Hi!

this is my first post here and already Im looking for something....

I am designing a replica Countach 5000QV. I dont want to go the "stretch Fiero" or custom chassis routes as I want to replicate the original chassis as well as the body.

I have encountered my first stumbling block however in that I dont seem able to find very much information on the original chassis, apart from a few photos (which dont give any dimensions and are all using different zooms, so its very difficult to get accurate perspective).

I am looking for any and all information I can get on the 5000QV chassis and internal components. CAD drawings would be great, but 3 view drawings, cutaways and plain old data would be great too.

If anyone has any of this information (or any other relevant stuff) please email me. I am happy to return the favour (in terms of software development, cad development, sharing my designs etc).

Richard

 

Richard, IMO you are probably not going to find any lambo owners looking to help you design your replica (fake Countach). This is a web site for owners and enthusiasts of the real thing. Not to sound rude but me as an owner I feel the replica lambos do not reflect what a Lamborghini really is and in turn takes away from the Lamborghini brand. I am sure I am not the only owner out there who has been asked if his car is a real one or (I love this one) "Who built it"?. You might want to go to a replica site where the fake lambo guys hang out.


This little project of yours will prabably cost you more then buying a real one if you plan on building one the way you say you want to.

Good Luck.

If you build them "right" they will generly cost you about as much as it would to actuly buy one. Of course finding one might be hard and take some time but it will mean that much more to you if you buy a real one.

Richard, I agree with the others on this thread.

Building a fake car will cost you a lot if you do it right (and it sounds like you want to do it right).

Even if you build it right, it still won't ride as well, won't handle as well and unless your going to put in an "uber" motor, won't be as fast as the real thing.

Then there is sthe intangible, namely the sound of that 5.2 litre 48 valve engine winding up to 7000RPM.

Some people don't like talking about the investment value of the car, but remember that 10 years ago a MuiraSV was under $100K, now one has changed hands at $800K. The Countach could be the next car to start moving up exponentially. A kit car will never do that.

If you really want a kit, buy one from somebody else who has run out of money trying to finish theirs. Just my opinion but if there is any way that you can buy a real one, do it. I promise you, it will the best car related decision you will ever make.

As an aircraft designer / builder I enjoy an engineering challenge. I accept that building a replica (I think "fake" is just rude given its derisory context when replica is more polite) is going to cost me more than buying a "pre-owned" (second-hand) one.

Its a personal choice, but given the choice of a secondhand vehicle or a self-built replica (where I know each component intimately), there is no competition. The only pre-owned part of the project will be the engine (which, funnily enough, is owned by me!).

I apologise if my desire to embark on this challenging project has offended "genuine" owners, but I personally feel that you have no reason to be irked. So what if someone has asked you if your car is genuine or not. If you happen to be in the same parking lot as me and we're both asked the same question, I will be able to say - with as much pride as you say "lamborghini built mine" - "I built mine" and being asked that question alone shouldnt be cause for feeling petty about replicas anyway; if someone is looking at your car and thinking it may be a replica, surely they are even more impressed when you inform them that it is genuine? Provided you're nice about it that is...

I cant help feeling that perhaps this is a snobbery thing. I wear a "genuine" rolex and Im always being asked if its a fake or not. Personally, I think its funny and Im not the kind of guy to let myself be offended by something like that. I wear it because it was a thoughtful gift from a grateful client, NOT because of the status it implies or to impress others.

Which brings me back to why I want to build a replica: If Lamborghini still built the countach (or even if they were willing to build me a "one off") I would buy a new one. They dont (and wont) so Im going to build one. Whether anyone from this forum is willing to help or not.

I would just like to say that I havent encountered this attitude through other channels and have already recieved a significant amount of positive feedback from other "genuine" owners.

Richard P Phillips

Write to the factory, I am sure they will copy all their original drawings for you...

dear Richard,

could you explain me why, please?
if you could have a new one you'd buy, but an old one not.....

Prova built a replica, kit, (or Recreation as Barret Jackson says) that was really close. The fender flares were molded seperate from the body, and the rear trunk lid was seperate from the engine deck lid. It was probably the best one built. I had a Kelmark GT when I was 20. It was a replica of a Ferrari Dino. I had a blast in it, but I can tell you that it is very hard to duplicate what a factory had invested a fortune to build. They are never the same, although they appear to be. What I learned, is that I would prefer to have a lessor car that was real, than a replica. If I was to build a car from scratch, I would make it my own, instead of someone elses.

But if you are really crazy, are you thinking about making the body in aluminum also? What type of engine/transaxle set up are you thinking of?

well Richard I think that building a replica is not fair to true owners because the more of them that are out there the less of a wow everyone will think from seeing it, most people wont be able to tell a replica apart from a real one and if to many people replicate one it'll just be like what ever those cars are everywhere.

I think what you should do is build your own car from scratch that will be 100% uniquie to you. Then when people ask you what kind of car that is you can tell them it is a 1 of a kind RP.

I may have worded this bad but whatever I think you get the point.

OK maybe I was a bit harsh. You do remind me of the replica guy that started out with a pocket of cash and a boatload of good intensions. He buys a kit, starts putting it together, gets as far as getting the butterfly doors working and loose interest do to a number of reasons i.e. money, time, aggravation. Lamborghini spent many millions on designing this car and utilized very talented people to do it. You are talking about one of the most expensive cars in history for a car manufacturer to build.

Your thinking of building it from scratch??? Once your build gets over 100K and you figure you'll need an additional 50K, you'll start having second thoughts.

I'm going to give you some free advice.

Buy a Countach that is a real rat. I'm talking about a real POS. Tear it down to the tubular frame and start building your Countach from there. Not only would it be a real one but you can then say you built it from the ground up and also made some improvements along the way.

Why reinvent the wheel?