Memorygasm – The Lamborghini Countach Takeover

The Lamborghini Countach was an Italian “supercar” produced from 1974-1990. Sports Car International placed it #3 on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 1970s, and it clocked in at #10 on their Top Sports Cars of the 1980s list, but somewhere around 1984 it became #1 in every American boy’s heart.

Exotic sports cars had always been a part of pop culture (see: Magnum P.I.’s red Ferrari, James Bond’s various cars), but in the mid-80s the Lamborghini Countach was everywhere.

The Lamborghini Countach was to Micro Machines as “Adam Bomb” was to Garbage Pail Kids – the flagship unit, no collection complete without one.

I never had Adam Bomb, but this guy worked for me

A scan of any 6th grade American classroom would turn up at least one Lamborghini Countach Trapper Keeper.

image courtesy CamHughes.com

1984 G1 Transformer Autobot Sideswipe, modeled after a 1977 Lamborghini Countach:

The Lamborghini poster (with sweet cursive font & dry ice effects) that kid up the street had:

Or this one:

Or the one his older brother had:

And the only reason an entire generation of American kids have ever heard of photographer Rod Caudle:

Let’s not forget the most coveted prize at carnivals and fairs across the country, the framed Lamborghini Countach mirror (somebody find me a pic of one!).

AND a big thank you to Twitterer Christopher McLeod for reminding me of the Cannonball Run opening sequence:

The Lamborghini Diablo came along in 1990 and replaced the Countach, but our memories will live on forever..