turned much more smoothly. Well, I finally got down to the open roads in Indiana where I could really push this thing.
-Hitting The Free And Open Roads-
*There are some roads where you can pay money, and push your exotic car to the limit on. Well, I decided to go on and push the Countach as far as I could. Well, the car managed to get from 0-60 in about 5 or so seconds. However, there are cheaper cars like the Dodge Viper GTS, Saleen Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette, Porshe Boxster S, Porshe 928, BMW M3, and Mercedes AMG series; and these cars are much easier to drive, and will on average cost much less than a Countach or the same price. I'm basing this on the $70,000 price tag that I have seen for most Countachs on the internet. However, I saw one for as little as $25,000 which date back to the 70s, and I have seen ones in the ~$40,000 price range. Anyway, the Lamborghini Countach did what it was supposed to do on the open roads. Drive like one hell of a speed demon. I managed to take it all the way up to ~170mph. Pretty fast, but that can be accomplished with something like a Ferrari 360 Modena, Porshe 911 Turbo, or some other cars... But, even cheaper cars that cost about the same as a normal Countach can reach those kind of speeds, such as the Dodge Viper GTS. Obviouls, you get the adrenaline rush from all that speed in the Countach, but it doesn't feel like a Ferrari. Compare it to something like a Ferrari 360 Modena, Ferrari 456GT, or the Ferrari 550 Marinella, and you just won't ever want to drive a Lambo. My friend had no problems driving in his 348. I later drove the Ferrari, and it had the kind of feeling I wanted. When I was going down straight roads, I got the feeling I wanted. I heard that beautiful V-12 purr, and it just felt great... But when there were slight turns, I felt uneasy. The car itself felt a bit heavy and hard to control. Terrible for every-day driving... And not exactly too good for street racing. Well, maybe I wasn't used to Lamborghini, or maybe I just wanted to be in a Ferrari.
*Overall, the Lamborghini Countach will give you exactly what you want when you're pushing it. The engine is just incredible. Lamborghini is known for making incredible engines in their cars... But I was able to get the same feeling or even something better from cheaper cars such as the Porshe 928 which my cousin owns, and the Ferrari 348. Both the Lamborghini and Ferrari perform nicely on straight roads, but the Ferrari feels lighter... And when turning, the Ferrari has a much easier feel. Thing is, the Ferrari 348 which is no longer in production usually values more or at about the same price as the Lamborghini Countach. This is based on what I have seen on online classified ads. So if you want the thrill of speed in a great looking car, then look no further, you'll love the Countach. However if you want that thrill in a car with better overall performance but without the Lamborghini name plate, then go for the Ferrari 348.
-Things That You Should Not Do With The Lamborghini Countach-
*If you ask anyone, they will say that Lamborghini is better than Ferrari. Based on what? I drove around in my friend's Ferrari 348 in my town. I had no problems parking it or driving it around. The car felt very light, and I was actually able to see what was behind me! The Lamborghini Countach however has some incredible lines to it, it is one SEXY car. It will make people look, but driving around in a small town or mall parking lot can be unforgiving. Also, it seems that the interior quality of the Ferrari 348 was better than the Lamborghini Countach. If you want a sexy car for everyday driving, then go for Ferrari or Porshe. Lamborghini may be very appealing to many on-lookers, but it is one hell of a pain to drive around.
-In Conclusion-
*The Lamborghini Countach is overall a good car. Obviously it isn't comparable to Ferrari, but the Lambo does what it's supposed to. Lamborghini designs their cars to look incredibly sweet and aggressive. Plus, they put huge engines into their cars. The Lamborghini Countach sports the engine and the looks, and it will surely get you noticed :) But, this isn't the type of car you'd want to use for everyday driving. It's way too hard to drive. If you street race or go out to open spots where you push it to the metal, you will get a kick out of it. If you just want to have a GREAT car with a GREAT reputation for a reasonable price, look at online classifieds for the Ferrari 348 which you can find cheap in some instances. Sure it may not have the looks of the Lambo, but it performs just like Ferraris are said to perform. Ferrari may not have the kind of name like Lamborghini does, but they sure know how to make cars. Remember, if you want something to show off with, without spending WAAYYYYY too much money, then look up the Lamborghini Countach. If you look hard enough, you'll find some going for ~$40,000 or even lower. If you want the best out of any car, spend around $250,000 for a brand new Lamborghini Diablo... Or why not try out the new cars from Aston Martin such as the V12 Vanquish. I've never been in one of those, but I hear they rock.
Amount Paid (US$): 25 to 75k
Model Year: 1985
