Lamborghini’s iconic eighties poster supercar, the Countach, has been reborn for 2021 with a modern twist on the famed wedge-shape and a hybrid power unit producing a massive 803bhp.
The new Countach LPI 800-4 has been revealed at Monterey Car Week at Pebble Beach, California, and is a futuristic homage to the original car that first saw the light of day – in concept form – 50 years ago.
It is powered by the same hybrid system as the Italian car maker’s limited-edition Sián hypercar, using the 6.5-litre V12 engine and supercapacitor technology to boost performance and efficiency.
The stunning retro-inspired two-seater will hit 62mph in 2.8 seconds and has a top speed of 221mph. Prices start from around £2million.
Countach on the comeback trail: Lamborghini has resurrected one of its most iconic names with a modern tribute to the eighties pin-up supercar
Only 112 examples will be built at the Italian marque’s Sant’Agata Bolognese factory.
But don’t log into your online banking or start rustling through the drawers to find your chequebook just yet, because they’re already sold out.
Lamborghini has for weeks been sneaking details of the all-new Countach to existing customers, via its exclusive app – and all 112 have been snapped up by eager enthusiasts desperate to get their hands on the returning legend.
Its full name – LPI 800-4 – denotes the incredible performance figures of the new Countach.
‘LPI’ is short for ‘Longitudinale Posteriore Ibrido’, which loosely translates to it having a longitudinally mounted engine positioned in the middle – though towards the rear – of the car with a hybrid system. The ‘800’ figure is a reference to it having in excess of 800bhp and the ‘4’ represents the fact it is all-wheel drive.
Lamborghini says the new limited edition car ‘pays homage to the Countach’s iconic status as a revolutionary design and technology rulebreaker, recreated for the 21st century’.
The new Countach LPI 800-4 has been revealed at Monterey Car Week at Pebble Beach, California, and is a futuristic homage to the original car that first saw the light of day – in concept form – 50 years ago
The stunning retro-inspired two-seater will hit 62mph in 2.8 seconds and has a top speed of 221mph. Prices start from around £2million
Look familiar? The iconic wedge shape, bulking shoulder vents and triangular slashes in the doors have all been carried over from the original Countach to the new LPI 800-4 version
It will be one of the final high-performance road cars launched by the brand with a monumental V12 engine – and also the last to have supercapacitor technology.
This is unique from a traditional hybrid vehicle with a supplementary battery, with the supercapacitor acting as an electrical component that stores energy that can offer a kick of performance to an already mind-bogglingly potent supercar.
The V12 petrol engine produces a total of 769bhp alone, while the 48-volt electric motor delivering power from the supercapacitor adds another 34bhp to the equation.
Not only does this translate to a zero-to-62mph sprint time of less than three seconds, it will hit 124mph in 8.6 seconds and continue accelerating beyond the magical 200mph mark.
The LPI 800-4 name explained: ‘LPI’ is short for ‘Longitudinale Posteriore Ibrido’, which loosely translates to it having a longitudinally mounted engine positioned in the middle – though towards the rear – of the car with a hybrid system. The ‘800’ figure is a reference to it having in excess of 800bhp and the ‘4’ represents the fact it is all-wheel drive
Lamborghini says the new limited edition car ‘pays homage to the model’s iconic status as a revolutionary design and technology rulebreaker, and recreated for the 21st century’. The Countach debuted in 1971 at the Geneva Motor Show as the LP500 concept
It will be one of the final high-performance road cars launched by the brand with a monumental V12 engine – and also the last to have supercapacitor technology. The V12 petrol engine produces a total of 769bhp alone, while the 48-volt electric motor delivering power from the supercapacitor adds another 34bhp to the equation
The car features a monocoque chassis and all the body panels are in carbon fibre to keep weight down and retain as much torsional stiffness. Lamborghini says it tips the scales – dry – at 1,595kg.
‘The engineering team that developed the original Countach advanced Lamborghini’s pioneering technical approach, delivering unexpected innovations and the best performance available in a production car,’ explains Lamborghini chief technology officer, Maurizio Reggiani.
‘That spirit inherently drives Lamborghini R&D, resulting in the pioneering hybrid technology in the LPI 800-4, and the emotive driving experience and top-line performance expected from a flagship V12 Lamborghini.’
Only 112 examples of the 2021 model will be built at the Italian marque’s Sant’Agata Bolognese factory. Lamborghini originally built just under 2,000 Countach models over a 16-year production series running from 1974 to 1990
If you’re thinking about splashing out a cool £2million on one of the 112 available cars, think again. They’re already sold out
Buyers get the choice of colours for both inside and out – we are big fans of these red leather seats with white stitching (left), Some features can’t be changed – like the traditional quad-exhausts that have been ever-present for V12 Lamborghinis (right)
Design inspirations from the original Countach
In terms of design, Lamborghini says the LPI 800-4 is ‘instantly recognisable as the elevated descendant of Countach generations’ and is ‘testament to the lasting impact of the original Countach design that became the poster car of the 1980s and a symbol of automotive and lifestyle ultra-cool’.
The Countach’s distinctive wedge-shaped silhouette with straight lines running from front to rear have been mimicked on a modern Lamborghini shell, with designers tasked to incorporate as many sharp angles and flat edges to pay homage to the original.
Importantly, it retains the renowned scissor doors, which were first introduced on the Countach and have become a signature feature of all V12-powered Lambos through the ages.
The 2021 model retains the distinctive Countach face and flat bonnet, plus a low rectangular grille and headlights
Side-by-side, you can easily spot the similarities between old and new, such as the hexagonal wheelarches, scissor doors and the triangular air vents in the profile
The rear bumper features a lower, sleeker line, and the ‘hexagonita’ theme also runs into the three-unit rear light clusters
In terms of design, Lamborghini says the LPI 800-4 is ‘instantly recognisable as the elevated descendant of Countach generations’ and is ‘testament to the lasting impact of the original Countach design that became the poster car of the 1980s and a symbol of automotive and lifestyle ultra-cool’
While a number of more extreme – big-winged – versions of the initial Countach were launched in its 16-year production life and became the pin-ups of a generation, the new model is a tribute to the LP500 concept revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in 1971 and the early examples that followed when the customer-ready model was built from 1974.
It retains the distinctive Countach face and flat bonnet.
Bosses say the new car takes inspiration taken from the Quattrovalvole edition with assertive lines on the hood, a low rectangular grille and headlights, as well as in the wheel arches with their hexagonal theme. The sharp inclination of the glass ‘greenhouse’ engine cover adopts the straight lines redolent of the original Countach.
Like the enigmatic original, it features airscoops in the shoulders of the car, the triangular cut-out in the doors and those Countach ‘gills’ – which are synonymous with the original’s design – to the rear of the windows.
‘Distinctive Periscopio lines running through the roof to the rear of the car, particularly distinctive if viewed from above, appear to float towards the rear of the car,’ design bosses explain.
It uses 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels with a design inspired by supercars of the eighties, though this time fitted with carbon ceramic brake discs and super-sticky Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres
Left to right: Mitja Borkert, head of design; Stephan Winkelmann, president and CEO; Maurizio Reggiani, chief technology officer
The Countach was the first Lamborghini not to be associated with famous bulls and bullfighting. The name originated from the word ‘contacc’, an exclamation of astonishment in the Piedmontese language. The Diablo – translating to Devil – followed suit when it replaced the Countach in 1990
The rear of the Countach LPI 800-4 is also recognisable as a tribute to the eighties bedroom-wall-favourite, though not quite as book-ended as the original design.
It keeps the top-mounted engine cover from the original and also replicates the slatted panel, though with a modern twist using a stepped glass design.
The rear bumper features a lower, sleeker line, and the ‘hexagonita’ theme also runs into the three-unit rear light clusters.
The LPI 800-4 sports the four-strong exhaust tail pipes of the Countach family, connected within the carbon fibre rear diffuser.
It uses 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels with a design inspired by supercars of the eighties, though this time fitted with carbon ceramic brake discs and super-sticky Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres.
The 112 owners of the exclusive limited edition Countach LPI 800-4 can choose from a range of heritage exterior paint options, mostly in solid colours, such as the iconic Impact White, Giallo and Verde Medio.
More contemporary new colours including grey, purple and blue join these options.
There’s just as many options for the interior, with the cabin also featuring an exclusive 8.4-inch HDMI central touchscreen.
It also includes a unique button entitled ‘Stile’ – or ‘Design’. When pressed, it loads up a documented history of the Countach design philosophy to its privileged audience.
Buyers will be able to spec their new Countach in the same Impact White colour driven by Jordan Belfort – played by Leonardo DiCaprio – in 2013 hit film, The Wolf of Wall Street. Directors infamously trashed a genuine Countach for the film’s iconic scene where Belfort drives the Lamborghini home while intoxicated by a cocktail of alcohol and drugs
Lamborghini has already offered the new Countach to its most esteemed customers via the brand’s exclusive app. Buyers around the world will be begin to take deliveries of from the first quarter of 2022
‘The Countach is one of the most significant and exciting cars in automotive history’
Unveiling the car in California, company president and CEO, Stephan Winkelmann said: ‘The Countach LPI 800-4 is a visionary car of the moment, just as its forerunner was.
‘One of the most important automotive icons, the Countach not only embodies the design and engineering tenet of Lamborghini but represents our philosophy of reinventing boundaries, achieving the unexpected and extraordinary and, most importantly, being the ‘stuff of dreams’.
‘The Countach LPI 800-4 pays homage to this Lamborghini legacy but it is not retrospective: it imagines how the iconic Countach of the 70s and 80s might have evolved into an elite super sports model of this decade.
‘It upholds the Lamborghini tradition of looking forward, of exploring new design and technology avenues while celebrating the DNA of our brand. It is a Lamborghini that innately expresses the marque’s enduring and emotive power: always inspirational and thrilling to see, hear and most of all drive.’
Recognised as one of the greatest supercars of all time, the Countach’s wedge-shaped design – penned by Marcello Gandini – and scissor doors were a huge departure from Lamborghini’s original high-performance model, the Miura.
It’s V12 engine also goes down as a legend in the automotive world – mounted longways at the rear to provide extra space for the cabin.
The original also boasted side-mounted radiators from Formula One, a forward-facing gearbox and tubular spaceframe technology never seen before on a road car.
Like the enigmatic original, it features airscoops in the shoulders of the car that give it a muscular, hunkered presence
The triangular cut-out sections in the doors have been retained, as have the ‘gills’ – which are synonymous with the original Countach’s design – to the rear of the side windows
Performance of the new car will be very special indeed. It will accelerate from 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds, from 0-124mph in 8.6 seconds and to a top speed of 221mph. But do you think it looks as good as the original Countach? That’s up to you to decide
In total, fewer than 2,000 examples were built between 1974 and production ending in 1990, when it was replaced by the equally-adored and just-as-bonkers Diablo.
The Countach was the first Lamborghini not to be associated with famous bulls and bullfighting. The name originated from the word ‘contacc’, an exclamation of astonishment in the Piedmontese language. The Diablo – translating to Devil – followed suit.
‘The Countach is one of the most significant and exciting cars in automotive history as well as in Lamborghini’s heritage,’ explained Mitja Borkert, Lamborghini head of design.
‘The Countach LPI 800-4 project is an incomparable design opportunity: to take a car so important and continue its evolution into a new era is a unique privilege.
‘The Countach was provocative and polarizing, it made people smile and stare, but its infamous recognizability 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.’
Those who have been fortunate enough – and rich enough – to get their name down on one of the 112 cars being made will have to pay from just over €2million (approx £1.7million). With VAT and other charges thrown in, Lamborghini officials say it would be around £2million for customers in the UK.
Buyers around the world will be begin to take deliveries of from the first quarter of 2022. Lucky sods!
Countach named Britain’s most popular poster car
The Countach was voted the most popular pin-up poster car in a recent poll by The British Motor Show, which takes place later this month
A recent poll conducted by The British Motor Show in recent weeks named the Countach the nation’s favourite pin-up poster car of all time.
The wedge-shaped Lambo was the most popular poster car of the show’s Facebook followers, with over 700 petrolheads posting their votes for the drool-worth motors that have at one time or another adorned their walls.
It was closely pursued by the Ferrari Testarossa and Porsche 959, both of which rivalled the Countach in the eighties.
Also making the top 10 was the Porsche 911, Ferrari F40 and Lamborghini Diablo.
Favourites from the US followed, with the Chevrolet Corvette and Dodge Viper, just ahead of the Ferrari 308 and the Ford Sierra Cosworth.
There were some oddball respondents, too. One of the show’s fans claimed to have had an MG Maestro on his bedroom wall, another had a Fiat Uno 55S and for one respondent it was the Leyland Roadrunner truck that took pride of place.
Commenting on the poll results, The British Motor Show chief executive, Andy Entwistle, said: ‘Of course, this was just a bit of fun, but it seems that around one in five car fans have had a Countach Blu-Tacked above their bed, and it’s that love of cars that really drives the passion behind The British Motor Show.
‘It’s also evocative of the cars at the show as well, as alongside halls of shiny new metal we’ve got classics and supercars. I’m not sure we can rustle up a Leyland Truck, though.’
The British Motor Show takes place from 19-22 August with tickets on sale now, costing £18.50 each or £37 for a family of four.
To find out more about the show, book tickets or keep up with the latest news, visit www.thebritishmotorshow.live.