Legendary 20th-century supercars line up for a drag race showdown

James May and Richard Hammond, hosts of The Grand Tour show, have set up an epic showdown between two iconic supercars of the twentieth century, the Lamborghini Countach and the Ferrari Testarossa. The race took place on an abandoned RAF airfield in Wroughton, Great Britain.

The Ferrari Testarossa entered the scene in the 1980s packing a V12 engine with almost five liters of displacement. Its output was manufacturer-rated at 390 hp (291 kW) and 490 Nm (361 lbft) of torque. Partnered with a five-speed manual transmission, it managed to accelerate the vehicle 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 5.3 seconds and maxed out at 290 km/h (180 mph). A performance trim, called the 512 TR, came out later armed with 434 hp (324 kW) and could sprint 0-100 in 4.8s.

The Lamborghini Countach dates back to the 1970s, when it initially came out packing a 3.9-liter V12 capable of 375 hp (280 kW) and 361 Nm (266 lbft) of torque. This engine enabled it to sprint to one hundred kilometers per hour in just 5.4 seconds. Later on, Lamborghini released another Countach sporting Kevlar bodywork and a stronger 5.2-liter V12 engine. Customers could choose between two main variants, the first one based on electronic injection (420 hp / 313 kW) and the second one using six carburetors (455 hp / 339 kW). Last but by no means least, there was the experimental prototype called the LP500 Turbo S, which came equipped with a turbocharged engine estimated at 746 hp / 556 kW.

Photos: motor1.com