803bhp hybrid V12 special
Retro-styled £1.7m special is based on Aventador with V12 and electric motor
The Lamborghini Countach has been reborn as an ultra-exclusive hybrid hypercar with 803bhp and styling influenced by the legendary Bertonedesigned 1974 original.
The second of two V12powered creations to leave Sant’agata this year, following the Aventador Ultimae in July, the new Countach LPI 800-4 has been shown at the annual Monterey Car Week festival in California, as Lamborghini marks 50 years since the Countach LP500 prototype was given its debut at the Geneva motor show.
Just 112 examples of the new Countach will be built, priced from €2 million (£1.7m) before taxes, and the majority are said to be spoken for already.
Like its 1970s namesake, the Countach is powered by a naturally aspirated, longitudinally rear-mounted (longitudinale posteriorie, hence LP in the name) V12, in this case producing the same 769bhp as it does in the Aventador Ultimae, and driving both axles through a sevenspeed automatic gearbox.
This engine alone would make the Countach one of Lamborghini’s most powerful cars yet, but the integration of a 34bhp 48V electric motor within the transmission takes combined output to 803bhp, which puts it well clear of the Ultimae and only slightly below the Sián FKP 37. A torque figure hasn’t been given, but it can be expected to closely match the Sián’s 531lb ft.
The Countach can sprint from 0-62mph in just 2.8sec – 2.0sec quicker than the most powerful version of the original Countach – and on to 124mph in just 8.6sec. Its top speed is pegged at 221mph.
The electric motor is powered by a supercapacitor unit that is claimed to produce three times more power than a conventional lithium ion battery of the same weight.
This is the “only mild-hybrid technology to create a direct connection between electric motor and wheels”, according to Lamborghini. It is used to smooth out the acceleration curve, and give a subtle power boost at the driver’s discretion
❝ Like the original Countach, it’s powered by a longitudinally rearmounted, naturally aspirated V12 ❞
and motive assistance in lowspeed manoeuvres.
However, this will be the last time that Lamborghini employs the technology in a production car, with the replacements for the Aventador, Huracán and Urus lined up to receive more conventionally hybridised powertrains with the capacity for significantly reduced emissions and engine-off running, which a supercapacitor can’t achieve.
While the underpinnings of the Countach are an evolution of those used by the Aventador and Sián, the car’s design is all new. It is based heavily on the defining features of the original Countach, which Lamborghini describes as “the poster car of the 1980s and a symbol of automotive and lifestyle ultra-cool”.
The silhouette takes inspiration from the various Countach models made during the car’s nearly 20-year
life cycle, having been subtly reshaped for a more obvious ‘wedge’ shape, with prominent sharp lines and angles highlighted as characteristics that will be carried over to future Lamborghini models.
The front end is where the most obvious changes have been made, with the Aventador’s aggressive visage making way for a cleaner, less cluttered look with simple, near-rectangular headlights and a clearly defined bonnet.
This minimalist theme continues in the uninterrupted roofline, with the engine’s air intakes integrated into the rear haunches.
The prominent air intakes on the sides evoke those that adorned the original Countach, which were used to feed air to a pair of side-mounted radiators in a set-up inspired by Formula 1 cars.
A more subtle historical reference appears up top: a clearly defined recess running the length of the roof is a nod to the innovative periscope rearview mirror that was fitted to early Countach models.
Lamborghini’s trademark hexagon motif also features throughout, apparent in the brake light clusters, teledialstyle wheels and transparent engine-cover louvres.
Meanwhile, modern touches including ‘movable’ 3D-printed air vents and a photochromatic roof panel that changes from transparent to opaque on command serve as a reminder that the Countach, “despite its historic inspiration, is a future automotive screensaver for the 21st century”.
Inside, geometric stitching pays tribute to the angular original Countach, but the cabin is still closely related
❝ It has 503bhp per tonne, thanks largely to the use of carbonfibre for all of its body elements ❞
to that of the Aventador, with modern accoutrements including an 8.4in infotainment touchscreen with smartphone mirroring functionality.
Tipping the scales at 1595kg dry, the Countach has a powerto-weight ratio of 503bhp per tonne, thanks largely to the use of carbonfibre for all of its body elements. The material is left exposed in certain areas, but a range of heritage paint options are available, including the Bianco Siderale seen here, Verde Medio and Bronzo Zante.
Mitja Borkert, head of Lamborghini’s Centro Stile design division, hailed the original Countach as “one of the most significant and exciting cars in automotive history” and said that the new model gave an opportunity to “continue its evolution into a new era”.
He said: “The Countach was provocative and polarising. It made people smile and stare. But its infamous recognisability demonstrates the purity of its design legacy. The Countach LPI 800-4 elevates that clarity to a new level, celebrated in an exclusive limited edition to take its place in motoring history.”
Lamborghini’s revival of a historic name and use of retro design cues comes as a bit of a surprise, given that CEO Stephan Winkelmann (who is serving his second term at the helm) holds a well-documented aversion to nostalgia, instead favouring an ‘eyes-forward’ approach to product planning.
Explaining how the Countach project made it off the drawing
board, Winkelmann said: “I left the company [in 2016] with the idea that we were never going to make a retro car, never ever. So I came back [in December 2020] and said: ‘Why are we doing this now?’ But when we looked at the car and talked about it, I was happy to do it.”
The Countach, then, is likely to be a special case, with no other old cars due to be revived.
“I always say that we need to look through a big windscreen,” Winkelmann explained, “not spend too long glancing at the rear mirrors.”
Lamborghini is on the cusp of a transformative era, with the Aventador’s plug-in hybrid successor due in 2023 and an electric four-seat supersaloon to follow shortly after.