It’s been 50 years since the Lamborghini Countach wedged itself into the supercar crowd with wild Bertone styling, a bellowing V12 and a race-inspired chassis. For 2021, the marque is reviving the iconic namesake – meet the reborn Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4.
It’s been 50 years since the Lamborghini Countach wedged itself into the supercar crowd with wild Bertone styling, a bellowing V12 and a race-inspired chassis. For 2021, the marque is reviving the iconic namesake – meet the reborn Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4.
Just 112 examples will be built, each combining Lamborghini’s most advanced powertrain tech and an appearance that is distinctly Countach, with a wedge-shaped silhouette and a smattering of details which pay homage to the original.
The new car has been designed as a forward-looking ‘descendant’ of the 1974 model, rather than an imitation, and blends Countach cues with contemporary Lamborghini design touches, such as triple hexagonal LED tail lights.
Retro features include a shallow glasshouse which mimics that of the original, black NACA intakes along the flanks, and distinctive ‘Periscopio’ lines running from the roof to the rear deck. Trapezoidal rear light housings and deep side gills also draw inspiration from the original icon.
Since the Miura, the mark of a Lamborghini flagship has been a mid-mounted V12. The new Countach is true to the lineage, with power coming from a hybrid-assisted 6.5-litre twelve-cylinder unit borrowed from the Sian hypercar. The combustion element alone produces 573kW, while a 48-volt electric motor produces an additional 25kW and serving to sharpen the throttle response even further.
As in the Sian, the electric motor is powered by a supercapacitor, which puts out three times more power than a lithium-ion battery of the same weight. The total 600kW is sent to all four wheels through a 7-speed single-clutch gearbox, which propels the Countach from 0-100km/h in just 2.8 seconds – roughly half the time of the original. The new car will run on to a top speed of 355km/h.
The design wasn’t the only groundbreaking element of the first Countach. The 70s supercar used a cutting-edge tubular spaceframe chassis, and its modern-day counterpart also uses what Lamborghini says is the most advanced chassis technology available.
The monocoque chassis and body panels are made from carbon fibre, giving a dry weight of 1,595kg, while carbon-ceramic brakes hide behind ‘telephone dial’ wheels – a reference to the dramatic wheels of the later Countach LP5000 – shod in track-focused Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres.
The interior of the new Countach will feature 3D printed air vents and is topped off with a photocromatic glass roof, which changes from opaque to transparent at the push of a button. Bespoke comfort seats, geometric stitching, and a square motif on the dashboard also mark out the retro-inspired flagship.
James Brodie
