A legend speaks GANDINI ON THE BIRTH OF COUNTACH

Marcello Gandini was – and remains – a colossus of car design. Famously reticent about discussing his career, he nevertheless has great affection for the Countach. “It was done in very little time,” he recalls. “Ferruccio Lamborghini wanted to create something to replace the Miura. It had to be something advanced and revolutionary to show how Automobili Lamborghini was orientated towards the future. We, at Bertone, were ready to fulfil his request, the new styling trend that comprised squarer lines and surfaces being something we were familiar with.”

“The main difference, though, and full credit has to go to Lamborghini, is that the Countach entered production while other concept cars did not,” he continues.

“It represented about eight months’ work prior to the LP500 being shown in Geneva [in March 1971]. We were up against the clock the whole time, but that was perfectly normal. With the exception of the technical layout, and Ferruccio’s wish for something innovative, I was given completely free rein. The original prototype [above] was the most beautiful Countach, but it needed some modification to become a real road car. The changes weren’t too invasive.”

As for the origins of the Countach name, Gandini says: “That word, with the emphasis on the last two letters, is an exclamation in Piedmontese dialect. It literally means ‘contagious,’ but it is used to express positive surprise. It was often uttered by a guy at Bertone who worked on ‘profiling’ the LP500 prototype. It was “Countach” this, “Countach” that. I started to joke that we should simply call the car ‘Countach.’ [Legendary test driver] Bob Wallace was there, and we checked the pronunciation in English. However, what began as a joke became something more serious. I realised that it suited the car perfectly. I persuaded Nuccio Bertone, then Paolo Stanzani and ultimately Ferruccio Lamborghini to use it.”