After the great amount of success the Miura brought for the Lamborghini brand, Ferruccio Lamborghini commissioned a replacement for the iconic car. In 1970 the Lamborghini engineers embarked on a project called LP112 and worked alongside Italian design house, Bertone. In total Lamborghini created three prototypes and in 1971, the Italian firm shocked the world at the Geneva Motor Show where the Countach LP500 prototype was displayed for the first time.
Unlike many Lamborghini models that came before and subsequent, the Countach name is not associated with a famous bull, instead, it is an exclamation of astonishment in the Piedmontese language used in northern Italy. Now the name is back, and it adorns a modern interpretation of the model that started production in 1974. Is the new Countach the ultimate poster car like its namesake? Well, let us take a closer look at the top three things you need to know about the new model.
Powertrain
You might have noticed that the Countach moniker is not the only item in the name of the modern iteration, it continues with LPI 800-4. The latter gives us much insight into the engine configuration, let us unpack. The letters LPI means Longitudinale Posteriore Ibrido which translates to Longitudinal Posterior Hybrid. This means that Lamborghini mounted the 6.5-litre V12 engine which comes with a 48-volt electric motor, in a longitudinal layout.
As mentioned, it has an electric motor which makes the Countach the second Hybrid model in Lamborghini's illustrious past. The electric motor and technology which is based on that of the Sián FKP 37 add 25 kW to the mix for a combined 602 kW (819 cv) and 720 Nm of torque. The 819 cv which is a version of the power figure is rounded down to 800 which is also included in the name.
The '-4' at the very end refers to the fact that all the power that comes from the 7-speed automated manual transmission is sent to all four wheels instead of just two. The all-wheel-drive system in combination with the power- and drive-train systems allows the Lamborghini Countach to accelerate from 0–100 km/h in 2.8 seconds, 0–200 km/h in 8.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 355 km/h.
Platform
While the Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 might appear to have been built new from the ground up, this model is in fact based on the tried and tested Aventador platform. As mentioned earlier the model also shares technology with the Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 which is also built on the Aventador platform.
These facts, however, does not detract from the fact that on the exterior and interior of the new Countach, most elements are either new or have been updated to give the model it's iconic styling. The new Countach is instantly recognizable as the designers have incorporated almost all of the signature design cues from the original model. Unfortunately, the new Countach does not offer the famous pop-up headlamps like the model it represents, but this is because of international design regulations and not because Lamborghini didn't want to.
Limited edition
The new Lamborghini Countach was created as a homage to the original of which 1 983 units were manufactured in its many iterations. It was officially unveiled at the 2021 Monterey Car Week as part of the brand's celebrations around the 50th anniversary of the original Countach. The Countach LPI 800-4 will be manufactured in a limited number of 112 units to signify the project designation of LP112 of the original Countach. But before you gasp at the $2mil+ pricetag, all of the units have already been sold out.
