Lamborghini
released their first iconic Countach, the LP400, in 1974. The
"400" roughly corresponds to the displacement of the V-12 engine,
3,929cc. Tamiya released their 58005
Countach model in 1978 and called it the LP500S. However,
Lamborghini did not begin selling the LP500S with the 4,754cc engine and
optional rear wing until 1982. What's going on here? How
did Tamiya make a model of a car 4 years before it even existed?
The answer lies in the history of the LP500 variant. Canadian
businessman Walter Wolf specially commissioned 3 upgraded versions of
the LP400 for himself in 1975. These had the ~5 liter engine of
the original pre-production prototype, wider rear tires, fender flares,
and a rear wing. These specialized versions would become the
genesis of the production LP500S in the future, but at the time Tamiya
made their model they were unique customs. Although Tamiya never
mentions Walter Wolf specifically in the title, the car on the cover of
the box has Wolf's signature Canadian flag logo and the word "Wolf" can
be discerned above the headlights. The box art shows the car in
both dark blue and red, both authentic colors of Wolf's cars.The original 58005 was only the 5th Tamiya car ever, and the first of an actual production road car (as opposed to a pure racing car). The Countach used a simple, flat plate chassis with rigidly attached axles and no suspension. It was driven by a 380 sized motor. Like all the early models, the body was in 1/12 scale and molded in polystyrene. The body was quite detailed and included separate parts for the bumpers, wipers, wing, mirrors, and air intakes. Although never again available in exactly the same form, the Countach continued as an available Tamiya RC model occasionally. Only 3 months after the original, Tamiya released the 58008 CS (Competition Special) which included a much larger 540 motor and stickier tires. This model was shown in a custom black paint scheme no longer linked to Walter Wolf. Ten years later, in 1988, they released the tiny 1/24 version in the Tamtech series as 48007. Fast forward another 20 years (2008) and we'd get two more in different scales. The 58413 model was 1/10 scale and sat on the TT-01 Type E chassis. The box art showed the car in black, but without the white decorative stripes of 58008. This was later available in pre-painted versions in white or yellow. Finally we come to the version I have, the 57105 which is part of the Tamtech Gear series. This shares the 1/12 scale with the original, but the body is now polycarbonate instead of a hard shell. I chose to paint mine in yellow mainly to differentiate it from the rest of my collection. It seemed suitably bold for a car like the Countach.
The Tamtech gear series uses the GT-01 chassis which I described in detail on my Ferrari 288 GTO page. The chassis is quite capable if you upgrade the motor. Oil shocks are also advisable, but they are prohibitively expensive. I also added a simple light kit to mine to increase the realism. The body mounts from below which allows for the excellent exterior appearance with no protruding body posts. The wheels are the classic style which fit the model perfectly. The helmeted racing driver is perhaps a bit out of place, but I'm glad that there at least is a driver.
Update: This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire. It has not been replaced.
 Page 1: Assembly |
 Page 2: Final Photos |