An icon re-born: The Lamborghini Countach is back

Lamborghini has taken the covers off the revived Countach – and it’s as stunning as you’d imagine.

The most famous member of the brand’s history, the Countach defined the brand with its dramatic, angular lines and screaming V12 engine that have become the template for all Lamborghini’s that followed. Just looking at the current Aventador and the Murcielago and Diablo that came before it and you can see the Countach influence.

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Now, with the Aventador in its final months and the brand headed for an electrified future – including its first all-electric model by the end of the decade – it is marking the occasion with the limited edition Countach revival.

Officially known as the Countach LPI 800-4 the new model is effectively a new-look body atop the underpinnings of the similarly-limited Sian hypercar; which is in-turn based on the Aventador’s carbon fibre tub and V12 engine.

Automobili Lamborghini president and CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, said this new model isn’t meant to be a retro tribute, but is instead meant to demonstrate what might have happened if the Countach had evolved had it not stopped production in 1990. And he made no secret of the importance of Countach to the brand’s past, present and future.

“The Countach LPI 800-4 is a visionary car of the moment, just as its forerunner was,” Winkelmann explained. “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.”

Mitja Borkert, Head of Lamborghini’s Centro Stile design studio, oversaw the creation of this new Countach which manages to recreate the iconic silhouette of the original, as well as its key design elements such as the large air-intake on the door made famous but the ‘80s facelifted models. Sadly, though, the pop-up headlights haven’t made the transition to this modern Countach; no doubt stopped by modern pedestrian safety regulations.

“The first Countach has been present in our Centro Stile as a model for some years now,” Borkert said. “Whenever I look at it, it gives me goose bumps and it serves as the perfect reminder for me and the entire design team to design every future Lamborghini in a visionary and futuristic way. This is an unnegotiable [sic] part of our DNA, the essence if you so will. The first Countach shaped the Lamborghini design DNA like no other car; the new Countach translates that unconventional and edgy character into the future.”

Underneath the historically-inspired body is the brand’s most cutting-edge powertrain, a 6.5-litre V12 paired with a supercapacitor hybrid system for a performance boost. The V12 makes 580kW of power while the supercapacitor adds an extra 25kW for a total output of more than 600kW. Thanks to its carbon fibre chassis and body panels the Countach tips the scales at just 1595kg. That combination of big power and low weight means the Countach is capable of running 0-100km/h in just 2.8 seconds and 0-200km/h in a mere 8.6 seconds before running all the way to 355km/h.

The 2022 Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 with a ’80s original

“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,” explained 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.”

The Countach LPI 800-4 was presented to the public at the Monterey Car Week in California. In a nice touch, the show car was presented in Bianco Siderale with a hint of pearlescent blue, which is a tribute to Ferruccio Lamborghini’s personal Countach.

Lamborghini hasn’t announced pricing for this revived icon but with only 112 to be built, it’s likely the Italian brand can set its own price and will still be turning away plenty of customers keen to capture a modern take on their childhood favourite.