When
Countach officially went into production as Countach LP400 in 1974, it no
longer had an actual periscope attached to its rearview mirror to aid rearward
visibility, but still retained the viewing slot in its roof where drivers would
have originally peered back through.
Sitting
on a lightweight and extremely strong tubular space-frame chassis, the striking
alloy bodywork comprised numerous vents and distinctive side NACA ducts in
order to cool not only the engine and the brakes, but the cabin, too. Those
scissor doors – responsible for catching the imagination of just about every
schoolboy at the time – weren’t just cosmetic, either. The car was so wide
that, with conventional doors, occupants would have been trapped inside in all
but the widest of spaces.
The
LP400 moved the game on from the Miura mechanically, too. In a bid to satisfy
Ferruccio Lamborghini’s wish for less cabin noise, its 4.0-litre, 375 HP V12
engine was mounted longitudinally (‘LP’ denoting ‘Longitudinale Posteriore’),
unlike the Miura’s transversely mounted unit. The gearbox was unusually
positioned 'twixt driver and passenger, improving gearbox connection and
vehicle balance and, without the later models’ comically wide wheels, flares and
spoilers, the LP400 was the quickest Countach of them all, reportedly capable
of nudging 200 mph.
Just
150 ‘Periscopos’ were built, so named because of the small periscopic
mirror installed in the original prototype’s roof to aid the frankly appalling
rear visibility. Though the mirror was done away with (it beggars belief as to
why), the rooftop tunnel remained on the early LP400s, and is one of our
favourite design touches on the whole car.
