21st century Countach unveiled on 50th anniversary of Lamborghini's supercar

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21st century Countach unveiled on 50th anniversary of Lamborghini’s supercar

The Countach was undoubtedly a legendary Lamborghini model and an early entrant in the supercar era. On its 50th anniversary, the carmaker has unveiled a successor – the Countach LPI 800-4 – as a futuristic limited edition recreated for the 21st century. It imagines how the iconic Countach (pronounced ‘coon-tach’) of the 1970s and 1980s might have evolved into an elite super sports model of this decade.

The distinctive silhouette with the essential line running from front to rear, sharp angles and lines and idiosyncratic wedge shape, innovated modern super sports design as well as future Lamborghini models. The LPI 800-4 uses those characteristic lines of the original Countach’s five models over nearly 20 years, with the final outline being pure and uncluttered.

*One of the many versions of the original Countach. It was one of the very few Lamborghini model names not connected to bulls.*

Giving the LPI 800-4 a distinctive Countach face, inspiration was taken from the Quattrovalvole edition with its long, low rectangular grille and headlights, as well as in the wheelarches with their hexagonal theme. The sharp inclination of the greenhouse adopts the straight lines redolent of the original Countach, adjoining the powerful, clean front-to-rear line.

There is no fixed rear wing outside the pure lines, and the airscoops are integrated fluidly in the strong shoulders of the car, embellished with the distinctive Countach slatted ‘gills’. The iconic and aerodynamically powerful NACA air intakes cut into the side and doors of the LPI 800-4 while the distinctive Periscopio lines running through the roof to the rear of the car, particularly distinctive if viewed from above, appear to float towards the rear of the car.

The rear is immediately recognizable from its distinctive inverted wedge shape, with the rear bumper featuring a lower, sleeker line, and the ‘hexagonita’ design shaping the 3-unit rear light clusters. The LPI 800-4 sports the quad tailpipes of the Countach family, connected within the carbonfibre rear diffuser.

The V12 engine of the Countach is as legendary as the design. Mounted at the rear together with its forward-cabin layout, the original Countach featured side-mounted radiators from Formula 1 cars, plus a forward-facing gearbox and tubular spaceframe technology.

The familiar 6.5-litre V12 engine is part of the hybrid powertrain that includes a 48V electric motor (e-motor) to generate up to 803 ps/720 Nm. The e-motor is powered by a supercapacitor providing 3 times more power compared to a lithium-ion battery of the same weight. This enables the 4-wheel drive supercar to rocket from standing still to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds, after which it will pass 200 km/h in another 5.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 355 km/h, it is claimed.

The monocoque chassis and all the body panels are in carbonfibre, provide the optimum lightweight solution as well as exceptional torsional stiffness. With a dry weight of 1,595 kgs, the weight-to-power ratio is 195 kg/ps.

Visible exterior carbonfibre features are available in the front splitter, around the front window and wing mirrors, engine bonnet cover air intakes and rocker panel and it is always present in specific interior details. Moveable air vents produced by the state-of-the-art 3D printing technology, and a photocromatic roof – changing from solid to transparent at the push of a button – act as a reminder that this car, despite its historic inspiration, is a future automotive screensaver for the 21st century.

The LPI 800-4 unveiled in California this week is in Bianco Siderale, a finish containing a hint of pearlescent blue and reminiscent of Ferruccio Lamborghini’s own Countach LP 400 S, complete with red and black leather heritage interior.

The interior also takes design cues from the original Countach within the context of a modern car. The classic and luxurious leather features geometric stitching on the specially designed comfort seats and dashboard, sporting a square motif referencing the bold style and optimism of 1970s design and technology. Access for driver and passenger is, of course, via the infamous scissor doors, first introduced on the Countach and that have become a Lamborghini V12 signature.

“The Countach LPI 800-4 is a visionary car of the moment, just as its forerunner was,” said Automobili Lamborghini President & CEO, Stephan Winkelmann. “One of the most important automotive icons, the Countach not only embodies the design and engineering tenet of Lamborghini but represents our philosophy of reinventing boundaries, achieving the unexpected and extraordinary and, most importantly, being the ‘stuff of dreams’. It upholds the Lamborghini tradition of looking forward, of exploring new design and technology avenues while celebrating the DNA of our brand.”

Lamborghini will build 112 units, the number taken from the ‘LP 112’ internal project name used during the original car’s development. Pricing is not known though that is not something potential customers will need to know right away. Those who do book one will get their car during the first quarter of 2022.