Countach owners / knowers question.
Discussion
I've just asked eurospares if they have one, but thought I may get more info here.
I've seen Jay Leno and maybe Clarkson reviews of the countach, and I remember them saying that if you roll the car , because you can't open the doors, there's a hammer to smash the windscreen by the drivers knees under the console / dash. Is it true? Can anyone give me a photo of it? I don't have a countach, but I'm in the same boat.
I have seen the hammers you can get on eBay etc with the seatbelt slasher on the handle , but I think old school windscreens are tougher.
Do I not need to worry? Do you think it's easy to kick out a windscreen when upside down?
Any answers / abuse appreciated
Andy.
I've seen Jay Leno and maybe Clarkson reviews of the countach, and I remember them saying that if you roll the car , because you can't open the doors, there's a hammer to smash the windscreen by the drivers knees under the console / dash. Is it true? Can anyone give me a photo of it? I don't have a countach, but I'm in the same boat.
I have seen the hammers you can get on eBay etc with the seatbelt slasher on the handle , but I think old school windscreens are tougher.
Do I not need to worry? Do you think it's easy to kick out a windscreen when upside down?
Any answers / abuse appreciated
Andy.
No sign of a hammer in the 88 1/2 QV
I think the story goes that Valentino Balboni managed to get a Countach onto its roof, and then got away by kicking out the windscreen
Historically , I believe that the original plan was for the car to have an explosive charge at each door , so that the door could be blown outwards , should the car be overturned
Even the LP5000, which was crash-tested at MIRA in 1972/3 , did not have any such explosive charge fitted
I don't know which would be more of a nightmare --------getting out of a just crashed Countach with its twin thin-skinned petrol tanks nearby OR trying to find a replacement countach windscreen .
I think the story goes that Valentino Balboni managed to get a Countach onto its roof, and then got away by kicking out the windscreen
Historically , I believe that the original plan was for the car to have an explosive charge at each door , so that the door could be blown outwards , should the car be overturned
Even the LP5000, which was crash-tested at MIRA in 1972/3 , did not have any such explosive charge fitted
I don't know which would be more of a nightmare --------getting out of a just crashed Countach with its twin thin-skinned petrol tanks nearby OR trying to find a replacement countach windscreen .
carspath said:
No sign of a hammer in the 88 1/2 QV
I think the story goes that Valentino Balboni managed to get a Countach onto its roof, and then got away by kicking out the windscreen
Historically , I believe that the original plan was for the car to have an explosive charge at each door , so that the door could be blown outwards , should the car be overturned
Even the LP5000, which was crash-tested at MIRA in 1972/3 , did not have any such explosive charge fitted
I don't know which would be more of a nightmare --------getting out of a just crashed Countach with its twin thin-skinned petrol tanks nearby OR trying to find a replacement countach windscreen .
Haha, did they sack him for breaking the windscreen I think the story goes that Valentino Balboni managed to get a Countach onto its roof, and then got away by kicking out the windscreen
Historically , I believe that the original plan was for the car to have an explosive charge at each door , so that the door could be blown outwards , should the car be overturned
Even the LP5000, which was crash-tested at MIRA in 1972/3 , did not have any such explosive charge fitted
I don't know which would be more of a nightmare --------getting out of a just crashed Countach with its twin thin-skinned petrol tanks nearby OR trying to find a replacement countach windscreen .
I remember even in the mid 1980s that getting your hands on a Countach windscreen was somewhat problematic and very expensive, seem to remember one Countach windscreen being cracked whilst an Alpine stereo was being fitted, I bet that went down like a lead balloon!
.... not saying who it was but I'm pretty sure the windscreen has the crack in it to this day!!!
P300V8 said:
Did you try Pilkington glass? I think they should be ale to help...
They had made a batch at the time that had been sitting in the shelf at specialist, but they didn't fit properly. I decided not to wait for them to get round to fixing, and just bought the Eurospares one.
Pretty sure I asked him when I was lucky enough to meet him, and he used a fire extinguisher to go through the door window, breaking out the middle dividing strip,
Thats why I always carry an extinguisher, although I dunno if I would be able to think straght whilst hanging upside down!
Thats why I always carry an extinguisher, although I dunno if I would be able to think straght whilst hanging upside down!
btw, pilkington have 5 differnt "countach" screen moulds, as they also supplied replicas, they can add heating elements and internal radio aerials if you want, without "significantly" increasing the cost, as they are simply placed between the two glass heets with the laminated film.
The problem with an upside down CT is the windscreen may be flush with the ground... thus the need of a fire extinguisher as mentioned earlier, although you would have to be pushing kinda hard to risk a roll.
btw, Mclaren with their F1 discovered that the doors would flex enough to allow escape, although I doubt a big guy would get through the gap!
The problem with an upside down CT is the windscreen may be flush with the ground... thus the need of a fire extinguisher as mentioned earlier, although you would have to be pushing kinda hard to risk a roll.
btw, Mclaren with their F1 discovered that the doors would flex enough to allow escape, although I doubt a big guy would get through the gap!
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