Lamborghini Countach QVX
| Category | Group C1 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Spice Engineering/Lamborghini | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Engine | Lamborghini 5,700 cc (347.8 cu in) 24-valve DOHC 60° V12 engine, naturally aspirated, mid-engined, longitudinally mounted | ||||||||
| Transmission | Hewland VG-C 5-speed manual | ||||||||
| Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants |
 Portman Lamborghini Spice Engineering
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| Notable drivers |
Tiff Needell Mauro Baldi
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| Debut | 1986 500 km Kyalami | ||||||||
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| Teams' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
The Lamborghini Countach QVX, occasionally referred to as the Lamborghini QVX, was a short-lived Group C sports racing car built in 1985. It was not built or designed by the Lamborghini factory, but instead used a Spice Engineering-built chassis and an engine derived from the Lamborghini Countach's V12; Lamborghini's British importer had commissioned the car. Financial issues restricted it to one race, despite numerous entries in 1986, and a handful in 1987; but its one race showed the car had potential.
In 1985, David Jolliffe, Lamborghini's official British importer, attempted to run the Lamborghini Countach LP5000S in Group B sports car racing, but was prohibited as the car's production run was insufficient to homologate the car. After the failure of this effort, he instead acquired a 5.7-litre V12 engine based on that used in the Countach QV, and commissioned Luigi Marmiroli to develop the engine for Group C racing. Using lessons learned from Lamborghini's successful marine engines, the Lamborghini factory were able to extract between 650 and 700 horsepower from the engine, which was then coupled to a Hewland VG-C transmission. Jolliffe commissioned Spice Engineering to build and design the chassis, which then had the modified Countach engine fitted.
CC Motorsports were selected to run the car for the 1986 World Sportscar Championship season, with Tiff Needell and Mauro Baldi as the car's drivers. However, the team struggled to find sponsorship, and Unipart were the only firm to fund the project; a few minor races followed in 1985, but, despite some successful performances, the financial issues were apparent. The team, now known as Portman Lamborghini (after the name of the British importer) attempted to run the Countach QVX in its first international race at the 360 km of Monza in April 1986; however, they did not attend the race. Three more no-shows followed, most notably including the 1986 24 Hours of Le Mans, before the car finally was run by Spice Engineering at the 500 km Kyalami in November 1986.
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