April 28, 2012
David Houston’s Lamborghini Countach and 427 Corvette
David Houston, executive producer of The Car Show and owner of the Barney’s Beanery restaurants comes by with his 1967 Corvette 427 and 1988 Lamborghini Countach.
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Show Credits
Producer: Jeff Fox
Audio Engineer: Chris Laxamana
David Houston’s Lamborghini Countach and 427 Corvette
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxx3I8dIrWI
Like the sound of that 427? Buy it as a ringtone!
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Out of all the crazy dreams and self-made promises I had as a kid, the only one that has continued with me – as an adult – is the dream / promise to own a Countach.
Like Howard Roarke would say… ‘an end in and of itself.”
What a amazing design achievement.
If Adam wants to avoid gas stations, maybe he needs to look up previous-guest Pat Muldoon and talk to him about options for natural gas conversions (the economic limitations being that it costs a fortune to get approvals to convert specific engines, so people with permits like to stay within a narrow range of engines). He could get a tank for natural gas installed at the house or the warehouse, (just as you would have for a gas range). Then, the trick is to have a pump installed that pressurizes that gas, to make Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), to fuel the vehicle(s).
These pumps are expensive, even for a “slow fill”, (say, overnight). You’re probably talking at least $4,500 for a slow pump. For a faster fill (a few hours), you are probably talking double that. price. You save something like 75% in fuel costs, using natural gas, but the hardware to get into it is costly. It works best with multiple vehicles using the system, to spread out the equipment cost, which is why CNG is mostly a fleet vehicle proposition. However, put together a few friends and maybe you have a viable option.
So, the trick for civillians is to get a few people together that have vehicles with the SAME basic engines, get the conversions to natural gas done, and split the costs of the fueling pump. Yeah, I know, that ain’t easy to do, but it’s an option to consider. For example, use it for a group of SUVs/ Tow Vehicles?
fantastic show!
Enjoyed the show. BTW – Jaguar and Land Rover are both owned by Tata Motors of India. I’m pretty sure that most of the parts are sourced through Ford. Solid product these days. New F-Type coming out in 2013 looks pretty cool.
Adam should look at getting at Audi TT – S. They’re powerful, they handle well (AWD) and are about the size of the Mini, and you can get one with a six speed semi automatic DSG gearbox
A manual Mini is gay as well.
“Why does that tall gangly pubic hair looking guy look familiar.”
“Oh its Adam Carolla in a Mini.” “Is he gay?”
Hey Aceman! Throw up a ringtone of that V8 on the iTunes and I’ll give you a buck tweety nine. Get it on!
That was the best-sounding car we’ve had on the show to date, IMHO. — Col. Jeff
I came in my pants when he started up the Countach
Once you own and regularly drive a race car, you are allowed to have one automatic equipped non-tow vehicle. You pound gears on the track and you’re allowed to drive with your knee in traffic while sipping coffee and eating a breakfast burrito.
Don’t let those street-car guys get you down, go with the auto and be proud. Own it. If they complain, the only reply is to point into the garage and say, “Race car”.
Is the VW Golf GTD coming to the US next year? If so, that might be a good diesel vehicle for Adam. What about the Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S? Small and available in automatic.
Both Countach and 427 Corvette are two great classic sports cars developed from the house of Lamborghini Motors. It’s like a honor to own such all-time favorite classic cars.
Aceman, you need to take your own advice and look for a year old BMW 1 Series. Still has the styling like the E46 series, but you can get the 135i with the 300hp turbo 6 cylinder. A year or two old and they sell for under $30k, hell really go for it and look for the M Coupe version, it’s a real beast!
The cover over the distributor on the Corvette is to prevent radio inteference. Other cars of the era where made of steel and therefore had a natural prevention for interference, the fiberglass Corvette needed the extra shielding on the ignition system.
I concur
Oddly enough, I’m shopping for an automatic Mini right now, going to check one out today. The paddle system is supposed to be decent.
There is no such thing as an “Emergency brake.” It’s a “Park (or parking) brake.” You’re supposed to use it whenever you park, in some hilly cities it’s the law. Parking in it of itself, doesn’t constitute an emergency. When you design automotive interiors, and the park brake is incorporated in the center floor console, it’s never referred to as an emergency brake by the OEM, engineers, planning, documentation, etc…
Hey Matt,
You should try to procure a new Golf TDI with DSG from VW of America. They’re a blast to drive, plenty of torque and tons of legroom. After the motor breaks, you should see 500+ miles between refueling (just gotta learn where the easy-to-use diesel stations are).
Great show, keep up the good work.
-Drew
Thanks Drew. I have us booked with “press” cars until July already, so if we can get a VW it would have to be in a couple of months from now. But I agree, the Golf TDI is pretty cool.