When someone asks you what your favorite poster car is, what’s your answer? Ferrari, Porsche, Bugatti, Mustang, McLaren, Jaguar or…Lamborghini?
If you chose Lamborghini, you’re in good company. There's one particular Lambo that really stands out: the Lamborghini Countach. The Countach is without a doubt one of the greatest poster pin-up cars ever made.
And the opening scene of the 1981 movie Cannonball Run has to be one of the most iconic automobile sequences in movie history. But it is also one of the most ironic too! Because the Countach never actually took part in any of the famous illegal street races.
The Rebel With A Cause
Yes, that's right, it never participated in any of the illegal coast to coast road races. Yet the first four minutes of the movie has one of these amazing supercars blasting along a desert road near Las Vegas, committing some hilariously daring acts of rebellion. Not only does it break the speed limit, it plays cat and mouse with a police car on the freeway, and its driver mockingly vandalizes a 55 speed limit sign.
This single short piece of film not only introduced the car to the public, many of whom had never seen a car like it before, it elevated the mid-engined supercar from a relatively unknown exotic car to global legend status. A status that it still holds today, fifty years on.
The Cannonball Run was in itself an act of rebellion. The organizers were basically sticking two fingers up at the establishment. Fed up with an increasing wave of anti-car rhetoric fueled by the energy crisis. And unhappy about the new national speed limit of 55 mph, they took to the road. And the Countach played its part.
The Countach embodied the American Dream. It inflated the desire to have a really cool badass car, like no other, that nothing could catch. A car that stopped traffic and drew crowds wherever it went. A car that offered a driving experience topped only by a fighter jet aircraft. And a car that rebelled against the conventional, that could outrun any cop car on the planet, that only does eight miles to the gallon.
It rebelled against the practical side of motoring too. With its tiny cramped cabin, visibility blind spots, and zero storage. Windows that only open a couple of inches and an Air-con system that's quite frankly, rubbish. Steering and clutch that you have to train in the gym for, and an insatiable appetite for fuel.
But who cares! When you can immerse yourself in one of the most exhilarating experiences that motoring has to offer. When you can drive a gorgeous piece of classic Italian art and listen to the best V12 soundtrack that Italian engineering can muster.
The Legendary Cannonball Countach
This YouTube documentary by the Hagerty Drivers Foundation gives some cool insights into how the Cannonball Run race started, introduces some of the folks that were lucky enough to experience it at the time, and reveals the story behind the famous black Lambo.
The car featured in the movie is a 1979 Lamborghini LP400S, which packs a 3.9-liter, 370 hp V12 engine and has a top speed of 205 mph. One of only 105 produced, it's designed by Marcello Gandini, a genius from the Bertone design stable. The guy responsible for those amazing scissor doors.
It's currently owned by Jeff Ippoliti, a successful entrepreneur turned lawyer. He bought the car in 2004 and had it fully restored. “The reaction is always shock and awe,” says Jeff. “It’s incredible to me. I still can’t believe I own the Cannonball Run Countach. I’ve loved this car for 40 years. It’s certainly the most famous Countach in the world.”
The most bizarre thing of all though is that the Countach, which became the poster car for the Cannonball Run movie, actually killed off the race. When race organizer Brock Yates heard that someone had bought one just to attempt to beat the time record, he canceled the race. Worried that someone would get seriously hurt or killed. This put a halt to all future races.
The Lamborghini Countach: An Enduring Icon
When you consider that Lamborghini is not a racing brand like Ferrari, which has developed supercars from its successful racing designs, you have to hand it to Ferruccio Lamborghini. Within a very short period of time he went from manufacturing tractors to Ferrari-bashing supercars. His first stab at a supercar in the early sixties was the 350 GT, followed by the gorgeous Miura, the car that put Lamborghini on the supercar map. Hand-made by the best Italian craftsmen, it showed that Lamborghini meant serious business.
And in 1974 they proved it, when they released the Countach LP400. The ultra-low, mid-engined, wedge-shaped sports car set the bar high for all future supercars. And still does to this day.
In the '70s it was the fastest car in the world. It must have looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. Today it still has a huge following. Enthusiasts all over the world are scrambling after them. And values are going through the roof. Series 1 cars fetch close to seven figures at auction. Series 2 cars, like the one mentioned here, can easily fetch $500,000.
Enthusiasts regard them as the first proper supercar. They see them as a reflection of the very best in car design, coupled with the very best in build quality. Cars that offer a unique driving experience, that can only be really appreciated one way. And that's by sitting behind the wheel of one, and opening up the throttle.
The Countach is not just a throwback to a bygone era that delivered groundbreaking cars which were the ultimate statement of rebelliousness, it's a car that paved the way for all the other poster cars that followed it.