Lamborghini Countach and Volkswagen Golf are two really well-known and classic car models that both turn fifty this year. These two car models are very far apart and are extremely different, but as I said, they both celebrate fifty years this year as they were launched in 1974. The Lamborghini Countach is an Italian thoroughbred that really made a mark on the whole sports car world. While the Volkswagen Golf is a compact family car that also left its mark on the whole car world for its format and yet good ability to bring a lot including passengers. 

I had the opportunity to do a photo shoot with two versions which, fittingly enough, were both red. The red Lamborghini is a 1986 Countach LP5000 Qattrovalvole and the red Golf is a Volkswagen Golf Mk1 GTI. Both cars are in extremely good condition despite their age and have been well taken care of.

To give some background to the car models and their development, I thought I would start by talking about the Volkswagen Golf. 

Volkswagen Golf

The first generation was thus presented in 1974. Before the Golf was presented, the most successful car model produced by Volkswagen was without competition the Volkswagen Beetle, Bettle. So, in addition to its angular shape compared to the Beetle, the Golf also had a front-mounted water-cooled engine and front-wheel drive, as opposed to an air-cooled rear-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive that the Beetle had. But already in the fifties, Volkswagen started to develop a replacement for the Beetle. This was in the form of a prototype called the EA47 prototype, which was tested between 1953/55. The name "EA" stands for "Entwicklungsauftrag" and means "Development Order". After the EA47 prototype, several prototypes appeared as possible Beetle replacements. In 1968, the last in-house prototype arrived, labelled EA276. It was a small three-door hatchback with front-wheel drive using a front-mounted Volkswagen air-cooled engine. Since its launch in 1974, eight Golf generations have been launched. For each generation, different versions have been launched. One version that has always been present in every generation of Golf is the slightly sportier version GTI. The red Golf Mk1 I took the pictures of for this article was just a Golf Mk1 GTI. The Volkswagen Golf MK1 GTI was presented in 1976. At the time, it was a response to the ongoing oil crisis, as the Volkswagen Golf was considered a relatively fuel-efficient car compared to other car models of the time. Being able to get such a sporty and fun car to drive as a Volkswagen Golf Mk1 GTI was much appreciated. The engine in the Volkswagen Golf Mk1 GTI was initially a 1.6 litre four-cylinder engine with 110 horsepower. The 0 to 100 kilometres per hour sprint took 9 seconds. A top speed was reached when the speedometer pointed to 182 kilometres per hour. 

The first international test drive I got to go on was when Volkswagen presented the Golf 6, which was launched in 2008. The trip was to Iceland and I went there as motor editor for the weekend supplement CS Life for Computer Sweden. Before that I had photographed a number of Golf models and the first one I ever took pictures of was a Golf 5 GTI for the magazine Slitz with Martin Westerstrand who was then their motor editor. But now, of course, this article is not about me but about Volkswagen Golf and Lamborghini Countach.

Lamborghini Countach

The Countach model was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1971. Unlike the Volkswagen Golf, the Lamborghini Countach has only been released in two generations and not 8 like the Golf and come in. Since then, the first generation has come in several versions and the last one is called LP5000 Quattrovalvole. It is a 1986 LP5000 QV in the pictures in this article. There is also a picture of a silver Countach LP5000 QV that is being built. It is the absolute last Countach built of the first generation. The picture was taken by my father, Bengt Aston Holm in 1989 when he was down at the Lamborghini factory taking pictures for the Cars Collection and a book about the Lamborghini factory he made. Next to my father when he took the picture, I stand as a lucky fourteen-year-old because I got to accompany my father on many of his work trips during this time. So it feels extra special when I now return to the Lamborghini factory as an adult to see the silver-coloured Countach LP5000 QV standing in the factory's museum as they have chosen to keep it. 

As mentioned above, the Lamborghini Countach has only come in two generations. The new and final generation is called Countach LPI 800-4. The Countach LPI 800-4 was presented in August 2021 and has only been built in 112 copies and just as a tribute to the model turning fifty years old. Unfortunately, I was involved in a motorcycle accident in the summer of 2022 and it was then that the factory had taken out a Countach LPI 800-4 as a press car. Some media could book and borrow that press car, test drive it and do reports on it. I belong to that media as I have been down to the factory several times and had to borrow cars for test drives and photo shoots for reports. Many of which you can read here on CarsCollection.se if you search for Lamborghini in the search function. But unfortunately I missed the opportunity to take out the Countach LPI 800-4 the factory had as a press car because of my accident. 

If you compare the first generation Lamborghini Countach from 1974 with the last version from 2021, you will see the following. The first generation Lamborghini Countach had 375 horsepower while the new and final generation had a whopping 803 horses. However, what is the same for both the 1974 car and the last one is the number of cylinders and how they are placed in the engine. It has always been 12 cylinders in a V shape. However, the Countach LPI 800-4 has a 48 V mild hybrid system with a 34 horsepower electric motor built into the gearbox. The sprint from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour was achieved by the first Countach in 5.7 seconds and it had a top speed of 260 km/h. For the Countach LPI 800-4, these figures are 2.8 seconds for 0 - 100 km/h and a top speed of 355 km/h. 

The Lamborghini Countach is the complete opposite of what a Volkswagen Golf is. That's why it's extra fun that both these car models are turning fifty this year. There are few car models, if any, that have become as famous as these two have. Because honestly, who doesn't know what a Volkswagen Golf or Lamborghini Countach is?

Info about the cars in the pictures. 

Volkswagen Golf Mk1 GTI

Engine: 1.8-litre straight four, 112 horsepower, 148 Newton metres
Transmission: 5 speed manual gearbox, front wheel drive
Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 9 seconds
Top speed: 185 km/h
Weight: 980 kg
Dimensions (length/width/height): 3840/1630/1400 mm

Lamborghini Countach LP5000 Quattrovalvole

Engine: 5.2-litre V12, 455 horsepower, 500 Newton metres
Transmission: manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive
Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 5 seconds
Top speed: 295 km/h
Weight: 1490 kg
Dimensions (length/width/height): 4200/2000/1070 mm