- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru He Fr
Revived after 30 years
The Lamborghini Countach (correctly pronounced [kuŋˈtaʧ]; this word comes from one Italian dialect) is, without exaggeration, the most important model in Lamborghini’s history. The Countach LP 500 prototype was first unveiled at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, serving as the basis for the brand’s subsequent masterpieces. The layout comprises a space frame, a central engine structure with a V12 longitudinal engine, as well as a flat, flying saucer-type, wedge-shaped silhouette and ‘guillotine’ doors. The Countach was the first model in the world to feature all of these elements, which are still used in modern models of the Italian company. One example of this and a tribute to the iconic ancestor is the current Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4, brought to The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering in August 2021.
The legendary Lamborghini Countach was designed by Marcello Gandini. This is almost the only Lambo car not named after a fighting bull. The slang word ‘Countach’ comes from the Piedmont dialect of the Italian language: the one who says ‘contacc!’ expresses admiration and delight. This word was very often repeated by one of the employees of the great Gandini when working on the coupe, and it became the name of the car. And the inherent meaning was fully justified: several generations of boys (and girls) all over the world grew up dreaming of such a car (or at least a toy car). But the Countach was not produced for so long, from 1974 to 1990, and less than two thousand cars were created over the years.
Exterior
Taking good care of every detail, the Italians have preserved the 16-year history of the first Countach and transferred it to the newcomer, which is lovingly reflected in the advertising video where the wind of change blows the dust off the old coupe, and demonstrates the similarity of the 2021 new car with the first generation car from the 70s of the last century! By the way, the new supercar also does not have a fixed spoiler and other protruding elements on the body.
The new Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 combines the features of the LP 500, LP 400 and other later modifications. The new model also has some modern features, including huge air ducts, openings behind the doors and a panoramic roof made of electrochromic glass in the form of a Periscopio tunnel, and greetings from the past like a ‘four-muzzle’ exhaust, a characteristic diffuser and three-section lights, by which it is easy to determine where the designers found their inspiration.
‘The first Countach has been present in our Centro Stile as a model for some years now. Whenever I look at it, it gives me goose bumps and it serves as the perfect reminder for me and the entire design team to design every future Lamborghini in a visionary and futuristic way… The first Countach shaped the Lamborghini design DNA like no other car; the new Countach translates that unconventional and edgy character into the future’
The debut car is painted in the bluish-white Bianco Siderale color, chosen for a reason: it was ‘worn’ by the LP 400 S, owned by the founder of the company, Ferruccio Lamborghini. The palette also includes other vintage colors: Impact White, Giallo Countach, Verde Medio and modern metallic colors Viola Pasifae and Blu Uranus. The chassis and body panels are made of carbon fiber, and the coupe weighs 1,595 kilograms. The contrasting body elements are made of a composite with visible weave threads, and the movable air ducts are 3D printed. The past and the present are really closely intertwined!
Interior
The interior of the demonstration coupe is modern, and only the trim with a characteristic color combination is inspired by the original model: the interior is trimmed with black and red leather with geometric stitching in the style of the 1970s. It can delight the driver with a new 8.4-inch multimedia system display. The highlight is the Stile button, which you can click to watch a video presentation about the philosophy and style of the Countach model.
Powertrains
The original car had a 3.9-liter V12 engine. Next, 4.8 and 5.2-liter engines appeared, and their power increased from 375 to 455 hp. The torque was transmitted to the rear axle through a 5-speed manual transmission. The modern supercar is equipped with a hybrid system that uses the chassis and technical components of Lamborghini’s first production hybrid, the Sian FKP 37: a 6.5-liter V12 (780 hp and 720 Nm) plus a small electric motor built into a 7-speed ISR robotic gearbox (34 hp, 35 Nm). The dynamics of the 2021/2022 Lamborghini Countach will not shame the memory of the ancestor: it develops 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds, 200 km/h in 8.6 seconds, and its maximum speed is 355 km/h.
Interestingly, the current source, like that of the Sian, is an ionistor, or supercapacitor, three times more powerful than a lithium-ion battery of the same size. The car is all-wheel drive with a Haldex IV clutch. Moreover, there is Lamborghini Dynamic Steering system, ‘honest’ three-mode hydraulic power steering, full-steering chassis and several driving settings. The suspensions have aluminum double levers and magnetorheological shock absorbers. Behind the 20-inch front and 21-inch wheels, you can see carbon-ceramic rotors (400/380 mm). There are new Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires in 255/30 ZR20 and 355/25 ZR21 sizes.
Everything is sold out!
How many Countach LPI 800-4 supercars will be built? Few, only 112 cars (and this is also symbolic, as during development, the original Countach wore the LP 112 code). The first cars will go to their owners in the first quarter of 2022. The entire batch was sold out in just a couple of days, and the coupe costs at least 2 million euros. Note that the new Countach and the limited edition Aventador Ultimae are the latest Lamborghinis with a V12 engine, and the next supercars with a full hybrid system should begin their triumphant march around the world in 2024.
