Guide: a Monster Lambo Engine for Group C? - a Historical & Technical Appraisal of the Lamborghini Countach QVX
Background
Ferruccio Lamborghini had famously refused to sanction a competition programme for his firm, and nor was he interested in building racing cars for customers; even the emergence of several highly tuned specials from the experimental department failed to change his mind.
By 1974, Ferruccio Lamborghini had left the car company that bore his name. New Swiss owners, Georges-Henri Rossetti and Rene Leimer, took charge until 1978, at which point Automobili Lamborghini filed for bankruptcy. During the Rossetti-Leimer era, there was barely sufficient cash for basic product development, let alone the expensive discipline of racing.
Automobili Lamborghini was ultimately rescued from oblivion by another pair of Swiss industrialists in 1980; against the odds, young Mimran brothers Patrick and Jean-Claude (whose family were big in agriculture and banking) turned the company around in a very short space of time.
While sharply focused on profitability, the new owners introduced a fresh line of vehicles and massively improved build quality.
Although the Mimram Group never took officially took Lamborghini motor racing, it was during this period that the company made its first steps into the sport.
In 1984, the Mimrams commissioned an enlarged version of Lamborghini’s V12 engine for powerboat racing. The result was an 8.2-litre fuel-injected motor that won multiple Offshore championships over the next few years.
During the first week of September 1985, the motor racing press began to buzz following the announcement that Lamborghini would enter Group C as an engine supplier. An enlarged 5.8-litre version of the firm’s renowned dual overhead camshaft V12 was reportedly in the pipeline as the Mimram Group sought to create a sporting image for the company.
At the same time, it was disclosed that Automobili Lamborghini had concluded a secret deal with a British World Sportscar Championship team to run factory financed and developed engines in a full campaign for 1986.
As it transpired, the entire project had actually been initiated by David Joliffe who was the Managing Director of Portman, the London-based concessionaire for Lamborghini in the UK.
Joliffe had initially hoped to compete with a Countach in Group B. However, his attention turned to a Lamborghini-powered Group C prototype instead.
Having received a favourable response from the factory, Joliffe set about putting the required infrastructure in place.
Rather than build a top flight C1 car from scratch, the decision was made to save time and money by using an off-the-shelf vehicle that could be modified to incorporate Lamborghini’s V12 engine.
Accordingly, Portman ordered a Tiga GC85 chassis from Spice Engineering.
For the 1985 season, Spice and Tiga (the company established by Tim Schenken and Howden Ganley) had joined forces. That year, the outfit won the C2 World Championship with Gordon Spice and Ray Bellm at the wheel.
The Lamborghini-powered Tiga for 1986 would contest the premier C1 category where it would most notably be up against the might of Porsche (962 / 956), Lancia (LC2), Jaguar (XJR-6) and Mercedes-Benz (Sauber C8).
Of these major manufacturers, all ran turbocharged engines with the exception of Jaguar whose TWR-built V12 was larger and heavier than the highly anticipated Lamborghini unit.
Things initially came together quickly for the Portman Lamborghini team. The handsome new car, dubbed Countach QVX, was revealed along with drivers Tiff Needell and Mauro Baldi in the last week of January 1986. Unipart, the UK’s biggest automotive parts and accessory supplier, was brought on board as title sponsor.
The QVX would be run on Portman’s behalf by CC Racing Developments in Kirbymoorside, Yorkshire, with highly regarded former Dealer Team Opel manager, Brian Gillibrand, overseeing the operation.
At the launch it was announced that Portman had committed to a three-year Group C programme and an investment of £4m. A second major sponsor was expected to be announced prior to the car’s first race scheduled for April.
Portman planed to contest at least seven World Sportscar Championship races for its debut 1986 campaign including an appearance at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Chassis
Spice Engineering based the QVX around a GC85 tub originally numbered SL8501 which was subsequently changed to LC1. It was an aluminium honeycomb monocoque with 2745mm wheelbase; the semi-stressed steel subframe was reconfigured in order to accommodate the Lamborghini V12 power unit.
The double wishbone suspension comprised vertical coil spring / damper units operated by pullrods up front and canted dampers with rocker arms at the rear. The rear suspension was mounted inboard (on top of the gearbox) in order to maximise airflow to the underbody venturis.
13-inch diameter ventilated brake discs were outboard-mounted.
Split-rim centre-lock 16-inch diameter wheels were shod with Dunlop Denloc tyres. Track was 70mm wider at the front axle.
Twin fuel tanks with an overall capacity of 100-litres were housed in the rocker panels.
Engine / Gearbox
By the mid 1980s, Lamborghini had introduced a four valve per cylinder iteration of the spectacular all-alloy dual overhead camshaft 60° V12 originally designed by Giotto Bizzarrini for the company in 1963.
In standard trim, the 5.2-litre Countach Quattrovalvole motor ran a 9.5:1 compression ratio, six Weber 44 DCNF downdraught carburettors, Magnetti Marelli electronic ignition and wet-sump lubrication. Peak output was 455bhp at 7000rpm and 369lb-ft at 5200rpm.
Few details were every published about the engine that powered the QVX. It was developed in-house by Luis Marmiroli under the direction of Giulio Alfieri.
The existing Tipo LP112 D motor as used by the Countach Quattrovalvole was taken out to 5825cc and converted to an electronic fuel-injection system in place of the original carburettors. The QVX engine was also switched to dry-sump lubrication and fitted with a custom intake and exhaust system.
To achieve the factory-quoted 585bhp at 7000rpm, the compression ratio would likely have been cranked up north of 11.0:1.
Transmission was through a five-speed Hewland VG-C gearbox and limited-slip differential.
Bodywork
The original Tiga GC85 bodywork was unchanged in its transition to QVX trim.
Sleek exterior panels were fashioned from 70:30 Kevlar-fibreglass composite with detachable single-piece front and rear clamshells.
The QVX stood just 1003mm high, was 4674mm long and 1930mm wide.
The GC85 was a conventionally styled but very handsome car. At the front, the central nose panel sunk away from the bulbous fenders and a trio of NACA ducts were carved out to feed fresh air to the radiators and cockpit. Headlights were mounted underneath contoured Plexiglas covers.
The bubble roof canopy housed a large NACA duct for the engine, butterfly doors and a quick fuel filler neck mounted on each sail panel. There was another huge intake on the upper body next to each door along with an equally substantial exit vent a foot-or-so back.
At the rear of the car was single plane adjustable rear spoiler mounted on three pylons. The tail fascia incorporated rectangular tail light clusters set within a red-painted trapezoidal surround to give a Countach-esque appearance. In the middle, four centrally exiting exhausts emerged from in between the massive underfloor venturis.
The completed car was painted black with red and blue stripes to reflect Unipart’s new Supreme brand of oil.
Interior
Inside, simplicity and weight-saving was the name of the game.
A black metal dash spanned the full width of the cockpit. Directly behind the small diameter three-spoke steering wheel was a rev counter flanked by a number of smaller read outs on both sides (oil pressure, oil temperature, water temperature, fuel, ammeter etc.). There were also fresh air vents, an array of flick switches, the mandatory cut-off switches and an exposed fuseboard.
The QVX was right-hand drive with an open gate gear lever off to the driver’s right.
Flimsy butterfly doors opened with simple wire cables.
A single bucket seat was given some rudimentary padding but there was no other upholstery to speak of.
Safety gear extended to a set of Willans harnesses and apllmbed-in fire system.
Weight / Performance
The QVX was quoted with a weight of around 850kg.
In high downforce trim, circa 195mph was expected. In a more slippery low drag trim for Le Mans 210mph may have been possible.
Depending on gearing, 0-62mph required between 2.5 and 3.5 seconds.
1986 Season
Portman had hoped to debut the QVX at Monza for the opening round of the 1986 World Sportscar Championship (April 20th).
However, much to the disappointment of Unipart and the drivers, Lamborghini’s home event had to be missed because the car had only just been equipped with a transmission and remained completely untested.
The QVX subsequently missed the Silverstone 1000km (May 5th) and the all-important Le Mans 24 Hours (May 31st / June 1st).
Finally, after several months of delays owing to a second sponsor failing to materialise, the QVX finally emerged for its maiden test which took place at Silverstone during the fourth week of June.
Tiff Needell drove the car for 40 trouble-free laps and, although the suspension was far too soft and a basic cooking engine was installed, Needell managed an encouraging best of 1 minute 23 seconds which would have been good enough for 19th on the grid at the 1000km race a few weeks earlier. With a full-fat motor and properly configured suspension geometry, the team expected to be able to improve by several seconds.
Although future race plans were dependent on finding another sponsor, Portman were optimistic of appearing at the Brands Hatch 1000km on July 20th.
Unfortunately, that optimism turned out to be misplaced and a secondary sponsor never was found. With cash running out, Brian Gillibrand severed his connection with the team in the middle of July and defected to CBC Motorsport which ran a Metro 6R4 in the National Rally Championship.
Needless to say, hoped-for outings at Brands Hatch, the Nurburgring and Spa did not happen.
Instead, the QVX next appeared at a private Monza test in October where Mauro Baldi was able to drive chassis LC1 with the full-fat 5.8-litre engine in place.
1986 Kyalami 500km
After the successful run at Monza, Portman had the QVX shipped out to South Africa as the team had received an invitation to contest the Kyalami 500km non-championship race scheduled for November 23rd.
As a result of political sensitivities, no works teams attended the event, but Porsche entries from Joest, Brun, Richard Lloyd and John Fitzpatrick ensured there would be plenty of well-sorted opposition for the QVX at its maiden race.
Unfortunately, compared to the Porsche’s turbocharged motors, the QVX’s naturally aspirated Lamborghini engine was expected to be somewhat breathless at such high altitude.
The 500km event (backed by the Southern Suns hotel chain) was split into two 45 lap sprints with the overall results calculated on aggregate. Chassis LC1 appeared with backing from Unipart, Sabat batteries and Dunlop.
Qualifying saw the drivers given one flying lap to set a time with the other sessions given unofficial status.
Needell posted seventh fastest time having earlier battled to sort the car’s handling. Pole position went to the Brun Motorsport Porsche 962C of Jochen Mass and Thierry Boutsen.
After a strong performance in Heat 1, Needell finished seventh.
He then went on to finish fifth in Heat 2 after a good scrap with Jochen Dauer’s Zakspeed C1.
Subsequent History
Unfortunately, the Kyalami outing would be the QVX’s one-and-only race.
Although entries were filed for the 1987 Silverstone 1000km and Le Mans 24 Hours, the programme fizzled out due to a lack of money.
Portman retained the car until 1993, at which point it was sold at public auction following the company’s bankruptcy.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Portman Lamborghini & Supercar Nostalgia
