Valentino Balboni Picks His Favorite Lamborghini Countach Out Of The Lot

If we were to poll users on which three autos were the most iconic, something tells me that we'd find the top three looking something like this:

- Porsche 911
- Ferrari Testarossa
- Lamborghini Countach

While the first two are the de facto choices when any auto-related company makes a sign or logo, the latter was always a bit more "out there." That's because it looks akin to a rocket ship.

Considering its been the object of affection for many, another publication decided to harass Valentino Balboni, the famed Lamborghini test driver, again for his opinion. To say he means something to the company is an understatement -- remember, he just had a car named after him.

Aside from Balboni's opinion though, which Countach would you have given the selection of all the generations?

**Want to see which Countach Balboni picked? Click "Read Article" to find out his choice

You may remember the Lamborghini Countach. Often hailed for single-handedly jump-starting the poster industry more than 25 years ago, it's also one of the most misunderstood supercars of all time.

It's often lambasted by those who have never driven one and dismissed as a toy for poseurs during a midlife crisis. But this Lamborghini's time has finally come. Its place in history as the ultimate high-performance car of its era is now secure.

The Countach lived a long life, remaining in production from 1974-'90 through some very tough years at Lamborghini. But its appeal as the ultimate fantasy car remained undimmed. You can't help but admire a model created with just two very clear aims: to go faster than all others, and keep Ferrari out of the spotlight...

[Source: InsideLine]

BimmerFest Preview 2011

2011 BMW 1M NA Launch Photo Gallery

2012 BMW 6-Series NA Launch Cabo Photo Gallery

Porsche GT3 RS 4.0 Photo Gallery

2011 New York Auto Show Photo Gallery

AutoSpies.com Photo Galleries

If you want to see your photos running on our homepage photo ticker, be sure to upload your photos on the go by sending them to Mobile@AutoSpies.com

Share on Facebook

Read Article

Neverfollow - 5/11/2011 2:29:45 PM

+1 Boost

I've personally owned a 1987QV in simple Black on Black and the last of the species, a "35th Anniversary Edition" in White with Lipstick Red interior. Both left a lasting impression that will never go away. Every time I drove them, crowds would gather and people would want their pictures taken with them. It was kind of like running around the streets with Brad Pitt or something. The car was undoubtedly "the star". The sound that V12 made was also something magical. My friend had a Testarossa and between the two of us often ending up in the same place and parking the cars together, we often created quite a stir that people in my home town talked about for years. There were no Ferrari or Lamborghini dealers in my home town at that time so the usual local "rich guy" always drove a 911 and that was all you ever saw. I remember only wanting to drive them for short trips like to the gas station, the ATM, dry cleaners etc. I didn't want to leave them unattended for very long. Even with such limited use, 4-5 people would always follow me off the road and into the parking lot of wherever I was going. The most commonly asked question I remember was "Is it a real one?". People also seemed to love driving in my blind spots. I developed certain driving behaviors just to be safe like gunning them everytime I moved over to get ahead of whoever was hanging out there. I also remember having to straddle the door sill with the door open and operate the clutch pedal with my right foot as I backed into parking spaces. It was the only way to see rearward with that big Delta wing back there. The outside mirrors were absolutely worthless. All my neighbors thought I was a drug dealer or something....they would always come outside just to watch me leave. The Tubi exhaust clearly announced my commings and goings making it pretty easy for them. The ones with kids weren't sure if they wanted me near them or not but they all came over anyway. I was the only single guy living on a small cul de sac of center hall colonials so I stood out like a sore thumb. Even local politions made it a point to stop buy ahd chat with me from time to time. LOL Even though the Lamborghini had the higher hp rating, the Testarossa of my friend seemed pretty evenly matched in the occasional "ahem" comparisons we would make.