The surprise unveiling of the new Countach was nothing short of a clap of thunder in a clear sky, given the seemingly impossible task of taking on such a legend. SoBARNES puts you behind the wheel (or almost) of this exceptional Lamborghini.
Is it possible to reincarnate the Mona Lisa? Can Les Misérables be rewritten? Or Stairway to Heaven reorchestrated? Lamborghini certainly thinks so. The Sant’Agata Bolognese manufacturer has dared to take on the iconic Countach, a dream car produced for some 25 years between 1974 and 1990. Needless to say this summer announcement left everyone dumbstruck.
The new Countach LPI 800-4 deliberately draws on the stylistic legacy of its predecessor, particularly in terms of the headlights, the front and side air intakes, the four-strong exhaust tail pipes and the ‘telephone’ style wheels straight out of the eighties. But beyond these subtle nods, it masterfully reinterprets the sublime silhouette with the essential line running from front to rear.
This revamped version has retained the longitudinale posteriore mounted V12 engine from the original Countach, considered by Lamborghini as the patriarch of modern super sports cars. But a sign of the times, the car is now equipped with hybrid technology combining a 6.5 litre aspirated petrol engine which delivers 780 cv and a 34 cv e-motor. It goes without saying that the performance expectations are hair-raising: 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 2.8 seconds, 0 to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 8.6 seconds and a top speed of 355 km/h (221 mph). Drive goes to all four wheels via the traditional 7-speed ISR automated manual transmission, considered the world’s most efficient.
Inside, we simply love the centre touchscreen which manages car controls, including the delightful ‘Stile’ button which explains the Countach design philosophy in images when pressed. A philosophy class strictly limited to one or two students, what could be more in keeping with the times?
Unveiled on 13 August in the US, the Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 is a limited series of 112 units, sold at around €2.2 million each. But don't rush off to your nearest Lamborghini dealer - the car sold out in a matter of days... But because it’s you, SoBARNES has three facts to help you get over your disappointment:
- Why 112 units? Because the in-house project name for the 1974 Countach was ‘LP 112’.
- And the meaning behind the name LPI 800-4? LP stands for ‘longitudinale posteriore’, the position of the engine, while the ‘I’ is for ‘Ibrido’ (hybrid). The car delivers 814 cv of power (rounded to the more catchy 800 in the name), and the final ‘4’ refers to its permanent four-wheel drive transmission.
- So where does the name Countach come from? It is in fact an expression of surprise and wonder in Piedmontese dialect, pronounced ‘Coon-tach’. One of very few Lamborghini model names not connected to bulls.
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