Which one would you have bought back then?
11/05/2017
It was almost 40 years ago when the magazine "Auto Motor und Sport" compared the best super sports cars of the time in issue 9/1978.
The Aston Martin V8 Vantage competed against the Italian Ferrari 512 BB, Lamborghini Countach LP 400 and Maserati Khamsin as well as the German top dog Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3. Three drive concepts - front-engine/rear-wheel drive, mid-engine, rear-engine - from three countries were pitted against each other at the time.
The fastest was the Lamborghini, but the Ferrari was only a little slower, but much more practical. However, the Aston, the Maserati and the Porsche were even better at everyday driving. The Turbo accelerated best up to 140 km/h, at top speeds it lacked a few horsepower and better aerodynamics, which the Maserati Khamsin obviously had. The latter were also the cheapest cars of the quintet.
Which of the five sports cars was chosen at the time was probably primarily an aesthetic question; ecological arguments hardly made a difference, as all of them consumed over 20 liters of petrol per 100 km when they were required. However, the basic prices were far apart, with the most expensive (Countach) costing more than half as much as the cheapest (Turbo).
However, it is interesting to see how the value has developed since the car was purchased new, and here the Lamborghini is in the lead, with the current market value almost 13 times higher than the new price. In second place in this ranking is the Ferrari, followed by the Maserati Khamsin, while the Aston and the Porsche together bring up the rear. What is surprising in this context is the minor influence of production volumes.
The table summarizes the test data and the current market valuation according to Classic Data in condition 2 in euros.
| Vehicle | HORSEPOWER | 0-100 km/h | 0-200 km/h | Vmax km/h | l/100 km | New price DM | Classic Data 2 | Value increase % | Production approx. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Martin V8 Vantage | 380 | 6.1 | 23.3 | 266.7 | 24.2 | 102430 | 150000 | 2.6 | 370 |
| Ferrari 512 BB | 360 | 5.7 | 24.9 | 283.5 | 27.5 | 106955 | 295000 | 5 | 929 |
| Lamborghini Countach P400 | 375 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 288 | 26.6 | 120000 | 850000 | 12.8 | 158 |
| Maserati Khamsin | 320 | 6.6 | 26.2 | 272.7 | 23.9 | 84943 | 145000 | 3.1 | 435 |
| Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 | 300 | 5.4 | 24.4 | 260.9 | 23 | 79900 | 115000 | 2.6 | 18770 |
