The limited special model has one hybrid drive and at the same time pays homage to the original, which was first shown to the public 50 years ago. Now the Countach LPI 800-4 was in Germany for the first time and AUTO BILD took a closer look at the super sports car!
Lamborghini celebrates the 50th Countach anniversary
The original: Even 50 years after its presentation, the first Lamborghini Countach still looks futuristic.
Now there’s a new Countach. “The car is a game changer for us,” says Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann. “The first hybrid super sports car, a visionary car of the present, just like its predecessor.”
The new edition should not be a retro car
At least as important as the drive of the Countach LPI 800-4 is of course the look. “The first Countach shaped the Lamborghini DNA like no other model”, explains Mitja Borkert, Head of Centro Stile (chief designer) at Lamborghini. The special difficulty with the new edition was not just a retro car to build, but to imagine what a Countach could look like in 2021. The result is more than successful!
● 1.14 meters in height
● 2.10 meters wide
● Scissor doors
● “Telephone style” rims
● hexagonal wheel arches
● no pop-up headlights
The front of the new Countach is more square than the Aventador.
The profile of the new Countach is also very much the same as the old one. The large air inlets behind the doors, the so-called NACA ducts, have been optically extended into the doors – just like on the original Countach. Above that, the homage has slatted gills reminiscent of the very early Countach LP500; and even that eponymous window in the roof (“Periscopio”) they thought about the new Countach. At the push of a button, the transparent roof becomes opaque.
First seat test in the new Countach
The interior is largely known from the Aventador. The Sián also has the touchscreen.
That space is in the Countach Sufficient for people up to 1.85 meters, for taller drivers it can get tight, especially when it comes to headroom. While the occupants in the normal Aventador feel like they are in a cave made of Alcantara and carbon, the glass window (called Periscopio) softens this impression somewhat. Special highlight: At the push of a button, the transparent roof becomes opaque. The Lambo’s red leather interior is certainly not to everyone’s taste, but it is based on early Countach models (e.g. the Quattrovalvole) and, in combination with the white paintwork, exudes a pure 80s feeling.
The Countach’s naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 is assisted by an electric motor
● 6.5 liter naturally aspirated V12 with 780 hp and 720 Nm
● 48 volt electric motor coupled directly to the gearbox
● System power: 814 hp
● 0-100 km/h in 2.8 seconds
● 0-200 km/h in 8.6 seconds
● Top speed: 355 km/h
● Curb weight: 1595 kilos
● Power-to-weight ratio: 1.95 kilos/hp
The window in the roof can only be seen from the top view.
Much more important than the designation is the power-to-weight ratio: Since the body of the 4.87 meter long but still only waist-high Countach at 1.14 meters is made entirely of carbon, the super sports car only weighs despite the complex technology 1595 kilos. That makes a Power-to-weight ratio of just 1.95 kilos/hp. So it’s no wonder that the Countach accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds. 200 km/h takes just 8.6 seconds, It only ends at 355 km/h.
The new Countach impresses
2.4 million euros and still the Countach is not spared. The development car already has more than 42,000 kilometers on the clock.
In this way, the sequential gearbox, which is otherwise so clumsy, loses its terror; the Countach bangs through the gears almost harmoniously. And the rest? The chassis is fun-free as usual and the seats don’t exactly invite you on a long-distance tour. The Countach made a lasting impression on us over the last few meters – and I’m seriously considering hanging a poster of the new one in my office.
The base price of the new Lamborghini Countach is 2.39 million euros
Lamborghini also builds a bridge to the original when it comes to the colors. That’s how the new Countach is in historical tones like “Impact White”, “Giallo Countach” or “Verde Medio” to have. If you don’t like these uni finishes, you can choose freely from the current color palette. If you’re wondering why the Countach is limited to just 112 examples: the original internal designation for the original Countach was “LP112”.
Lamborghini is stepping on the gas, the first customer vehicles of the Countach LPI 800-4 have already been delivered – and all 112 units are to be completed in the 2022 calendar year. Of the Unit price is no less than 2,010,000 euros net. In Germany, the Countach in 2021 costs accordingly 2.39 million euros in the base – or around five times as much as the Aventador Ultimae, which is also limited. However, this does not seem to have detracted from the interest in buying, because the 2021 Countach contingent was already completely sold out at the official unveiling during Carweek in Pebble Beach. Presumably Lamborghini could have even sold one or two more Countach, but exclusivity remains trumps. Whether the new edition also has what it takes to become a poster car remains to be seen in the coming decades.
