Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4: 50 years after the Countach reveal

Unveiled as a prototype back in 1971, the Lamborghini Countach stunned the automotive world with its wedge-like, futuristic profile and extreme proportions. When the production version arrived in 1974, it barely softened that original idea - and the supercar landscape was changed for good.

It went on to become the template for the modern supercar, and it remains the reference point by which almost every Lamborghini that followed is still judged (with the obvious exceptions of the Lambo-Rambo and the Urus).

And, naturally, it also became the default poster choice for countless teenage bedroom walls throughout the 1980s, when the Countach was at the height of its fame.

Now, 50 years after the Countach first appeared, Lamborghini is bringing back the name - and echoing the shapes and lines of its icon for the present day. Can it live up to the original?

Lamborghini going retro?

This sort of exercise is rare for the Italian marque. The last time it so openly dipped into its own history was in 2006 with the Miura Concept - a reinterpretation that stayed close to the 1960s original.

The same approach applies to today’s Countach LPI 800-4 (its full name). The link to the original is unmistakable, from the overall silhouette right down to the way various details are defined - elements drawn from different Countach iterations over the years, from the first prototype to the final 25th Anniversario.

As with the classic car, the new model’s cleaner, flatter surfaces are what stand out most, especially when set against the Aventador and Sián that underpin it.

That Countach visual heritage is then blended with the dominant graphic theme of modern Lamborghinis: the hexagon. You can spot it in the wheel arches, the rear light units and the V12 engine cover, as well as in multiple parts of the sophisticated cabin.

Naturally aspirated V12, with a small electric helping hand

A Countach could hardly be powered by anything other than a V12. Staying true to the name, behind the two occupants sits a 6,5 l naturally aspirated V12 - the same unit as the Aventador, which introduced it 10 years ago.

In the Countach it produces 780 cv at 8500 rpm and 720 Nm at 6750 rpm - identical figures to the last Aventador, the “Ultimae” - but here that Italian heart is supported by a 34 cv and 35 Nm electric motor, taking the maximum output up to 814 cv!

The Countach’s electrified side is exactly what we saw on the Sián FKP 37, revealed last year - technically a semi-hybrid (mild-hybrid). The small 48 V motor, integrated into the transmission, is fed not by a battery but by a supercapacitor, which can recharge as quickly as it releases its stored energy.

It is expected to be the last Lamborghini to use this technology, as Stephan Winkelmann, the chief executive of the Sant’Agata Bolognese brand, has already said the next generation of V12 supercars will also be plug-in hybrids.

Power is sent to all four wheels (is that heresy?) through the same seven-speed automated manual gearbox used by the Aventador/Sián. And, speaking of wheels, they are “huge”: 255/30 ZR20 at the front and 355/25 ZR21 at the rear (the same as the Sián).

As you would expect, the performance is… ballistic, even taking into account that it is not the lightest supercar: 1595 kg… dry (without fluids). Even so, it claims just 2,8s from 0 to 100 km/h and 8,6s to 200 km/h, and it has enough power to keep pulling all the way to a 355 km/h top speed.

To keep that performance under “control”, the Countach LPI 800-4 is fitted with carbon-ceramic brakes (400 mm diameter at the front and 380 mm at the rear, both 38 mm thick).

112 units, at 2 million euros each…

… before taxes. According to the brand, most of the 112 cars have already been sold. Why such a specific production number? It is a historical nod to the original Countach project code: “LP 112”.

Winkelmann had promised two new V12-powered models this year: following the launch of the Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae, the Countach LPI 800-4 delivers on that pledge. The next V12 we see from Lamborghini will be the Aventador’s successor which, despite keeping that noble heart, will be an all-new plug-in hybrid.

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