Countach QV FI Thread

so clean i would NOT want to get it dirty.......but then I would

 

Purposeful and beautiful, functional. thanks for posting. The 12 runner casting is so fitting for the Countach. Can not wait to get a road report.

 

Beautiful Work !!!

 

I think Matts car will be at the Petersens museums new super car ,history display. For the next 8 months or so. Sounds interesting, if in LA, i will for sure check it out. Did bring my daughter and her siblings there a few years back,(we have family and friends in SanClemente) its an amazing museum, at the time their special was 30-40 s couch build such as Bugatti Talbot Duesenberg and their likes. Good time. Also once in San Clemente/ Laguna. Their private beach club really made made hitting the beach and parking combo really pleasant.

 

Flashback - Legendary Chrysler Corporation Chairman Lee Iacocca shows off the American version of the Countach QV, behind him is Chrysler Motors Chairman Gerald Greenwald.

Nuova Automobili Lamborghini SpA's production of a fully USA EPA & DOT compliant Countach commencing in 1986 made the Italian car company attractive to Chrysler, who made an offer to purchase it the following year. Image by Robert Kozloff, April 27 1987, Highland, Michigan.

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Interesting. I’m guessing that not many FI cars came without wings, given their popularity, particularly in the US.

 

Correct, wings were mounted outside the factory as they were an unofficial item, and the USA Fuelies were fitted with what has become known over the years as the small wing, this is the unit with more upright supports and a smaller wing plane.

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Cars n coffe this morning. Event is taking off big time. Great morning, nice people. As always my big Quatrovalvole engine purrs and screams. On demand. Again , The Countach any variant is amazing.
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Anybody have experience running race gas in their Countach? These are borderline engines ,time vise ,where some cars still ran unleaded.all inputs are appreciated
Thanks

 

Our Downdraft with 6 Weber 44 DCNF carburetors runs beautifully on normal pump gas.

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Here in europe the recommendation is Super fuel which is 98 Octane.
Since carburettor engines have no knock sensors better be on the save side.

 

At my Shell station down the road I'm using Premium which is 93 Octane, but I think the real reason it runs sweetly is because we run it often.

 

Please keep in mind that European and US Octane numbers cannot be compared directly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

Means European 98 Superplus is 93 Octane US:
"Premium Gasoline" in the United States 96-98 86-88 91-93
"SuperPlus" in Germany 98 88 93

 

C9 from VP is excellent. I run it in my 89 328 and 99 355. I’m uncertain I will run it in my downdraft when it’s restoration is complete, but it’s especially healthy for fuel injection engines. It’s pure and also healthy for fuel lines during storage.

https://vpracingfuels.com/product/c9/?c=217

 

Thanks for your input , my car runs just fine on the reg 91-93 pump, for the last 33 years or so, but coming from the marine industry,and buildt and dynoed lots of engines,Race gas does wonders, Mercurys 1350/1550 is a dual fuel set up where we run 2 chambers in the tank,and the engine is delivered from Mercury with 2 computers and a switch, this way your every day boating on 93,is convenient ,while on a pokerrun you have some good fuel for the home stretch,to beat the other guy. Anyway,running old carbed or fi naturally aspirated engines in 95 degree heat and high humidity, takes its toll on performance, regardless of Wich variant Countach you run.or any old car for that matter. Again thanks for your input.
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Love the white interior! Bella !

 

Fortunately in California we don't have high humidity, the climate is fairly dry, and our car's performance always seems optimum, so perhaps location matters.

At the point of the restoration of the Mimran Downdraft, we thought about fuel carefully, and Dugan set up and tuned the engine to run on Premium pump gas.

I'm not one to be running around searching for race gas or mixing things to put in the tank.

That said, I don't know if the 93 octane in our area is especially clean or in fact a true higher octane at 95 or 97, but I do know I keep the car on a strict regimen of running it weekly, and driving it at least every other week. My procedure is, I start the car correctly, always let it warn through toll the fans come on before ever shutting off, and when I drive it, I use significant revs.

Since the car was restored 3 years ago I must have gone through 20 tankfuls as often photographed in the Downdraft thread, basically, I never let the fuel sit in the car, it's constantly getting used, and that IMO is the real reason this car runs so well, as can be seen on numerous videos out there.

Pump gas and regular use works very well for me, others may have a different experience.

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Yes of course, our 93 Octane is just fine, here's a neighbor of mine gassing up the carbureted Miura P400S we sold him on local Premium 93 Octane pump gas.

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Ironic though that the carbureted cars which were characterized by some in years past as temperamental & obsolete run so well on pump gas, whereas fuel-injected cars that are nigh-on 30 years appear to need help. You made a good choice and the benefits of carburetors are becoming more apparent with time, they are relatively easy to rebuild to 100% efficiency, and are easy to keep in optimum tune. You'll soon experience the benefits this when your car is completed, because I have never experienced someone who tunes a carbureted V12 as good as Dugan does, they'll be properly rebuilt and will work as they should - see below.

As regards racing fuel, I must confess that I have indeed tried VP Racing fuels on a couple of the dozen or so Countachs I've owned, and the net result was negligible on the road, in fact I thought my cars ran better without it and concluded it was a waste of my time & money. Perhaps if the car was being used on the track for an day all day lapping session as we used to do in the late 80s, then race fuels might mater, but but on the road there is no difference and IMO using race fuel on the road is nothing more than a feel-good thing. I also think people use race fuel as a substitute for issues that require separate attention which can't be remedied with race fuel, thinking erroneously that it will somehow improve the running of the car. Keeping the fuel system & lines as clean as whistle by the simple expedient of running it often is what I recommend.

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My primary reasons for using C9 in my 328 and 355 are because 1 - they are fuel injected cars and there has been a noticeable difference in the cleanliness of my injection system and fuel lines; and 2 - because I live in a cold climate and my cars are stored for a few months each year. The purity of the fuel holds better during longer periods of storage.

Having said all this, as I stated above, I haven’t made a decision on what fuel I’ll use in my downdraft, given that I’ll have different considerations. My plan was always to consult with people smarter than I.

 

Good points, well-understood regarding your situation, FWIW I have experienced more running issues with my fuel-injected GTOs than the carbureted Countachs, this evidenced in cars both restored by Dugan.

 

all good points,and i got my answer from Joes experience having tried this on occasion. thanks for sharing, my car runs exelent,and I have never had any issues what so ever, (fuel related)i will also admit in a few occasions its been sitting longer than i like for work related reasons. Always starts right up and runs like a champ (i think the proof is in the pudding, having owned this for 14 or so years )anyway. The reason for bringing up the race fuel was simply,anything can get better(well almost anything) including a carbed old engine, all our cars run great, mine,Joes, top carbon, You name em. We are one happy Countach driving grinning mix of nationalities. My car is 33 or so years old, never let me down, i owned my car for 14 years ,my friend Fred Kiekhaefer of Mercury Marine founding family owned the car for 17 years before me. No complaints. Just curious if anybody in our grinning Countach crowd,carbed or injected, had any experience. There is a reason we run this fuel in anything Really high performance, again, carbed or injected, these old cars run just fine, we all have the years to prove this. No arguments from me. All good