You Need a Comically Tall Hoist to Get the Engine Out of a Countach

The Countach and all subsequent V-12 Lamborghinis use a weird structure, where by the gearbox sits forward of a mid-mounted engine, with a driveshaft working back again by means of the oil sump getting electricity to the rear wheels. For servicing, the total issue arrives out vertically by means of the motor bay as just one unit, as the style and design of the tubular-frame chassis prevents it from currently being dropped out from beneath.

Motor vehicle collector Harry Metcalfe of the outstanding Harry’s Garage YouTube channel is acquiring some alarming noises on his Countach tackled, and that suggests the complete drivetrain experienced to arrive out. He shot movie of the procedure, and it’s rather extraordinary.

For 1 point, it requires an monumental motor hoist. Metcalfe’s mechanic, Iain Tyrrell, suggests his was beforehand applied by the Royal Navy to increase up sunken nuclear submarines. If you imagine that looks like overkill for a automobile, even an iconic supercar, it is just not. The motor and transmission assembly of a Countach is so long, you need all the height.

Lamborghini obviously wasn’t imagining about relieve of maintenance when planning the Countach simply because the engine and transmission have to come out together just about every time you need a new clutch. If you approach on making use of your Countach, finances correctly.

Even though it is strange, the Countach’s gearbox-forward-of-motor format does make sense. Getting a gearbox at the rear of the engine, as is typical of most mid-motor autos, would make the car or truck incredibly lengthy, so flipping it all over tends to make for a good neat deal. And compared with Ferrari, which with the Berlinetta Boxer and Testarossa, mounting the transmission underneath the engine also wasn’t possible as Ferrari utilized a flat-12, though Lamborghini of course had a taller V-12. The predecessor to the Countach, the Miura, had a transverse V-12 with a Mini-impressed shared casting for the block and gearbox, but that experienced far more than its honest share of issues, far too.

These kinds of is life for the Countach proprietor. It’s not an quick car to company, but when you contemplate how this drivetrain defines the style of the vehicle, you have to conclude that it does not matter.

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