Beater or Sleeper? GT6 Car of the Week Thread

[Obelisk]

We all need a little something, to get by.

For me it's V8 juice.

Yes, the fruit juice. I'm trying to lose weight, ok?

 

[Nismonath5]

Excellent choice, @JackRyanWMU! Finally, Lamborghini gets the COTW treatment!

Apologies for not being able to host the Saturday races, as I said I went to my school ball, got home at 12:20am and didn't hit the hay until 4am (I get up at 8am to host the lobby). And I wasn't up till 9:30am. But hey, at least the photos are amazing..

Consider this my face reveal, for those of you who haven't already seen my ugly mug.

I'm quite excited about this one! I own a Countach already, but have never really raced it all that much, for the sole reason that I've never really felt it was exciting enough. It's an important car in Lambo's history, it's good looking, it's mind shatteringly powerful for the 70's, but my one only did a couple laps of Deep Forest before being stored away. Time to pull it out and see what it can do!

See you guys Tuesday night!

 

[Cowboy]

Jesus, are you still talking?! Yes, it should have been done before. Blame Vic! NEXT!

 

[MidFieldMaven]

Lamborghini Countach LP400 '74
3.9L
373 hp / 8,000 rpm
266 ft-lb / 5,500 rpm
1,065 kg (2,348 lbs)
510 pp

Nearly 100 hp/L in this Ferrari-fighter.

Fastest lap at Mid-Field, Comfort Soft tires, ABS-1, Traction-0 and manual transmission:



157 mph on the front straight going into Turn 1, where its minimum speed was 69 mph.

Cars within 0.500 seconds:

1:18.046 - 529 - Nissan GT-R '07
1:18.082 - 507 - Autobacs ARTA Garaiya '03
1:18.154 - 528 - Ferrari F40 '92
1:18.259 - 513 - RE Amemiya FD3S RX-7
1:18.307 - 545 - HPA Motorsports Stage II R32
1:18.346 - 526 - Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C7) '14
1:18.400 - 516 - Audi R8 4.2 FSI R Tronic '07
1:18.436 - 555 - HKS Genki Hyper Silvia RS2 '04
1:18.451 - 532 - SRT Viper SRT10 '03
1:18.471 - 515 - Acura NSX LM Race Car '91
1:18.481 - 511 - Renault Sport Mégane Trophy '11
1:18.542 - 510 - Lamborghini Countach LP400 '74
1:18.577 - 582 - Gran Turismo Racing Kart 125 Shifter
1:18.587 - 534 - SRT Viper SRT10 Coupe '06
1:18.637 - 492 - Suzuki GSX-R/4 '01
1:18.749 - 507 - Subaru Cusco Dunlop Subaru Impreza '08
1:18.753 - 504 - RE Amemiya AsparaDrink RX7 '06
1:18.782 - 537 - RUF CTR2 '96
1:18.791 - 521 - BMW M5 '05
1:18.803 - 509 - Toyota WedsSport Celica '03
1:18.931 - 522 - Pozzi MotorSports Camaro RS
1:18.959 - 516 - SRT Viper GTS '02
1:18.987 - 499 - RUF RGT '00
1:18.988 - 501 - Toyota Superautobacs Apex MR-S '00

Wow, look at the company this car is keeping. Names like GT-R, C7 Corvette, Viper, F40, R8, M5, Mégane Trophy...And you know something, I think I'd rather have this car in my garage than any of those. I'm serious.

But, there doesn't appear to be much in the way of fair competition in that spread. Now, if I expand to 0.700 seconds, a clear rival shows its face. Of course, I'm talking about the...

Ferrari 365 GTB4 '71
4.4L
347 hp / 7,300 rpm
318 ft-lb / 5,500 rpm
1,200 kg (2,646 lbs)
496 pp

So the Ferrari loses 26 hp, but gains 52 ft-lbs of torque. The weight kills it. 298 lbs heavier than the Lambo.



148 mph on the front straight, or 9 mph slower than the Countach. Minimum speed through Turn 1 was higher in the Ferrari by 2 mph, at 71 mph.

The Ferrari is a pig, and that's why it's 7 tenths slower than the Lambo, but its engine is so sweet. It comes down as usual, to weight vs power. Why choose? Buy both. Beater or sleeper? Neither. Keeper!

 

[JackRyanWMU]

Excellent choice, @JackRyanWMU! Finally, Lamborghini gets the COTW treatment!

And if you're wondering why I chose the Countach over the newer Lambos, let me sum it up in three simple reasons.

1:


2:


3:

 

[Nismonath5]

@MidFieldMaven wow, that is an impressive group surrounding the Countach! In retrospect, I think the reason I got bored with it is cos I never raced it online, only in free runs because my internet had gone out for a few days. I'll give it another chance this week, who knows, it may be a keeper!

@Cowboy ahhh, of course!

 

[Racer283]

Finally, Lamborghini gets the COTW treatment!

I was thinking the same also. First time we get to test out a Lambo on COTW. I bet there are other european supercar companies that haven't been tested yet (McLaren) but now we finally get the first Lamborghini in the COTW series. I'm just surprised that it's taken this long to try them out.

 

[Nismonath5]

These days if I said "hypercars", the McLaren P1, the Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918 would spring to mind.
But in the 70's, the cars that would come to mind were the Ferarri 512 BB, BMW M1, and Lamborghini Countach.

I spent the whole afternoon lapping Monza in my Countach, and frankly, although I initially mothballed it due to lack of driving enjoyment, I loved this run! It may be old, but boy does it have plenty of up'n'go when you stomp that loud pedal! It has that classic raspy sound you only find on a classic V12, surprising acceleration in 1st and 2nd gear, and handling characteristics unnatural for a vehicle as streamlined as this! The only problem I had was the braking. I either braked too much or not enough, something that I never really got used to.

The scales are tipping in the favour of sleeper, now to pit it against real competition...

 

[Cowboy]

If anyone is looking for a comparison on Tuesday or Saturday, try the Ferrari 365 GTB4.

 

[VXR]

Impellor Propellor - BMW 120d

BMW and small cars were at one point a strange commodity. The E36 Compact was a mish-mash of parts inside and out, to the point where it felt like a means to an end and nothing more. After the more resolved E46 Compact effort, it was time for its replacement to stand alone in the BMW range. Showing the world that it wasn't totally harmonious fitting a traditional hatchback body onto a RWD platform, the 1-series looked ungainly to some, but fantastic to others. With the shift to diesel power well under way, it was the 120d model that was the early performance standard.

With 163hp and a wall of torque, it was positioned comfortably above the petrol equivalent. When up to speed and within the boost range, diesels feel quick and eager. Fall out of boost, however, and the car can feel lethargic. To see how the 120d performed, I drove it around Andalusia and the Alps, a measure of any car's tractability.

At road speeds, the 1er performs adequately, with fourth gear acceleration typically diesel strong. Once the road becomes elevated, the car finds itself out of sorts. The pull of second gear leaves you too high in the rev range for comfort, whilst third can prove too low for performance driving.

The key is to carry speed and use the chassis balance to your advantage. Once you've set a line, the car holds on well and it becomes the typical BMW experience, albeit with a relatively heavy engine up front.

Power oversteer can rear its head with the traction control and Stability control turned off, which can unsettle the balance on these comfort tyres.

The experience on a short track was much more impressive. The distance between corners demanded second and third gear and you had enough momentum to keep within the torque range.

Here in the Alps, the car felt at home and the strong points in Spain returned, without the downsides.

Overall, the car performed well when driven enthusiastically. The chassis soaks up a lot so you can carry speed with confidence and it's enjoyable to hustle in a track environment. If you were cruising on a Sunday afternoon, you would find yourself looking for the performance, but in general the car is a decent sleeper. My personal preference would be the 120i, even with less power and torque, but the diesel isn't a bad car by any means.

The colour is Trafalgar Blue and suits the car really well, I feel.

 

[Nismonath5]

Impellor Propellor - BMW 120d

View attachment 562590

BMW and small cars were at one point a strange commodity. The E36 Compact was a mish-mash of parts inside and out, to the point where it felt like a means to an end and nothing more. After the more resolved E46 Compact effort, it was time for its replacement to stand alone in the BMW range. Showing the world that it wasn't totally harmonious fitting a traditional hatchback body onto a RWD platform, the 1-series looked ungainly to some, but fantastic to others. With the shift to diesel power well under way, it was the 120d model that was the early performance standard.

With 163hp and a wall of torque, it was positioned comfortably above the petrol equivalent. When up to speed and within the boost range, diesels feel quick and eager. Fall out of boost, however, and the car can feel lethargic. To see how the 120d performed, I drove it around Andalusia and the Alps, a measure of any car's tractability.

At road speeds, the 1er performs adequately, with fourth gear acceleration typically diesel strong. Once the road becomes elevated, the car finds itself out of sorts. The pull of second gear leaves you too high in the rev range for comfort, whilst third can prove too low for performance driving.

View attachment 562591

The key is to carry speed and use the chassis balance to your advantage. Once you've set a line, the car holds on well and it becomes the typical BMW experience, albeit with a relatively heavy engine up front.

View attachment 562592

Power oversteer can rear its head with the traction control and Stability control turned off, which can unsettle the balance on these comfort tyres.

View attachment 562593

The experience on a short track was much more impressive. The distance between corners demanded second and third gear and you had enough momentum to keep within the torque range.

View attachment 562594 View attachment 562595

Here in the Alps, the car felt at home and the strong points in Spain returned, without the downsides.

View attachment 562596

Overall, the car performed well when driven enthusiastically. The chassis soaks up a lot so you can carry speed with confidence and it's enjoyable to hustle in a track environment. If you were cruising on a Sunday afternoon, you would find yourself looking for the performance, but in general the car is a decent sleeper. My personal preference would be the 120i, even with less power and torque, but the diesel isn't a bad car by any means.

The colour is Trafalgar Blue and suits the car really well, I feel.

View attachment 562597

Excellent review mate, also brilliant last photo, I'd never thought of using that tunnel as a backdrop before, looks fantastic!

 

[RacingOtaku86]

Where did you even go?

Let's just say that if two people are working and you have one vehicle, someone has to be their "taxi" driver. Because of that, I can't be in the Tuesday races for a long time yet.

 

[Niku Driver HC]

And if you're wondering why I chose the Countach over the newer Lambos, let me sum it up in three simple reasons.

1:


2:


3:

I sense a bit of a pattern in those examples of yours... I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but there are quite a few similarities between all three videos. You know, that could weaken your reasoning because you fail to stay far from using the same area of examples...

Well, hopefully the Countach can spur some excitement from us lot, and I know it's capable of that much. While my childhood wasn't quite born and raised with the Countach as an idol car figure, I still remembered Lamborghini's might supercars with the Diablo. The Countach is just the older, Audi-avoiding mad older brother of the Diablo, and has an achievements list which stretches for 10 miles. Both in media and outside it, people know what a Countach is, even if they may not know anything else about cars. And speaking of media, here's my recommended reading for the week, if you care;

Haruto Umezawa's Japanese manga, simply named "Countach". I mean it's pretty self-explanatory, isn't it?

In essence, it's the proof of how memorable the Countach was for the Japanese; the story depicts a young unsucessful man named Shun, who is given the chance of a lifetime when he's gifted (yes, gifted) a Countach by a very exquisite old man who was touched by Shun's dream of owning a Countach when he was younger. And everything else that transpires afterwards is what you expect; Shun has to get to grips with a 1970's supercar in the very confined environment of Japan, all while racing the Countach in some rather unique situations?

Want to know who would win between a Corvette C5 and a Countach in a touge race? Wondering if the Countach is fast enough to keep up with a 911 Turbo in the Wangan? This manga has all that and a bit more. There is an unfortunate issue, however; the English translation hasn't covered all chapters, so after a while you'll be on your own when it comes to understanding the story... Still, that shouldn't deter you from at least giving this a quick read. After all, it goes in line with "our" own bull, right? 👍

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

Ok, let's try to put some reality back into the planet, shall we?





Cheers

 

[Draggon]

Let's just say that if two people are working and you have one vehicle, someone has to be their "taxi" driver. Because of that, I can't be in the Tuesday races for a long time yet.

A smaller group of us has been racing on Saturday afternoons. Can you join us then?

 

[VXR]

Excellent review mate, also brilliant last photo, I'd never thought of using that tunnel as a backdrop before, looks fantastic!

Thank you for the compliment. I also recently used the tunnel at Midfield for an Impreza shot on GT4. There's something about the lighting that works well by the pillars.

 

[JackRyanWMU]

Too bad we won't be able to have the car's wings on when we compete tomorrow night. The Countach doesn't look quite complete without it, no?





In spite of the "Moment" early on in the first picture, made a time of 0:55.617 up Lord March's drive.

 

[Nismonath5]

I'll bring along my 25th anniversary Countach for comparison

 

[Nismonath5]

Another excellent night's racing guys, I'm still buzzing from that race at Spa Francorchamps, even though that's not the one I won!

Roofcam with Rob

The Countach seems to have this odd handling characteristic where it either doesn't turn enough, then when you try to get it to turn in a bit more, it does so wayyy too much. This may just be the fact that I'm not used to such an old supercar, especially given this thing's the granddaddy of modern supercars. But I never really got used to it, and sometimes it caught me out at the worst of times.

I really enjoyed the duel with @Baron Blitz Red at Spa, I started off with a relatively large lead, for the first three laps, until Baron pulled me in. Now only 0.6 seconds away, I tried my best to keep clean as I struggled to keep the Countach on the asphalt. Eventually, I overshot turn 7, and he managed to slip past and win by 0.3 seconds! Despite not winning, this showed I could hold my own against the veterans of COTW, and is a replay I'll definately be showing dad later!

Even Vic knows to keep out of Baron's way on his home turf!

Don't look back! You know he's back there! Just drive! JUST DRIVE!!!!

I'm not gonna put up all my pics, gonna save them for the proper review following Saturday. But I'll leave it here with this sunset shot I got at the Nurburgring..

To Be Continued...

Edit: Also, apologies for the unannounced exit, my internet decided to die as we were preparing for what would have been my last race of the night.

 

[Draggon]

Edit: Also, apologies for the unannounced exit, my internet decided to die as we were preparing for what would have been my last race of the night.

Good win at Nurburgring Nismo, are you sure you just didn't want to race on CS tires?

 

[Nismonath5]

Good win at Nurburgring Nismo, are you sure you just didn't want to race on CS tires?

Nope I really wanted to win it, I'd led for about 80% of the race, and on the one hand, I wanted to really push the Countach hard to catch up, but on the other hand, didn't want to get caught out by it's handling. So I just took it easy, and still managed to follow him by 0.3.

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

HAPPY CANADA DAY PEOPLE!!!

Cheers

 

[Nismonath5]

HAPPY CANADA DAY PEOPLE!!!

Cheers

That may explain why maple syrup was so damn cheap at the shop this morning! Happy Canada Day!

 

[Nismonath5]

Hey guys, lobby will be up in 15 minutes on the Club Lobby page! 👍

 

[Soyuz 77]

Somebody mentioned a photo shoot drive online, could that still happen? The Lambo would be a great car for it.

 

[Nismonath5]

The 1974 Lamborghini Countach LP400!
Finally, Lamborghini goes under the microscope, COTW style!

Countach (informal) A word used as an interjection which corresponds to the English "Damn!", An exclamation of beauty

Rumor has it that the Countach got its name because it is what Nuccio Bertone exclaimed when he first saw the design. And you can kind of see where he was coming from. Considering this was the 70's, the design was cutting edge. It was wide, low, yet surprisingly short. It would later receive a stylish rear wing, but the first model had no such luxury...

It's funny how at COTW you can have one amazing run with a car, and take a liking to it, but then at the next meetup, have a horrible run and completely change your mind. That's what happened to me this week.

Looking back at the replays, I'd forgotten that I'd put such ugly rims on my car! They're cringe worthy!!!

It had all started so well... On Tuesday night I had an amazing run in the Countach, engaging in a titanic battle with Baron at his home turf, losing by 0.3 secs, and going on to win at Nurburgring! The car obeyed me, I was on a roll, admittedly my internet didn't play ball, but who cares! I was satisfied enough to call it a sleeper then and there, for its sheer innovation, acceleration, and personality. I was buzzing!

@Baron Blitz Red's all-black entry, dubbed "The Black Shadow" (dun Dun DUN!!!!!)

The Saturday lobby though, was completely the opposite. Every race the car resisted and wrestled me, wanting to go everywhere but where I directed it, and couldn't keep pace through complexes. It was a complete contrast to the veteran matching pace I'd displayed earlier, a huge disappointment for me! It would go alright for the first little while, but then it would under steer or over steer at the worst of times, even at high speeds like HSR's first corner!

Just going for a cruise on the guardrail, nothing unusual going on here...

The handling was never good to start with. It's a 42 year old car, and technology has improved hundreds of times over between now and then. Maybe it's just because i'm used to the handling characteristics of late 90's JDM, but the handling of this Countach stumped me. The brakes deserve credit though, as I underestimated them a number of times, and they saved me a few times when I really needed it. The acceleration is something else that surprised me, and while it's not groundbreaking, it's certainly a lot quicker than I would have guessed it to be.

Close white-knuckle action!

With terrible results from the LP400, I decided to try out it's younger, more famous, better looking brother... The 25th anniversary model! This was the car that hot wheels-wielding children would put posters of all over their bedrooms. It was THE Lamborghini, before being overshadowed by the Diablo.

The pin-up car of a generation

Updated styling, more power, and in GT6, it's cheaper than it's older counterpart. So I gave it a try. To make a long story short, it's as bad, or worse. Sure it has more power, but at the cost of more weight. So it's more of a whale to throw around than the LP400. It couldn't even navigate LeMans without going swimming in about four or five gravel traps. It handles the bumps of Mulsanne straight easily enough, but I just couldn't keep it on the road and on pace with the others.

So, I've given praise to the Countach, and I've dissed the Countach. What's my overall verdict on it?

Well, they're both difficult to control. Even during my great performances at Spa and the Ring, I didn't like the way it felt to drive, ya know? Sure I could hang on to it, but that doesn't mean I liked it. The LP400 is therefore a beater. 👎
How about the 25th anniv.? Well, I'd consider that a beater too. But i'd much rather work on the 25th anniv than the LP400, for the sole reason that it looks better, is the more popular one and is cheaper.

In conclusion...

*whispers in ear*

Wait, WHAT?! I'm nearly done with my review and we haven't seen a single pic of @Vic Reign93 sliding his car around like some kind of adrenaline fueled teenager?! THIS MUST BE ADDRESSED!!!!

If it has four wheels and an engine, Sam'll slide it!

Also, @Soyuz 77, it was I who suggested a photo shoot, and I agree, the Countach would be a great car to have in the lineup!

In conclusion, buy the Lambo Countach LP400 if you...
-Think supercars were better in the good ol' days
-Didn't like the fact that it was standard in GT5
-Want to stick it to the Ferrari 365 GTB4
-Desire a true classic

 

[Obelisk]

The 1974 Lamborghini Countach LP400!
Finally, Lamborghini goes under the microscope, COTW style!
View attachment 565027
Countach (informal) A word used as an interjection which corresponds to the English "Damn!", An exclamation of beauty

Rumor has it that the Countach got its name because it is what Nuccio Bertone exclaimed when he first saw the design. And you can kind of see where he was coming from. Considering this was the 70's, the design was cutting edge. It was wide, low, yet surprisingly short. It would later receive a stylish rear wing, but the first model had no such luxury...

It's funny how at COTW you can have one amazing run with a car, and take a liking to it, but then at the next meetup, have a horrible run and completely change your mind. That's what happened to me this week.

View attachment 565073
Looking back at the replays, I'd forgotten that I'd put such ugly rims on my car! They're cringe worthy!!!

It had all started so well... On Tuesday night I had an amazing run in the Countach, engaging in a titanic battle with Baron at his home turf, losing by 0.3 secs, and going on to win at Nurburgring! The car obeyed me, I was on a roll, admittedly my internet didn't play ball, but who cares! I was satisfied enough to call it a sleeper then and there, for its sheer innovation, acceleration, and personality. I was buzzing!

View attachment 565039 @Baron Blitz Red's all-black entry, dubbed "The Black Shadow" (dun Dun DUN!!!!!)

The Saturday lobby though, was completely the opposite. Every race the car resisted and wrestled me, wanting to go everywhere but where I directed it, and couldn't keep pace through complexes. It was a complete contrast to the veteran matching pace I'd displayed earlier, a huge disappointment for me! It would go alright for the first little while, but then it would under steer or over steer at the worst of times, even at high speeds like HSR's first corner!

View attachment 565132
Just going for a cruise on the guardrail, nothing unusual going on here...

The handling was never good to start with. It's a 42 year old car, and technology has improved hundreds of times over between now and then. Maybe it's just because i'm used to the handling characteristics of late 90's JDM, but the handling of this Countach stumped me. The brakes deserve credit though, as I underestimated them a number of times, and they saved me a few times when I really needed it. The acceleration is something else that surprised me, and while it's not groundbreaking, it's certainly a lot quicker than I would have guessed it to be.

View attachment 565134
Close white-knuckle action!

With terrible results from the LP400, I decided to try out it's younger, more famous, better looking brother... The 25th anniversary model! This was the car that hot wheels-wielding children would put posters of all over their bedrooms. It was THE Lamborghini, before being overshadowed by the Diablo.

View attachment 565138
The pin-up car of a generation

Updated styling, more power, and in GT6, it's cheaper than it's older counterpart. So I gave it a try. To make a long story short, it's as bad, or worse. Sure it has more power, but at the cost of more weight. So it's more of a whale to throw around than the LP400. It couldn't even navigate LeMans without going swimming in about four or five gravel traps. It handles the bumps of Mulsanne straight easily enough, but I just couldn't keep it on the road and on pace with the others.

So, I've given praise to the Countach, and I've dissed the Countach. What's my overall verdict on it?

Well, they're both difficult to control. Even during my great performances at Spa and the Ring, I didn't like the way it felt to drive, ya know? Sure I could hang on to it, but that doesn't mean I liked it. The LP400 is therefore a beater. 👎
How about the 25th anniv.? Well, I'd consider that a beater too. But i'd much rather work on the 25th anniv than the LP400, for the sole reason that it looks better, is the more popular one and is cheaper.

In conclusion...

*whispers in ear*

Wait, WHAT?! I'm nearly done with my review and we haven't seen a single pic of @Vic Reign93 sliding his car around like some kind of adrenaline fueled teenager?! THIS MUST BE ADDRESSED!!!!
View attachment 565141
If it has four wheels and an engine, Sam'll slide it!

Also, @Soyuz 77, it was I who suggested a photo shoot, and I agree, the Countach would be a great car to have in the lineup!

In conclusion, buy the Lambo Countach LP400 if you...
-Think supercars were better in the good ol' days
-Didn't like the fact that it was standard in GT5
-Want to stick it to the Ferrari 365 GTB4
-Desire a true classic

To be honest, it's quite a good car tuned. A friend of mine, @Yusenkyo has a special tune (I gave him the gearbox settings, though) for his Wangan Countach LP400. He's a tad slow, but the damned thing is a demon.

 

[Niku Driver HC]

Well, another nice job from @Nismonath5, you really want to capture Vic's many "Godlike Drift" moments, don't you? A valiant effort, but you will have to pay close attention to his driving at all times, because his transistions are flawless...

...why didn't I join you yesterday, you ask? Well, blame my cousin.

"Your cousin Roman, Niku?"

Yes, my cousin, but not Roman, lay off the jokes. As it happened, he wanted to finish the download of Tom Clancy: The Division with the help of my Internet connection, so I was unable to use the PS3 for a long while (and of course, during the time the lobby was up). When he finally left, it was time to meet mother at work to pick her up, so you can guess what I did then.

Perhaps it was for the better; no, I don't hate the Countach, but I had very little practice time with it, so I would probably end up becoming a nuissance to the other drivers, who did have proper practice time with it. At the very least I didn't cause a multi-million traffic jam...

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

Here's the officially unofficial results for the "Hahaha, I Luv to Count-ach" Playing with TT's event...

Victory_Reign93: 1:45.913

Nismonath5: 1:46.368

BaronBlitzRed: 1:46.371

G_ASHER: 1:47.653

racer2833: 1:48.248

McClarenDesign: 1:48.600

EmaRED_82: 1:49.783

Rob_on_Drums: 1:49.970

Cheers

 

[Vic Reign93]

Here's the officially unofficial results for the "Hahaha, I Luv to Count-ach" Playing with TT's event...

Victory_Reign93: 1:45.913

Nismonath5: 1:46.368

BaronBlitzRed: 1:46.371

G_ASHER: 1:47.653

racer2833: 1:48.248

McClarenDesign: 1:48.600

EmaRED_82: 1:49.783

Rob_on_Drums: 1:49.970

Cheers

@Nismonath5 is gonna like that time difference.

Right to the Bosstang we go.

The Ford Mustang Boss 302 started back in the late 60's as a homologation model for the SCCA Trans Am Series where engine capacity was capped at 5 liters (or 302CI) and led to battles with Camaro's, Challengers, Firebirds, Javelins etc.

The 302's bigger brother, the Boss 429 was also built with homologation in mind, but in this case for its 7.0 V8 to be used in NASCAR.

The Old Boss 302 was rated at 290hp, but some claim it was underrated for insurance purposes and as high as 350hp, but again this is under Gross HP, not Net HP.

The race version was reportedly good for 470hp and some claim a redline as high as 9000rpm, but 8000 seems more logically and just as loud.

It was a great car, but now we meet the new Boss, is it the same as the Old Boss?
( Five internet cookies for anyone who gets the song reference.:tup

The New Boss is based on the 2013MY Mustang and is packing a more potent version of the 5.0 Coyote V8 making over 440hp at around 7400rpm.

Now despite the track focused ideology, it still weighed 1,647kg and you could feel it in the turns.

It definitely held its own on the straights but felt heavy in the turns.

Now if only we had this cars slightly more hardcore brother, the Boss 302 Laguna Seca which has stickier tyres, a few aero tweaks, revised suspension geometry and a X brace where the rear seats used to be to improve structural rigidity.

But as it stands, the Boss 302 is a Beater. 👎

Now on to the Countach.

When you think of poster cars, the Lamborghini Countach is one of the usual suspects and whilst the LP400 model wasn't involved in this next history recap, the Countach was.

An engineer at Lamborghini in the 1980's saw a revolution coming in the form of Carbon Fibre been used for the next big Supercars.

The engineer was constantly begging the top brass at Lamborghini for an Autoclave ( A machine used for creating composite parts.), but the top brass refused on the basis that if Ferrari wasn't doing it, why should they?

Slightly miffed about this, the guy went to the bank, took out a loan and bought the Autoclave himself and then constructed a lightweight version of the Countach called the Evoluzione.

Thanks to the Carbon Fibre and aluminium composites, the car weighed 1,100 pounds LESS than the standard model at a kerb weight of 2,200 pounds.

Even this wasn't enough to convince the top brass as it would've been too difficult to build and too expensive to repair.

And just after the top brass at Lamborghini rejected Carbon fibre because Ferrari wasn't doing it, Ferrari came out with the F40, a car made out of Carbon Fibre Composites....

Gun, meet foot.

In the early 90's, the engineer left the company and as owner of the Autoclave, took that with him as well to use to build his own car company.

What company you ask? the one now known as Pagani.

Yep, Horacio Pagani was the engineer in this story and he still uses that very same Autoclave to this day to build his own works of automotive art.

So in the same way the Ford GT40 exists because of Ferrai snubbing Ford on a deal and Lamborghini existing because Ferrari refused to build better clutches, Pagani exists because Lamborghini refused to use better composites to build Supercars.

Funny how things turn out eh?

Anyways on to the LP400 Countach itself.

Powered by a 3.9 V12 making around 370hp and weighing in at 1065kg (2348lbs as context against the Evoluzione), the Countach was definitely no slouch in acceleration.

Now with a weight distribution of 42/58 I was expecting some snap oversteer issues and whilst it didn't, it led to another problem.

Because the rear tyres had so much grip, it was pushing wide in the turns and understeering, an issue which plagued us all to varying degrees.

My solution which felt counterproductive was putting less grippy tyres at the back which on a front wheel drive car is a logical idea, not so on a rear drive car.

Oddly, it wasn't completely crazy, the back end moved around more and I could turn the car in better and the grip loss wasn't too big either.

I can't say however that the Countach is a sleeper, yes it's styling is iconic and its sound is legendary, but it's tricky to drive fast and it wasn't consistent either.

But because I'm feeling generous today, I'm willing to consider it barely Neutral.

It goes without saying, but both cars did produce some great racing and some occasional hooning as well. :tup: