Driving the Final Lamborghini Countach: There’s Still Nothing Else Like it
"If you will it, Dude, it is no dream!" So said John Goodman's character Walter Sobchak, quoting Theodor Herzl, in the Coen Brothers' classic The Big Lebowski.
The line echoed around my noggin as I drove Lamborghini Countach VIN ZA9C005A0KLA12085—the final one built—out of the Sant'Agata Bolognese factory gates. As a little boy I once saw an orange Countach parked on some gray cobblestones in Old Montreal. My father was kind enough to let me stand there, jaw on those same cobblestones, as gobsmacked as a 9-year-old human can be. Was it 10 minutes, 20, half an hour? I don't know.
I do know it was long enough that the memory helps guide my thinking, my career, my life to this day. How could such a shape, let alone on a car, exist? Moreover, how could I be standing next to it? Most crucially, how would I get myself behind that steering wheel? Because suddenly, right there and then, I had a pretty good and clear notion of what I wanted to do with my life. Whatever I'd become, cars like this Arancio Livrea-colored Lamborghini would be involved.
We can't go any further without recalling the 1987 Morley Safer 60 Minutes segment about the Countach.
Well, technically it's about the entire Lamborghini brand, but in 1987 the company was defined wholly by the mighty wedge-shaped supercar. Sorry, Jalpa fans, but you know it's true. My father was a CBS News junkie—Walter Cronkite was God, Dan Rather was the pope, and 60 Minutes the Vatican—meaning I had the episode on videotape. I've seen the piece at least 50 times. For my money, the segment is the singular greatest piece of automotive journalism extant. If you've not seen it, please pause now, Google "60 Minutes Countach," and report back. I'll wait.
Amazing, no? Great reporting and a solid 1980s overdose aside, what a magnificent machine. Three years earlier I'd seen one, and since then I'd been allowed to subscribe to the big four monthly American automotive buff books so I could go on and read all about it. But Safer's video was the first time I'd seen and heard one in action.
So imagine being a lifetime Countach enthusiast and decades later driving out of the factory behind the wheel of the last one ever made. I was freaking out. Can this be real? Is life just a dream you really can will into coming true? I should probably leave out the parts about the rain, the miserable electric seats (a later Countach development) that meant even at just 5-foot-11 my head was against the roof, no power steering and at least three turns lock to lock, an 80-pound clutch pedal, the perma-fogged windshield, the lack of noticeable brakes—essentially all the usual Countach accoutrement and mishegoss. I didn't care a lick about that list of negatives, not even an iota divided by a scintilla. I smiled for four hours straight until I had to return the car, and I kept on smiling until just about three minutes ago.
The Countach was 17 years old by the time 1990 arrived. The 25th Anniversary model was released two years earlier to celebrate the founding of the company, and rumor has it the Countach's successor, the Diablo, was supposed to make its debut that same year. However, for a variety of reasons—like its design being rejected by Lee Iacocca, CEO of Chrysler, which owned Lamborghini—the Diablo was delayed for two years.
Although I doubt the company was aware of it at the time, it had a young superstar designer on the payroll, one Horacio Pagani. It tasked him with revising the aging supercar for one last campaign. Mechanically identical to the 5000 QV, also known as Quattrovalvole, the 449-hp 5.2-liter quad-cam 48-valve V-12 was now fed via larger, more effective, and newly straked airboxes. The rear brakes were fed with straked ducts. Did Pagani make the 25th Anniversary model look too much like a Ferrari Testarossa? Perhaps. No matter, however, as that car was the bestseller among all Countaches.
I had waited a lifetime to visit Sant'Agata Bolognese. This fact surprised the people I've come to know over the years at Lamborghini. In fact, I've perhaps become too friendly, to the point the company's design boss, Mitja Borkert, once even hand-drew me an invitation to visit any time I liked. I've visited Ferrari at Maranello and toured Pagani's atelier twice, but for whatever reason I'd never made it to Lamborghini headquarters. On my most recent prototype test drive (of the new Huracán Tecnica a few months ago) with former technical boss Maurizio Regianni, I asked if it were possible to perhaps also visit the factory. "Yes, absolutely," he said. And while I was there, is there something special I'd be interested in driving?
Oh, yes.
Now, here's the thing: I've driven several Countaches. They're not very good cars. Sacrilege, but they just aren't. They're slower than you imagine, clumsy, ungainly, difficult to see out of, temperamental, and uncomfortable, the latter especially if it's hot outside. Yet the Countach somehow remains my favorite supercar. Just look at it. Still, I'm aware of the cars in the Lamborghini Museum at the factory: Miura, Espada, LM002, Diablo GT, Reventón, Sesto Elemento, and Veneno, just to name a few I'd be interested in driving. But Lamborghini exists today because of the Countach.
Yes, of course, the Miura is very pretty, and the LM002 is the Rambo Lambo, and the Diablo is rad, and all of that. But it is the insanity of the Countach, its improbability, its outrageousness, its unlikeliness, the extremism of its design, its overt thuggishness that has attracted droves of fans to the marque. The Countach specifically, and the spirit of the Countach in general, is why Chrysler bought Lamborghini, and why VW did the same about a decade later. What's this spirit entail? Just the promise that the world would be a less interesting place if Lamborghini weren't around.
So even though I had other options, it was a no-brainer to go with the last Countach. Like Safer did 35 years earlier, I'd roll through the factory gates inside of Marcello Gandini's design masterpiece. Except I'd be the one driving, not legendary Lamborghini test driver Valentino Balboni.
Years ago, I was stuck in horrific L.A. traffic with Balboni inside a Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni Edition. We'd run out of things to say about his namesake car, so I asked him what it was like the first time he laid eyes on a Countach. "Ah, the Countach!" he said. "Impossible! Nobody believed it was a car."
He explained that when the prototypes ran around Sant'Agata's vineyard areas years before, it was like seeing a spaceship because nothing on earth looked like it. "The power! The steering! The handling! The brakes …" he trailed off, then shrugged and said, "Well, not so much the brakes," while making the sign of the cross. But his smile indicated my question had taken him to a happy place.
There's apparently only one road in the province of Modena, Italy, that the local manufacturers consider worth driving on, and I've now taken a Pagani, a Ferrari, and the final Countach there to "make photos." It's a beautiful country road that wends its way up a hill. It's minimally trafficked, and you can get up to some good fun; I almost crashed a Pagani Huayra there because I tried to do something stupid.
I nearly stuffed the final Countach there, too, because it was pouring rain and I could not see out of it. The photographer I was transporting from location to location kept laughing at the situation's absurdity. The only way I could see out of the windshield was for him to lean forward and wipe the glass with a rag. Once he was out of the vehicle, I was hosed. Everything you've ever read about how miserable and weak the Countach's HVAC system is true, yet the defroster is even worse than the A/C.
The photos, however, as you can see, are outstanding. Silver is normally a dull color for a Lamborghini, but on wet pavement with vibrant Italian greens in the background, it pops. Looking at these images now, it's easy to see how much it was worth working our way through the adverse conditions. None of it mattered, save for the part that I was driving a Lamborghini Countach around Italy. That smile I mentioned earlier was undefeatable: I even smiled when I realized I had to remove my shoes to drive it, and when it became known the Countach isn't exactly waterproof, as evidenced by my soaking-wet socks. None of it mattered.
The car, despite all its quirks, is perfect. Perfectly flawed, perfectly ridiculous, perfectly alien. Yet perfect all the same. We all collectively spend so much time these days worrying about measurements—a fraction of a second here, how much power a motor makes there. I've had people tell me they won't consider buying a certain car because it doesn't have Apple CarPlay. CarPlay? The Countach doesn't have a trunk!
Honestly, does every car need to be a Nürburgring all-star? Look at the soon-to-be-released 992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Yes, it looks extreme, but everything is there for a performance reason. On the Countach? The famous rear wing on most other examples actually slows the car down. Believe it or not, despite its weaknesses and probably because of them, as well, the last Countach ever made is joy on wheels.
This Countach, like all of them, is an attitude, a frame of mind, a monument to what could be and really what should be. You're just happier around it than not. Are automobiles art? Can they ever really be art? A few can, and the Countach is one of the rare ones that would bring its owner as much joy bolted to their wall as it would parked in their garage. The car is simply a rolling wow. Remember, the name comes from the word contacc, a Piedmontese interjection used when a person is shocked and astonished.
Maybe you think the car and its legend are beyond overhyped after so many years. But indeed all this time later, following all the cars, supercars, and hypercars I've been around and driven in my career, there's only one that returns me to the genesis of my infatuation. Only one that takes me back to my a priori love of automobiles, to an undoubtedly simpler and happier time.
Of course, the world today is filled with wonderful machines, but how many make you say, "Wow!" in the same tone of voice as the Countach? Not many, and even fewer cars remain a dream no matter how many times you find yourself fortunate enough to drive one.
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hyundai santa-fe Full OverviewProsSpacious and practical interiorHigh features-per-dollar valueExcellent safety scores ConsBusy front stylingFuel economy could be betterA couple of button blanks at the SEL levelWhile the midsize SUV segment moves farther out of reach every year, the Hyundai Santa Fe holds its ground. And we love that. It feels like we blinked and the sub-$35,000 slice of the midsize SUV class shrunk; the Ford Edge and Honda Passport now start just under $40,000. On the other side of the market, the Hyundai starts around $30,000 before accounting for any potential dealer markups. We recently spent time with a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL 2.5 to see just how well the turbo-less SUV performs against affordable competition like the Subaru Outback. With less than 200 hp, does the midsize Santa Fe feel like a penalty box? Here's what we found.PerformanceDespite an impressive lineup with four engines (including a hybrid and plug-in hybrid worth considering and a turbo model we'd avoid), many buyers stick with the standard engine. Versions of this 2.5-liter naturally aspirated I-4 have been used on various Hyundai models; here, the powerplant is good for 191 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque, and it's mated to an eight-speed automatic. That's significantly less powerful than the Santa Fe 2.5 Turbo trims (281 hp/311 lb-ft) but about even with the 2023 Subaru Outback 2.5i (182 hp/176 lb-ft).Press the start button, and the 2022 Santa Fe's idle has just a touch of vibration and harshness, but it's acceptable—and the hushed Santa Fe Hybrid isn't for everyone. Driven in its natural habitat—on suburban roads and on the highway—and the Santa Fe 2.5 is surprisingly responsive.Most of the time, the transmission makes the most of the engine's limited power so that with a little planning ahead, you can execute a pass on the highway. Occasionally, the transmission upshifts too early, leaving the engine feeling underpowered, but it's a small price to pay for this decent compromise of features-per-dollar value, space, and performance. That's especially true considering how unrefined we've found the Santa Fe with its turbocharged 2.5-liter engine and eight-speed dual-clutch automatic.Otherwise, the 2022 Santa Fe is a competent driver. Steering feel is adequate, shifts are smooth, and the suspension is compliant. If you don't mind a slightly lower ride height and want the ultimate in ride quality, consider the Subaru Outback instead.Interior Space: Do I Hear an Echo in Here?Where that Subaru falls far short against the Hyundai is in perceived (and actual) interior space. This is where the Hyundai's shortcomings, such as the busy front design and only so-so fuel economy, are balanced out. There's tons of front and rear legroom, and rear passengers should appreciate the mostly flat floor, wide-opening doors, and easy to recline rear seats. Strangely, the Santa Fe's 36.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats is outdone by the smaller Tucson's 38.7 cubic feet. Both Hyundais outdo the Subaru's 32.6 cubic feet, but all these figures are good; it's certainly better than the otherwise appealing Toyota Venza, whose cargo floor is a bit high and can only hold 28.8 cubic feet of stuff.The 2022 and 2023 Santa Fe also have extra storage compartments you may not notice on a test drive but should become useful in everyday life. The first is hidden under the center stack of controls and made possible by the push-button PRND controls. The second is a small Toyota Highlander-like nook in front of the front passenger.What About the 2023 Santa Fe?One of the most significant changes from the 2022 to 2023 Santa Fe at the SEL trim might be the addition of acoustically laminated front side glass. Previously standard one level up, the feature won't make the mixed interior quality any better, but it will make it a slightly quieter place to spend time. Also new for the 2023 Santa Fe SEL versus our 2022 test SUV is a leather-wrapped steering wheel, power liftgate, dual-zone climate control, and a larger 10.3-inch unit (replacing an 8.0-inch unit). We had no issues with the smaller 8.0-inch setup, which never felt like a punishment for lower trims thanks to its already decent size and positioning at the top of the dash for optimal visibility.All of this extra standard content at the SEL trim level will come at a price, of course, but the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe will undoubtedly be priced competitively with the value-priced Subaru Outback and other midsize SUVs. (The Santa Fe XRT, another trim with the same engine, is also shown in the gallery.—Ed. )Good Midsize SUVs Under $35,000 Still ExistThe 2022 and 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe remain good though not great options in the midsize SUV segment. Our biggest disappointment with the base-engine model we drive isn't its satisfactory performance but its fuel economy, which is barely better than the more powerful turbo (22-25/25-28 mpg city/highway for the 2.5 versus 21-22/28 on the 2.5 turbo).But for SUVS with MSRPs below $35,000, the Santa Fe is a good choice. With three years or 36,000 miles of complimentary maintenance and a good mix of tech and features, the 2023 Santa Fe earns its place toward the top of MotorTrend rankings. No, the 2022 and 2023 Santa Fe aren't perfect, but they represent a solid sub-$35K option when the SUV-like Subaru Outback doesn't quite meet your needs.Looks good! More details?2022 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL 2.5 Specifications BASE PRICE $30,745 LAYOUT Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV ENGINE 2.5L/191-hp/181-lb-ft DOHC I-4 TRANSMISSION 8-speed auto CURB WEIGHT 3,800 lb (mfr) WHEELBASE 108.9 in L x W x H 188.4 x 74.8 x 66.3 in 0-60 MPH 8.9 sec (MT est) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 25/28/26 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 489 miles ON SALE Now Show All
If you've ever wanted to get an idea of just how American your truck really is, you'll want to take a look at the American University's Kogod School of Business Made in America Auto Index study. We've gathered the 10 "most American" pickup trucks from this study.Kogod looks at more than just domestic parts content; it examines several areas that have to do with keeping profits and the supply chain in North America. The rankings take into consideration where profits flow to, where the car is actually assembled, the origin of the engine and transmission, and where the body components are assembled. You'll want to note that many "foreign" truck makers have significant American operations—local factories and workers that support a domestic supplier network—and rank quite high on the list. Conversely, some "domestic" trucks don't crack the top ten.Read on to see which American trucks make the cut.
kia forte Full OverviewThe average price of a new-car transaction has been climbing higher than ever in recent years, and buying into a brand-new car that's also fun to drive is a harder feat than ever before. Fortunately, Kia upsets that notion with the Forte GT, the highest performance variant of the automaker's compact sedan.The Forte GT belongs to Kia's line of GT models, which are the sportiest versions of its cars. Kia equips the Forte GT with a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine developing 201 and 195 lb-ft of torque, 18-inch alloy wheels, stiffer sport suspension, and a sport exhaust system. The dual-exit setup is startlingly loud upon cold start, which we imagine will be a draw for buyers looking for a compact with more zest than the run-of-the-mill Forte. The model we tested was equipped with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, but Kia also offers a GT Manual trim that comes standard with a six-speed manual gearbox and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 summer tires for $1,000 more.How Does It Drive? Gun the throttle, and there's plenty of torque steer to be had, making the Forte GT feel feisty off the line. It'll sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds, which is right where it needs to be in its segment. The power remains plentiful when called upon on the freeway even when every seat is filled with adult passengers. Under steady throttle application, the transmission provides clean, snappy shifts. However, in low-speed traffic or when driving on streets with repeated stop signs, the dual clutch gearbox's weaknesses are revealed. It tends to buck under braking right after accelerating and also tends to hesitate in reverse.When we sampled the Forte GT in the canyons, the transmission was in its element. Under smooth throttle inputs, it revs out to redline and delivers crisp upshifts. It preemptively shifts down under braking. Using the paddle shifters increases the driver engagement and gives further control over the dual-clutch transmission's behavior.Under enthusiastic cornering, the Forte GT is willing to play. Despite rolling on all-season tires, the compact sedan hangs on in the corners. This was supported by our instrumented testing where the Forte GT pulled an average of 0.87 g on our skidpad, which is better than average for compact sedans equipped with comparable tires.The Forte GT has three drive mode settings: Comfort, Smart, and Sport. Comfort has the most relaxed steering feel and throttle responsiveness, while changing over to Sport turns up the steering weight and wakes up the drivetrain. Road test editor Chris Walton noted that the Forte GT has "talkative steering and good balance on the skidpad." However, he also commented, "My only complaint is that the transmission isn't quite intelligent enough to downshift and hold a gear on the skidpad even in Sport mode."During our instrumented testing, the Kia Forte GT stopped consistently from 60 to 0 mph in 122 feet. It has decent brake pedal feel and bite, allowing the driver to smoothly modulate the brake pedal. Under hard braking into a corner at the track, the Kia Forte GT's tail end exhibited a tendency to skid out, but this contributes to its eagerness and playfulness on winding roads. The car's overall communicative nature makes it easy to work the sedan into a rhythm and tackle technical routes with poise.The Forte GT is at its best on curvy roads and at its worst in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The dual-clutch transmission copes poorly with stop-and-go jams, and the stiff suspension jars occupants when the car travels over uneven or craggy surfaces. Prospective buyers ought to bear this in mind when considering a Forte GT, as most folks likely won't want to put up with its non-adaptive sport-tuned suspension setup.Are Features the Forte's Forte? The Forte GT benefits from metal pedal covers, contrast stitching, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel that feels great in the hand. Although Forte GT's interior looks sporty, it has already started to look dated despite the current generation's debut for the 2018 model year. Hard plastics cover most surfaces, although the door cards and armrests have soft padding. Much of the competition has eclipsed the Forte's interior design with cleaner, better-looking cabins.Kia offers the GT2 package for $2,200 which includes a number of comfort, convenience, and aesthetic features that make the cabin a much more impressive space. Our GT2-equipped test car featured a 10-way adjustable driver's seat with power lumbar support, an electric parking brake, auto-hold brakes, heated and ventilated front seats, LED interior lighting, rear parking sensors, a power sunroof, a premium Harman Kardon eight-speaker audio system, synthetic leather seats with GT logos, highway driving assist, and forward collision avoidance assist with cyclist detection. It's worth noting that the GT Manual variant of the Forte cannot be equipped with this package.Every Forte GT has a 10.3-inch touchscreen with navigation, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, keyless entry and push-button ignition, dual climate control, and full LED exterior lighting. We particularly enjoyed using the Forte GT's remote start feature to enjoy the exhaust's burbling startup from the outside. It's a feature-rich vehicle, especially considering its affordable starting price of $24,515 relative to less sporty competitors within the compact sedan segment.Is the Forte GT Right for Me? All in, this 2022 Kia Forte GT stickers at $26,870 which undercuts its closest rival, the (manual only) 2022 Honda Civic Si by about $1,500. As such, the Kia makes a strong case for itself with loads of available feature content and enough sportiness to thrill when the road gets twisty. However, forking over the extra cash for the Honda could be worth it for drivers planning on regularly driving their car recreationally, especially because the Civic Si uses a standard limited-slip front differential.The Forte GT isn't the most hard-core sports sedan, but it can be enjoyable when driven with enthusiasm and comes with plenty of tech to serve as a well-equipped daily driver. That said, its low starting price and affordability after adding the feature-packed GT2 package leaves room for enthusiasts hungry for more to buy their own summer tires should they want to make their car even more capable. Kudos to Kia for keeping the affordable sporty sedan dream alive.Looks good! More details?2022 Kia Forte GT Specifications BASE PRICE $24,515 PRICE AS TESTED $26,870 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE 1.6L Turbo direct-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4 POWER (SAE NET) 201 hp @ 6,000 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 195 lb-ft @ 1,500 rpm TRANSMISSION 7-speed twin-clutch auto CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 3,097 lb (60/40%) WHEELBASE 106.3 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 182.7 x 70.9 x 56.5 in 0-60 MPH 6.4 sec QUARTER MILE 14.9 sec @ 95.8 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 119 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.87 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 26.6 sec @ 0.67 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 27/35/30 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 420 miles ON SALE Now Show All
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