Showing posts with label countach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label countach. Show all posts

Sunday, May 8, 2022

My GT7 Log: The best of the 80s

The 80s is the decade of a fashion disaster, where big, bright, and loud looks rule from shoulder pads, brightly colored spandex, acid-washed jeans, leg warmers, and polka dot dresses, not to mention the wicked and sick hairstyles. It's an era where supply-side economics gave capitalism a whole new meaning, a decade where democracy has been reborn, and sci-fi movies are about as hard-hitting as superhero movies of today.

It's also the decade where cool Italian sports cars reign supreme and became bedroom wall posters. Cars like the Lamborghini Countach and the Ferrari Testarossa are prime examples of what life in the 80s looked like.


Getting my South Beach Diet on, it's time to have a word with the cars that became bedroom wall posters 80s kids only understand.


Let's begin with the Lamborghini Countach. Launched in the 70s as the replacement for the Miura, the Countach is widely regarded as the supercar that popularized the wedge-shaped design as well as its signature scissor doors, a Lamborghini trademark. Seen here is the final version of the Countach bloodline; the Countach 25th Anniversary. Made in honor of Lamborghini's 25th anniversary as a carmaker, the final version runs on the same specs as the LP5000 QV, meaning it runs on a 5.2L V12 engine mounted in the middle, but with a heavily revised exterior design to comply with safety regulations. Production of the Countach ended in 1990 at 657 units built and it was replaced later by the Diablo.


Launched in 1984, the Ferrari Testarossa is the replacement for the 512BB. Styled by Pininfarina, the Testarossa's unique exterior design is aerodynamic and radical at the same time. Under the hood, the Testarossa is powered by a 5.0L 180-degree V12 engine producing 385HP of power and 362ft-lb of torque, making it capable of going from 0-60mph in less than six seconds and has a top speed of 180mph. The Testarossa became the car of choice for actor Don Johnson in the Miami Vice TV show. Believe it or not, Enzo Ferrari gifted Don Johnson his very own Testarossa because Enzo's a huge fan of the series.


These two are definitely the ultimate 80s supercars because of their radical styling that fits the decade's big, bright, and loud fashion theme. They're big on size, bright on looks, and loud on performance. They really are the poster cars of the 80s kids.

Anyway, while having a blast with the best supercars of the 80s, the question now is which one is the ultimate 80s supercar? Since I'm in the middle of the South Beach Diet, the sandbox for the day will be Daytona International Speedway, the legendary venue of NASCAR's Daytona 500 and IMSA's Rolex 24-Hour endurance race.



Ah, Florida. The perfect place to give the best 80s supercars a chance to flex their muscles, although the Testarossa blended perfectly with the Florida backdrop because of its Miami Vice appearance. Anyway, no time to get starstruck because it's time to find out which one is the ultimate 80s supercar. Roll the tape.


After a quick lap in Daytona, here are the results;

Countach 25th - 2m08.970s

Testarossa - 2m11.707s

So, the ultimate Countach really is the ultimate 80s supercar but in the end, like that special someone said, they're both expensive and horrible to drive because they're dangerously fast on the straights and tricky to get through corners because they live in the era where anti-lock brakes didn't exist on vehicles yet. Gosh, I've spent almost a lifetime trying to survive driving these dangerously fast Italian marvels. Anyway...


While the Testarossa has the performance and celebrity fan base because of its appearance in Miami Vice, the Countach, in its final form, is by no means the ultimate 80s supercar. It seems the bull has kicked the horse's butt, a fitting example that Lamborghini and Ferrari are still in the supercar world war where both sides trade punches after another. 

That's rivalry the Italian way and whichever side you're on, this is how they roll. The more you know.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Forza Horizon: MORON 5 AND THE CRYING LAMBO

The senior bully vs. the junior bully
Autumn Fallout

Troublemaking Italians by night

Think of The Reunion meets Moron 5 but believe me, a V12-powered Lamborghini is more enough to be a "moron" because when you take a spin in one of these; the Miura, Countach, Diablo, Murcielago, and the Aventador, you'll becoming more of a moron who want to spend the rest of his lifetime making so much trouble in Colorado. I mean look at these;



Five times the trouble, right?! I mean hey, we all love a good troublemaking Lambo because they're more fun to drive than Ferraris. The feeling of driving a Ferrari is a bit serious, a bit emotionless, and a bit...well you get the idea. As for Lamborghinis, the feeling of driving a V12-powered Lambo really plant a smile on my face, acting like an idiot, and I'm becoming a moron like anyone else.

The Aventador, Murcielago SV, Diablo SV, Countach QV, and the Miura, they are what I called the MORON 5 but there's a Lambo that I like to call it the CRYING LAMBO. Why? It's rare, it's expensive, and they only made 15 of them. That's the Reventon Roadster.

The very rare Reventon Roadster


Here's a good story about the Roadster version of the Reventon; it was launched at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show and it is limited to 15 units available, five less than its hardtop equivalent. Sadly, it's proven to be less quicker than its hardtop equivalent; its top speed is 205 mph and it takes just 3.3s to reach 62 mph. Still, it's more than enough to call this one THE CRYING LAMBO. It always out there to hunt those five V12 Lambos that we all love but hey! Moron 5 and the crying Lambo! Ha ha ha ha ha.....

V12 Lambos are more on fun, more on laughter, and more on ridiculous adventures in Colorado. I'm starting to get my nose bleeding...Sorry about that. As I said, those V12 morons like the Aventador, Murcielago, Diablo, Countach, and the Miura, they're like five friends who are morons back when they were kids and they when they grow up, they went to something that they thought it was some kind of audition of some reality show but turned up to be application to some nightclub...as macho dancers. (laughing)

Just as I thought, the dumb can't get even more dumber every time when you set foot in one of these V12 Lambos.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Forza Motorsport 4: 1988 Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV

The White Bull

Launched in 1985, the 5000QV (QV stands for quattrovalvole, four valves in Italian) is the improved version of the Lamborghini Countach, the supercar that was launched in 1974 as the successor to the legendary Miura. For this model, it carries a 5.2L V12 engine and given four valves per cylinder. For better breathing of the car, the carburetors were moved to the top of the engine but the once poor rear visibility made it worse to nothing, therefore, the LP5000 QV has no rear visibility.

A US-Spec model was produced by the factory with styling differences made to meet US federal standards. Not only that, the 5.2L V12 was changed due to standards, providing 420 PS (309 kW; 414 hp), rather than the six Weber carburettors providing 455 bhp (339 kW; 461 PS) used in the Euro-spec model.