1986 Lamborghini Countach - Jay Leno's Garage

We are here once again in the Lamborghini section of my

garage

. This is my

1986

Lamborghini Countach. I have had this car for almost 22 years and it has been my everyday car for a while. You know, you wouldn't think you could use something like this. every day, but it's actually pretty reliable, pretty straightforward, it's not as complicated a car as it looks, as you know, this is the classic car from the '80s. I think all the guys who are in their 40s and 30s probably had a poster hanging in his room. wall I have almost all the magazine covers that had the Lamborghini Countach there, it is a classic supercar, the car that beats time.

I mean, these are all magazines that I bought in the period Countach racing helicopter motor trend rodent tractor super Countach but the reality is no Countach ever hit 200 miles per hour, although the car may look incredibly aerodynamic, it really isn't, in fact, you know what's really funny, you know, it's a car, it's almost twice as aerodynamic as this car, this car because even though it looks a little fast, it's actually like a brick. You know, when you go over a hundred miles, now you can feel the headwind and it's funny how aerodynamics really has nothing to do with what we think you've done, which makes it look, but that being said, this is a Pretty amazing car. a car that replaced the Lamborghini Miura many people still feel that the Lamborghini Miura is a much nicer car than the Countach.

I certainly think so, but they are so different that they were both designed by the same man, Marcello Gandini, here it is, in fact. It was a privilege to have him in the

garage

and there is probably the most famous test driver in the world, Valentino Balboni, he was also in my garage. In fact, he drove my car when it was new. That's great, the Countach was introduced for the first time. in 1971 at the Geneva Motor Show and it caused a big sensation because nothing was like it before or since I had the flares I had a little periscope rearview mirror up here some things and this car became more powerful this is my favorite version of the car this It is the last car with a carburetor.

I know everyone likes fuel injection now and fuel injection is obviously the way to go, but back in the mid 80's fuel injection a lot of guys like me didn't really sell them a little suspect. Weber you can always tune it, it has six to borrow Weber is a two liter five point engine, it is what they call Quatro valve, which means it has four valves per cylinder, it is actually an improved version of the same engine in the mirror and, unlike the Miura, where the engine and transmission shared the same oil, this has the peculiarity that no one has ever done it, since the engine is mounted here, the transmission is in front of the engine and then you have a shaft of transmission that literally passes through the v12 crankcase. engine to the rear wheels, but let's take a look at that engine through these famous doors that made a big splash at the time and still does to this day.

Well, it's as clean as I could make it. I use this car a lot. These cars got about 70,000 miles I haven't had many problems with it at all almost nothing really because it's pretty simple it's not a light car this car only weighs about 4,000 pounds this car weighs almost fine a little less than twice what it weighs the McLaren f1 don't forget that the 80's were the last days of the old technology so cars have changed as much from

1986

to now as they did almost between 1986 and 22, everything is different there is no electronic system in this car, there is no ABS, there is no traction control, there is none.

That's just a big, beefy farm engine, a sort of manly gearshift. I mean, it shifts well, it's not particularly light, you really have to fiddle with it a little bit, but it's okay, I like that you get used to it, as you can see, that's all. tube frame is extremely strong it's like crazy to fix it if you break one of these you don't want to do that this one also had the big wing I took the wing off I thought it was stupid They never showed it to me the spoiler did everything possible for aerodynamics.

I didn't slow down the car. The top speed of this car is probably around 170 175, but you know that's fast enough, let's take a look at the rest of the car. It is a time when these were the widest tires. It was once available on a production car like the big Pirelli p7. I didn't see the interior, it's pretty spartan by modern standards, you just have everything you need, speedometer, tachometer, oil pressure gauge, oil temperature gauge, fuel gauge, voltmeter, five speed here with air lock. -conditioned and because your Alpine tape player didn't have that Lamborghini Alpine poster that was one of the most famous things that crossed the ashtray and the usual things, but other than air conditioning, that's the only option in this, but You know something , it's all you need, it's not as nice as some of the other cars because it's just a well used car, you might find some McDonald's wrappers under the seat and some other things and as you can see, they left it in the sun . my leather has stretched I have to redo it but you know it's patina it's character it's a car I used a lot I like this it's not the big stupid rubber bumper car I never like some of the later ones the Devils this is so big like what i got from this point on, they seemed to get bigger and wider and it's just a good driving car, it's probably a little faster than a c6 corvette, but not as fast as it's six, i think that's one way Fair to say it, but in 1986 and this came out with 455 horsepower, there was nothing like it, everything else was in the 200, 250 horsepower, 455, oh my God, that was the end of the world, remember that the Viper was the first modern American to take a break. 400 horsepower and that didn't happen until '92 so in the mid 80's this was the king let me show you the front you open the hood like this and your battery and everything is here as you can see your spare tire, a small spare to save space.

Believe me, nothing seems stupider than a small space-saving spare in the back of a Lamborghini Countach, it looks ridiculous, but it's better than walking once in a while. I have to upgrade these struts, since I made them, they all wear out, you have to replace them, but otherwise, it's been a nice reliable car runs good always starts, you know, it's spark, its carburetion, oh, I upgraded the ignition, That is what I did. I put a monitor ignition system on an electronic ignition, but other than that, that's it. She left the factory, but come on, let's go for a ride, check it out, you know, you don't think of a car like a Countach is an everyday car, but for about five years when they first got this, I drove it every day, we are all the real trick for Italian cars to be an Alfa Romeo.

A Fiat or even a Lamborghini lets the fluids warm up before getting into it. You know, a guy told me years ago that he was an old Italian mechanic who worked mainly on Alfa Romeo, but he said that because of the hot weather in Italy, the oil passages were quite hot. small for the car because it was always hot, the oil was then, he says, in America, especially in colder climates, they go in and out, but the oil just couldn't move through the aisles fast enough and they end up just causing damage due to lack. of lubrication, it makes sense, it could be one of those old wives' tales, I don't know, but it makes sense to me, so every time I get into a car like the Lambo or the Miura, the future any of these, I turn it and I let it idle a few times. minutes I would wait until the temp gauges are off the pins, remove the needles from the intake and then start and I have never had any problems, this car really doesn't get the best mileage in the world, in fact they think the pants of lamb girl - created the car with the worst mileage, a modern car that you could buy at least in the eighties, from eight to twelve on a really good day.

The good thing about this car is that in some respects it is quite primitive, just a big old gearbox, a big engine for Italy 5.2 liters, 455 horsepower, no electronics, no traction control, no brake assist. power steering, none of that and you can see there was almost no visibility out the rear window. The idea behind this car was that you were supposed to step on the gas and just finish the season. There may be less behind you. Would you vote for a Countach below? there's a hammer, so if you turn the car and you can't open the door because you're on the roof, you're supposed to break the windshield with the hammer. that's a safety feature, oh, here's a hammer, in case you roll it, you'll get caught in the car, oh, thank you, Mr.

Car Dealer, and then you'll get caught in the guy, you don't want to break the wind ice cream because that's like five thousand dollars. I burned it for the spring it was five thousand dollars depending on how hot it is, it will probably make it to the final spring. Well now we roll up the windows in the 80's, the reason the windows only roll down this far is if it means the car is capable of not having a window that couldn't be opened, although the car does look quite futuristic and extravagant, it's quite a contemporary trellis frame, ladder frame, there's no other car that catches people's attention like this one.

I mean, it's just that this car was from the '80s, you know? when I watched Cannonball Run or any of those movies I always remember one day I was walking down Sunset Boulevard, I just got into town, I had no money and I saw these parked on the side of the street, it was Rod Stewart's, I thought. Well, how cool was it that one day I received a letter from the boy who had gotten into trouble with his friend. He told about a great concert and I was his uncle and then he and I were driving in the Countach and he told me. like only a twelve year old can have the chance that one day you can pick me up and drop me off at school so the kids will think I'm a liar and I thought now you would realize who would do something so outrageous.

The request is that okay, the boy lived on most of the beach and I drove there one morning and picked him up and he stopped in front of the school. I said okay, okay, nice touch, that was my good night and I've saved this. The car is pretty much the same as when I arrived in the 80's, I grabbed that Duran Duran and the tape player and looked at a genuine escort radar detector. Look at it, let me tell you something. You're driving a car like this. Don't even show this. to the police maybe my radar detectors an app you are buying this car your speed is fine that's how it works you can put this stupid thing there maybe it will give you a warning but the red Lamborghini car and the radar detector smell It's just that I stayed a little more but I have a flock of seagulls concert to get me well.

See you later.