Never meet your childhood heros
26 August 2004, 01:42 PM
#1
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Never meet your childhood heros
As a 9 yo boy in 1979 I had the ubiquitous Athena picture on my bedroom wall of a Lamborghini Countach. I was on my way home about half an hour ago and happened to be behind one 
I was quite happy to burble away behind it (in my 03 WRX PPP) admiring the classic but dated lines and the thunderous (makes my mates decat'd Afterburner sound like a Micra 
) zorst. We were both behind a slow lorry when a chance to pass came. Sure enough, the Lambo blipped and changed down so I thought 
hell, why not. As he pulled out so did I and I was engulffed in his thunder. He gained a couple of metres as I was slightly (only slightly) under boost but as mine picked up I stayed with him right up to *cough* mph, never loosing another inch 
So, my childhood hero is vanquished. I have no doubt that if it had been suitable to accelerate way above 3 figures that he would have started to pull away (until a corner) but to match such an icon (albeit, an outdated one) was a moment to behold. He slowed down to a respectable pace quite quickly after and at the next juction where I was turning right I tried to catch his eye to give a respectful nod (which I would still have done if he'd caned me) but he stared blankly ahead 
Right, Testarossa next
I was quite happy to burble away behind it (in my 03 WRX PPP) admiring the classic but dated lines and the thunderous (makes my mates decat'd Afterburner sound like a Micra ) zorst. We were both behind a slow lorry when a chance to pass came. Sure enough, the Lambo blipped and changed down so I thought hell, why not. As he pulled out so did I and I was engulffed in his thunder. He gained a couple of metres as I was slightly (only slightly) under boost but as mine picked up I stayed with him right up to *cough* mph, never loosing another inch So, my childhood hero is vanquished. I have no doubt that if it had been suitable to accelerate way above 3 figures that he would have started to pull away (until a corner) but to match such an icon (albeit, an outdated one) was a moment to behold. He slowed down to a respectable pace quite quickly after and at the next juction where I was turning right I tried to catch his eye to give a respectful nod (which I would still have done if he'd caned me) but he stared blankly ahead Right, Testarossa next
Last edited by corradoboy; 26 August 2004 at 01:44 PM.
26 August 2004, 01:44 PM
#2
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Hmm remind not to have a race with Adam West then!!
Did you see the top gear show where the posh bloke drove the Countach and said it was one fo the worst cars he's driven?
Did you see the top gear show where the posh bloke drove the Countach and said it was one fo the worst cars he's driven?
26 August 2004, 01:46 PM
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I used to Work at Hertz at Heathrow Airport and the Only thing on the planet louder than Concorde taking off was a Countach that was being revved outside my porta-cabin - I really thought that the Walls were going to collapse 
.
Will never forget it (and haven't heard one since)
.Will never forget it (and haven't heard one since
)
26 August 2004, 01:48 PM
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Yeah. They were definately all pose and little poise. Thunderous power but so difficult to drive that speed was unconsiderable on all but very straight straights. There's an old urban legend that states a Pug 205 GTi would slaughter one over a decent twistie B road. I suppose those who can afford to have them get them because it's a Countach and nothing else. They probably have a GT3 back home for pestering us lowly Scoob drivers.
26 August 2004, 02:37 PM
#6
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If it was, it's the 1st car I've ever seen with a beetle engine that can crack a ton from 30 as fast as a Scoob. We get a lot of exotica around here as we have a JCT600 FerrariMaserati/Lotus/Porsche/Aston/Bentley dealers about 1 mile away. I've had allsorts from Modenas to Nobles to Lambos to TVR's up & down my road. The Enzo hasn't made an appearance yet, just sits in the showroom, tempting me 
26 August 2004, 02:45 PM
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Originally Posted by corradoboy
The Enzo hasn't made an appearance yet, just sits in the showroom, tempting me
edited to add : ahhh grasshopper you are becoming one with the smilies
Last edited by hawkeye; 26 August 2004 at 02:47 PM.
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26 August 2004, 04:21 PM
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I've thought it many a time. I sometimes have the money to buy a 70s dream supercar, but why? Cracking 5s acceleration was God status back then; now most scoobs/evos do it, regularly, without having to pay 3k for a new clutch and without needing Steve Austin's left leg to change gear (or morphing into an ape to drive properly). You'd pay, very dearly, for the beauty / ostentation / exclusivity of the shape, and the ability to go past 140mph. Well, BFHD, I can live without those.
Dunno about the urban legend of the 205 GTI, but I recall that when the first Golf GTi came out, Car mag put it and a Ferrari down a B road. The Ferrari arrived first, but in their words, "what stunned us was just how quickly the Golf pulled in behind it". They'd expected the gap to be much bigger.
Dunno about the urban legend of the 205 GTI, but I recall that when the first Golf GTi came out, Car mag put it and a Ferrari down a B road. The Ferrari arrived first, but in their words, "what stunned us was just how quickly the Golf pulled in behind it". They'd expected the gap to be much bigger.
26 August 2004, 04:35 PM
#10
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Originally Posted by TelBoy
Lambo is still an icon though.
Do today's 13 year olds have similar Scoob posters on their bedroom walls? I doubt it.
Do today's 13 year olds have similar Scoob posters on their bedroom walls? I doubt it.
26 August 2004, 04:46 PM
#11
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I thought this was going to be about meeting Jimmy Savile of something similar
Jim never fised it for me and quite frankly by the looks of him recently he couldn't even fix it himself.
As for the countach, great car for presence but not alot going for it.
Jim never fised it for me and quite frankly by the looks of him recently he couldn't even fix it himself.
As for the countach, great car for presence but not alot going for it.
26 August 2004, 04:56 PM
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One wonders due to the lack of acknowledgement if he even knew you were there, the rear visibility is next to zero and he may have just been pottering about.
1290Kg with between 375 and 455bhp (depending on model) suggests to me you may get your *** whooped.
http://www.carsfromitaly.com/lambo/index.html
1290Kg with between 375 and 455bhp (depending on model) suggests to me you may get your *** whooped.
http://www.carsfromitaly.com/lambo/index.html
26 August 2004, 06:06 PM
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I bloke i used to know had one of the last Countach's that lambo made, he took me out in it one night. On a strait bit of unlit single carriageway (in Wiltshire) he calmly demonstrated a flat out 0 - 170mph dash.
It was incredible, WAY faster than a standard/STi Scooby (and that's an understatement). My head was still being pinned against the headrest by the acceleration when he backed off at 170.
It's the most scared i've ever been in a car, when it was accelerating flat out i couldn't reach my hands forward to touch the dashboard. In a strait line on a dry road i'd doubt any Scooby could stay with it, unless it was hugely tuned up (T25 or more). Maybe the driver in the story above wasn't giving it 100% berries?
Handling wise, i did hear the guy spun it off the road into a field not long afterwards and wrote it off. Pity, as it was an ace car.
He had a Lotus as his everyday drive too, crackers!
It was incredible, WAY faster than a standard/STi Scooby (and that's an understatement). My head was still being pinned against the headrest by the acceleration when he backed off at 170.
It's the most scared i've ever been in a car, when it was accelerating flat out i couldn't reach my hands forward to touch the dashboard. In a strait line on a dry road i'd doubt any Scooby could stay with it, unless it was hugely tuned up (T25 or more). Maybe the driver in the story above wasn't giving it 100% berries?
Handling wise, i did hear the guy spun it off the road into a field not long afterwards and wrote it off. Pity, as it was an ace car.
He had a Lotus as his everyday drive too, crackers!
26 August 2004, 06:41 PM
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You don't need that posh bloke off Top Gear telling you the Countach is a joke to drive, car reviewers were saying it back in the day!
Lamborghini also used to produce that awful off road monstrosity.
Lamborghini also used to produce that awful off road monstrosity.
26 August 2004, 07:19 PM
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[QUOTE=corradoboy]As a 9 yo boy in 1979 I had the ubiquitous Athena picture QUOTE]
Was clearing out my attic the other day and found the same Athena pic.
Chip.
Was clearing out my attic the other day and found the same Athena pic.
Chip.
26 August 2004, 09:03 PM
#20
Do today's 13 year olds have similar Scoob posters on their bedroom walls? I doubt it.
26 August 2004, 09:10 PM
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I had the Porsche 959 Athena poster but even back then cars on the road like a Ford Escort RS1600i got my attention before a Porsche would. Sad, I know.
26 August 2004, 09:55 PM
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No, that tractor looks quite smart. This is the one:
http://www.exoticcarsite.com/pages/l...hini_lm002.htm
http://www.exoticcarsite.com/pages/l...hini_lm002.htm
27 August 2004, 12:03 AM
#24
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was the athena poster the one of the white countach with an eagle in the background I seem to remember some letters and numbers like Lp500 or sumthing??
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