The Lamborghini Countach, the poster vehicle of the 1970s and 1980s, has returned. The super-car was unveiled this week during the renowned main event of Monterey’s Car Week at Pebble Beach to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its initial introduction.
The latest Countach — dubbed “the patriarch of modern super sports car design” by Lamborghini — is known as the LPI 800-4 and is part of the “Few Off” program for one-of-a-kind vehicles. LPI is for Longitudinale Posteriore Ibrido, or Longitudinal Posterior Hybrid; 800 refers to the engine’s 814cc maximum combined output; and 4 refers to its permanent four-wheel drive gearbox.
So, now that the boring stuff is out of the way, how does it shift? This gadget is, as you might guess, absurd. It has a V12 engine with a 48V electric motor, which allows it to keep its throaty engine growl. The engine produces 780 horsepower, with the electric motor supplying 34 horsepower through the transmission’s permanent four-wheel drive. This means it can go from zero to 62 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds and has a peak speed of 220 miles per hour.
The new Countach borrows design elements from its forefathers, blending 1970s vintage angles and lines with 21st-century aerodynamics. There’s a broader nose and a less pointed back end that distinguishes it from the original. Simply said, it is breathtaking. It’s just as sophisticated on the inside, with the car’s functions handled via an 8.4-inch touchscreen.
“Whenever I look at it, the Countach gives me goosebumps and serves as the perfect reminder to design every future Lamborghini in a visionary and futuristic way,” says head of Lamborghini Centro Stile, Mitja Borkert. “The first Countach shaped the Lamborghini design DNA like no other car; the new Countach translates that unconventional and edgy character into the future.”
In a statement, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann added: “The Countach LPI 800-4 is a visionary car of the moment, just as its forerunner was. [The car] 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.”
