Lamborghini revives the Countach name for its 50th anniversary

BY CALLUM HUNTER

Five decades after it initial reveal, the Lamborghini Countach is back.

LAMBORGHINI has always and likely will always make some of the most striking and iconic poster cars in the world, and very few have been able to capture the world’s attention or imagination as well as the Countach did back in 1974.

Sharp lines, slim lights, bulges, vents, huge wings and massive rear tyres defined the Countach, especially in LP-5000 form, perhaps more so than the aggro V12 that resides behind the cabin.

All flagship Lambos look good, but very few have looked as good as the Countach – besides the Miura, obviously.

Sadly, the Countach went out of production in 1990 and was replaced by the still sharp-looking Diablo in the same year.

The reborn hero blends classic design cues with modern technology.

Happily though, both the Countach nameplate and elements of that iconic styling are back in 2022, if only for a limited time.

Built to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the Countach’s initial reveal in 1971, Lamborghini is relaunching the nameplate as a limited-edition flagship based on the electrified Sian.

Instantly recognisable, the new hero model’s design is a modern take on the original Countach’s with the same thinly-wedged nose, narrow headlights, high-mounted vents, body slatting and comparatively high rear end.

The body and monocoque are made exclusively from carbon-fibre, resulting in a dry weight of 1595kg with the package as a whole riding on classically-inspired, lightweight alloy wheels (20-inch front, 21-inch rear) shod with Pirelli P Zero Corsa rubber.

Nearly all of the original model’s design cues have been replicated and modernised.

Blending classic design cues with modern tech, the new Countach features an uprated version of the Sian’s 6.5-litre V12 mild-hybrid powertrain, which now produces a combined 599kW.

While no combined torque figure is quoted, the V12 is good for 720Nm by itself while the transmission-mounted 48V electric motor develops 35Nm.

It may look similar, but there’s not many similarities in the performance; the reborn Countach is one of the fastest Lamborghinis to date, stopping the clock from 0-100km/h in 2.8 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 8.6 seconds and pushing on to a top speed of 355km/h.

That kidney-scarring 0-100km/h time is possible thanks to the now signature all-wheel-drive system, with gear changes fired off by a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Classic by design, thoroughly modern by nature.

For when the time comes to slow back down again – and put your organs back into place – a high-tech carbon-ceramic braking system is on hand with engineers quoting a 100-0km/h stopping distance of just 30 metres.

While the body and underpinnings unite in a generous blend of classic meets modern theme, there is nothing classic about the interior design save for the raised centre console and its sloping join with the dashboard, which in the new car is taken care of by an 8.4-inch infotainment system.

For anybody who misses or doesn’t realise what they’re sitting in, the infotainment system has a special button which, when pressed, explains the fabled Countach design philosophy.

Unlike the original, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included as standard.

The modern interior also has classic touches like the angular design of the join between the centre console and dashboard.

Lamborghini president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann said the new Countach is as visionary today as the original was back in the 1970s.

“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’,” he said.

“The Countach LPI 800-4 pays homage to this Lamborghini legacy but it is not retrospective: it imagines how the iconic Countach of the 70s and 80s might have evolved into an elite super sports model of this decade.

“It is a Lamborghini that innately expresses the marque’s enduring and emotive power: always inspirational and thrilling to see, hear and most of all drive.”

As any flagship Lambo should, the new Countach comes with scissor doors as standard.

Just 112 examples of the new Countach are being produced ahead of first deliveries starting early next year, so those keen on securing one will have to act quick because we can’t imagine stock will be hanging around.

If you end up missing out, perhaps pre-write the blank cheque for if or when a reimagined Diablo comes along in 2030 or 2040.

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