No nod of approval for Countach by 1971 designer
THE new Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 supercar was revealed to much fanfare back in August, and the limited allocation of 112 units sold out almost immediately. And while it’s a given that not everyone is going to be a fan of the reincarnated supercar, Lamborghini now has to contend with a rather embarrassing revelation: the designer of the original Lamborghini Countach is not a fan of the recreation.
Iconic Italian car designer Marcello Gandini recently put out a statement through his daughter’s PR agency which not only distanced him from the modern Countach project, but insulted it, Autoweek reported.
“Thus, Marcello Gandini would like to reaffirm that he had no role in this operation, and as the author and creator of the original design from 1971, would like to clarify that the makeover does not reflect his spirit and his vision,” said the statement. “A spirit of innovation and breaking the mould which is in his opinion totally absent in this new design.”
The statement also quotes Gandini directly, implying that the new design lacks courage and innovation.
“I have built my identity as a designer, especially when working on supercars for Lamborghini, on a unique concept: each new model I would work on would be an innovation, a breaker, something completely different from the previous one,” Gandini said. “Courage, the ability to create a break without sticking to the success of the previous car, the confidence in not wanting to give in to habit were the very essence of my work.
“It is clear that markets and marketing itself has changed a lot since then, but as far as I am concerned, to repeat a model of the past, represents the negation of the founding principles of my DNA.”
Interestingly, Gandini appeared in a video, filmed before the new Countach was revealed, in which Lamborghini’s current design head Mitja Borkert showed him a scale model of the new car. Gandini did not object to it, nor did he appear to endorse it, instead nodding politely at the new creation.
However, it appears Gandini was at the time unaware that the new Countach would go into production.
The new Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 is powered by a midmounted 6.5-litre normally aspirated V12 petrol engine, paired with Lambo’s hybrid supercapacitor technology to produce a combined output of 599kw, enough to get it from 0-100km/h in 2.8 seconds.