The early Countach will always hold a special place in the world of automobile design. Marcello Gandini’s follow up to the glorious Miura was this flying wedge. It looks quite pure without the later impact bumpers, the massive fender flares, the wing, and the power bulge on the engine lid. It could almost be described as beautiful. There is really nobody better served to reviewing this car than Harry Metcalfe.
The later cars, while icons of their era, have always been too busy for my eyes. I vastly prefer the wide swathes of unadorned sheet metal that make up the Countach of the late 1970s. The smaller wheels and narrower tires lend themselves well to this shape, and I bet they made the driving experience exhilarating.
This particular example, in purple over white leather, might be the best Countach of all of them. There are very few cars in history that could get away with such a color combo, but this Lambo makes it look natural.
Harry has a later QV model in his own garage and he happily stacks miles on the odometer, driving it all over Europe. Comparing the OG Countach to his gives his opinion a unique level of authority. Aside from actually being quite fun to drive, apparently, a Countach is above all things a style statement, and for that reason alone I would choose the earlier example.
You can read the full story and see beautiful photography by purchasing (gasp) an issue of the print magazine Octane this month. Fortunately for us, Harry gave the car a good booting on camera so we could hear that phenomenal 12 cylinder sing.