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Introduced in 1985, the Lamborghini Countach Quattrovalvole, or QV as she's usually referred to, represented a dramatic evolution of the Italian brand’s most outrageous supercar. Building on the already radical Countach design by Marcello Gandini that evolved into the S version previously with the wide wheel arches, deep chin spoiler, and the famous, but still optional rear wing, the QV came with a significant boost in performance to compete with the 1984 Ferrari Testarossa.

The Quattrovalvole name, Italian for “four valves”, referred to the newly updated 5.2-liter V12 engine, now equipped with four valves per cylinder, for a total of 48 valves. This upgrade raised output to around 455 horsepower (in European spec), from 375 hp on the Countach LP500 S, allowing this new Countach to sprint from 0–60 mph in just over 4.5 seconds and reach a top speed of about 183 mph. U.S. models were fitted with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, slightly reducing output to ‘just’ 420 horsepower, but improving emissions compliance to be legal to drive on the street in the United States.

Visually, the QV was rather difficult to distinguish from the previous Countach LP500 S from most angles, the most visual difference was the engine cover, gone were the horizontal louvres, and in their place the QV came with a ‘hump’ in the middle of the engine cover (on European spec cars) that housed the air filter housing on top of the six dual intake Weber carburettors. On US-Spec versions of the Quattrovalvole, and other markets where the fuel injection was required, the engine cover would show two longitudal bumps to house the air filters for the intake manifolds.

The Lamborghini Countach Quattrovalvole will always be remembered as a poster-car icon, I had a poster of it on my bedroom wall in my teens; its wedge-shaped silhouette, scissor doors, and outrageous presence defined the excess and ambition of the 1980s supercar era. Today, it’s one of the most desirable Countach variants for collectors, especially the carburettor version, also called the DD one, for Down Draft (what else did you think it meant?), combining the raw character of early models with the performance of later developments, and those monumental 345 mm wide rear tires.

So when KK-Scale released a large 1/12 scale model of the Lamborghini Countach Quattrovalvole, I just had to add it to the collection, and much to my surprise, it was listed at just €199, instead of €500 or more for AUTOart or Kyosho 1/12 scale models ... but it soon became obvious why the price is so low compared to those two icons.

There are four different colors released by KK-Scale, black, yellow, white, and this red, which should be Rosso Sviglia I think, the white one comes with a red interior by the way, I really like that color combination, but this time I only got the red on tan release, as a Countach QV should be in this exact color combination in my opinion, complete with the massive rear wing, even if it does slow down the car in real life.

In contrary to their 1/18 scale models, on the KK-Scale 1/12 Lamborghini Countach Quattrovalvole you get opening parts, the doors open, the engine cover opens, and even the pop-up headlights work on this model, the front hood doesn’t open, neither does the luggage compartment at the rear, but you can admire the interior and the engine on this model a little better, and they aren’t too bad in terms of details, just keep in mind the price of this model.

What it comes down to is this, if you would compare this 1/12 scale model to a 1/18 scale Kyosho or AUTOart Countach, this larger model doesn’t win the contest, let’s be honest, it looks good, but not as good as an AUTOart or Kyosho Lamborghini Countach, which is why I mentioned to keep the price in mind, for €199 this is a very nice, large scale model, but it is nowhere near a 1/12 AUTOart or Kyosho model, but again, it’s nowhere near the price of those latter two either.

And get this, KK-Scale also released a 1/12 scale figurine of Ferruccio Lamborghini, the founder of Automobili Lamborghini SpA in 1963, so naturally I just had to add that to the collection too, just to pose him next to this Countach QV model, which actually looks just like the real Countach QV on display in the official Ferruccio Lamborghini museum in Funo di Argelato (Bologna), Italy, another reason why I opted for this red on tan version.

So I’m still really happy with this model, I have no regrets adding it to the collection of a few AUTOart 1/12 models like the Gallardo, Murciélago, Murciélago Roadster, and Huracán LP610-4 ... I’m still looking to add the Huracán Performante on a 1/12 scale too, but I’m in no hurry, I focus mainly on 1/18 scale Lamborghini models, but when a deal comes along on a different scale, I’m in.

Originally released in March 2025.

our RATING

Exterior		7/10
Interior		6/10
Engine		7/10
Accuracy		7/10
Overall rating		7/10

Original price on March 9, 2025 : € 199