Ever wondered what the Lamborghini Countach would look like in 2021? Wonder no longer.
Unveiled at The Quail as part of Monterey Car Week, the Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 cloaks a modern hybrid setup under an angular body inspired by the legendary Countach supercar.
Just 112 will be built, making it what Lamborghini is calling a “few-off”. They’re sold out, despite a price tag somewhere around the $5 million (AUD) mark.
The numbers are eye-opening. Combined with an electrical system fed by low-capacity, high-output supercapacitors instead of lithium-ion batteries, the V12 in the LPI 800-4 is good for 600kW of power and 720Nm of torque.
Coupled with all-wheel drive and a seven-speed transmission, the electrified 6.5-litre V12 shunts the Countach to 100km/h in 2.8 seconds, 200km/h in 8.6 seconds, and will keep on pulling to a top speed of 355km/h.
Eagle-eyed readers will notice there’s a few similarities between the LPI800 and the Sian. That’s no accident; the powertrain in the Countach has been lifted from the Sian.
Inspiration for the LPI 800 has been taken from a range of different Countach models, although Lamborghini has taken more from more restrained early cars without oversized spoilers.
The dramatic glasshouse, pinched engine cover, and hexagonal wheel arches are the most identifiable nods to the past, along with the NACA air intake that could have come only from a Countach.
The cabin is accessed through scissor doors, a Lamborghini tradition started by the first Countach, and is home to a cabin heavily inspired by the Sian.
Although the technology is very Sian, the styling of the LPI 800-4 is very Countach with square inserts in the seats and a red-and-black finish.
Apparently it’s a nod Ferrucio Lamborghini’s own Countach LP 400S. Naturally, customers will be able to customise their cars.
There is a unique design (or Stile) button inside that will explain the ethos of the car to its owner or passengers.
Not that there will be many passengers to whom things can be explained, given just 112 will be built in reference to the first internal codename for the Countach: LP112.
“The first Countach has been present in our Centro Stile as a model for some years now,” said Mitja Borkert, head of Lamborghini Centro Stile.
“Whenever I look at it, it gives me goosebumps 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.
“This is an un-negotiable part of our DNA, the essence if you so will. The first Countach shaped the Lamborghini design DNA like no other car; the new Countach translates that unconventional and edgy character into the future.”
Deliveries of the LPI 800 will begin in 2022.
The Countach is supercar royalty, which debuted the dramatic, angular styling that has come to define the brand.
Power came from a V12 engine initially displacing 4.0 litres and eventually boosted to 5.0 litres, and the model lived in various forms for more than 15 years.
It’s a pop culture icon, having graced magazine covers, bedroom walls, and the silver screen consistently since its launch.
