How to drive a Countach properly!
Discussion
I've not seen one driven like this before:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TzcS51jr-g&fea...
(From about 1m47s)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TzcS51jr-g&fea...
(From about 1m47s)
driven mine as hard but perhaps not as competently in the past, on a racing circuit only of course!
The old girls can handle. They are quite gentle at the back on break away and slide quite progressively but you do have to be moving fast to make that happen. The brakes are the main problem as they simply are not up to the performance especially compared to anything modern. Speed wise they are still very fast and not much will make a real difference in a straight line.
Those who have no idea or make entertainment programs slag them off. Yes they have crap ventilation and limited rear visibility. But as a driver car they are still pretty good. Fine for distances and got a nice enough ride and comfortable inside.
Main point is they are still a good drive. I did a back to back with a 360 CS ; 430 diablo VT and SV where we went on a nice country drive and jumped between each others cars from time to time. You had to work harder in the QV and apart from the braking nothing was really faster or handled much better. Quite a few surprised people that day!
Will stop ramblong and hope you have the point
It aint perfect but it is quite good!
Paul
xx
ps a QV owner and proud of it! lol
The old girls can handle. They are quite gentle at the back on break away and slide quite progressively but you do have to be moving fast to make that happen. The brakes are the main problem as they simply are not up to the performance especially compared to anything modern. Speed wise they are still very fast and not much will make a real difference in a straight line.
Those who have no idea or make entertainment programs slag them off. Yes they have crap ventilation and limited rear visibility. But as a driver car they are still pretty good. Fine for distances and got a nice enough ride and comfortable inside.
Main point is they are still a good drive. I did a back to back with a 360 CS ; 430 diablo VT and SV where we went on a nice country drive and jumped between each others cars from time to time. You had to work harder in the QV and apart from the braking nothing was really faster or handled much better. Quite a few surprised people that day!
Will stop ramblong and hope you have the point
It aint perfect but it is quite good!
Paul
xx
ps a QV owner and proud of it! lol
... am only able to respond to this thread on the basis of driving a good few Countachs over the years including the infamous YLR 63X which I drove in 1999. This car was probably the press fleet Countach 5000S that caused much of the 'anti' Countach press in the early 1980s.
It's still in UKland and still very, very black as far as I know though when I drove it, the car was every bit the complete b
h that the press might have thought it was but I wouldn't swap that driving memory for a dozen buckets full of shiny Krugerrand dipped in chocolate. With extra chocolate and some really good Cognac. And a bag of cheese and onion crisps. Or four.Ms V. Butler-Henderson drove the car during one of the Klaxxon-free Top Gear programmes a couple of weeks after I did but not for too long. She complained of lots of aching thighs and dramatically flirted with the then-owner, (he claimed...). I just lost over 2 Kg in weight during a long weekend when I drove it over 600 miles and used many, many gallons of cheap-as-chips petrol compared to 2011 prices... that and got a nasty, bloody gash in my left hand after repeatedly catching it on the metal cover over the handbrake because we all know that Countach handbrakes are about as effective as sod-all when badly adjusted as that car's was / maybe still is ...
Tadek said:
Hi Tom,
Certainly not driven by Clarkson or his mates, as they don't even know how to park them.
Hope yours is going just as fast?
Cheers,
Tadek
Hi Tadek!Certainly not driven by Clarkson or his mates, as they don't even know how to park them.
Hope yours is going just as fast?
Cheers,
Tadek
Yes, had mine out for the first time this year at the weekend for quick blast at veryfastindeedmph down the A14 to blow the winter cobwebs out. I don't think I quite have the car control abilities of the guy in the video though!
I hope all is well with you,
Tom
Hi XXVIII
I agree with paulqv they are still quick cars, my 5000S used to run out of brakes within 1/2 half a day of on and of use at Goodwood back when there was plenty of test days available there.
I know the car in the video is a 88 1/2 4 valve but I noticed it was fitted with the digital display air conditioning like some of the anniversaries.
I know the car in the video is a 88 1/2 4 valve but I noticed it was fitted with the digital display air conditioning like some of the anniversaries.
i appreciate that all countach engines were extensively bench-tested and run in (for about 6 hours with an electric motor )before being installed into the cars.
loris biocchi told me in 2001, that it would have been either him or valentino balboni who would have then test driven each of the 88 1/2 countaches on the roads around the factory for about 45 minutes as a shake-down test , prior to the car leaving the factory
but the poor car in the video only had 133km on the odometer!!
i hope the magazine testers at least warmed it up throughly beforehand
what a performance from both car and driver
loris biocchi told me in 2001, that it would have been either him or valentino balboni who would have then test driven each of the 88 1/2 countaches on the roads around the factory for about 45 minutes as a shake-down test , prior to the car leaving the factory
but the poor car in the video only had 133km on the odometer!!
i hope the magazine testers at least warmed it up throughly beforehand
what a performance from both car and driver
CraigVmax said:
can one of you pls bring a countach to vmax this year! desperate to see one driven in anger, even if just for one run! I'll do a v special deal!!
HiyaI would be quite happy to vmax my car. Do you run the event at the aerodrome? I had emailed someoen before who ran one of these events and said would be interested in coming along.
Mine has rear wing so performance will be a bit down on top speed. Think they can easily do 160+ with wing
Only question is ddo you have a long braking area!!!
Paul
www.vmax200.com
Bruntingthorpe in leice, about 1.6m straight then 200-400m to stop.
I dont mind how fast you go, I just want to see and hear it (and blag a ride in passenger seat!)
Its my arena poster car!
Bruntingthorpe in leice, about 1.6m straight then 200-400m to stop.
I dont mind how fast you go, I just want to see and hear it (and blag a ride in passenger seat!)
Its my arena poster car!
CraigVmax said:
www.vmax200.com
Bruntingthorpe in leice, about 1.6m straight then 200-400m to stop.
I dont mind how fast you go, I just want to see and hear it (and blag a ride in passenger seat!)
Its my arena poster car!
lolBruntingthorpe in leice, about 1.6m straight then 200-400m to stop.
I dont mind how fast you go, I just want to see and hear it (and blag a ride in passenger seat!)
Its my arena poster car!
sounds like blackmail to me! I think one of you fellow organisors had previously emailed me with the phrase ' your email caught my eye' So I had expressed an interest before. Only 200-400m to brake!! Well at knockhill I brake from 125-60 for the corner at end of straight ( I know i am wimp) and that is within 150m and that can be interesting so 170- 30 may be fun in 2-400m. Are you sure you want a passenger ride? Many very sane people don't!!
What speed do you need to be doing at the end of braking to go where you are meant to turn? Is it a straight come back down or a different route?
Paul
xx
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