The Lamborghini Countach is back. That most famous V12-powered supercar, star of bedroom wall posters, returns in a limited run to mark its 50th anniversary.
The 2022 Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 captures the essence of this audacious automotive icon in a vehicle that says as much about the Italian automaker’s future as it does about its past. Even the designation tells us a lot about the car, the LP refers to the longitudinal positioning of the drivetrain. The I is for the Italian word for hybrid, 800 is close to its horsepower, and the 4 refers to its all-wheel-drive configuration.
But most of all, the Countach, which is an Italian epithet unique to the Piedmont region and is a less polite way of saying awesome, is about raw performance. With 814 horsepower, the Countach can accelerate to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds and tops out at 221 mph.
Oh, by the way, it costs $2.64 million. And they’re all spoken for.
Only 112 of these tribute cars will be built, the volume coming from the original Countach’s internal project number LP 112. While it may satisfy the longings of just a few of the car’s most ardent ‘80s fanboys who now can afford one, Lamborghini hopes the look of the new model instills the same passion in a new generation of enthusiasts.
Exterior Design: A Fresh Take on All That is Lamborghini
The inspiration for the newest Countach comes from the first prototype developed by Italian design legend Marcello Gandini, the LP 500. Lamborghini design chief Mitja Borkert said he wanted to use the concept’s same clean lines, gill-like vents, and thin front fascia emblazoned with the Countach name. And of course, it has scissor-style doors that open upward.
While later models sported large wings both front and rear, the newest Countach is simple and elegant, though it does have a rear wing that will deploy to improve stability at high speeds. In order for the new car to mimic the original Countach’s impossibly low stance (it stood just 42.1 inches tall), it sports a long front overhang and a steeply raked windscreen.
Borkert said he also incorporates hexagon-shaped wheel cutouts of later Countach models to accommodate today’s larger wheels and tires. That theme extends to the rear taillamps as well. The hexagon and the Y-shape connector in a hexagon honeycomb is a recurring theme found on Lamborghini’s current model range.
Hybrid Engine Technology
Like the original, the new Countach uses a longitudinally positioned 6.5-liter V12 drivetrain and mates it to an electric motor energized by a capacitor instead of a more traditional lithium-ion battery. The V12 makes 780 horsepower, while the 48-volt electric motor adds another 34 for total system output exceeding 800 horses. That power is delivered to all four wheels through a 7-speed sequential shift transmission.
Unlike the original Countach that used a tube-frame chassis with aluminum body panels, the latest model employs carbon fiber monocoque and body panel construction similar to the current Lamborghini Aventador.
“The Countach LPI 800-4 is a visionary car of the moment, just as its forerunner was,” says Stephan Winkelmann, president and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. “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…It is a Lamborghini that innately expresses the marque’s enduring and emotive power: always inspirational and thrilling to see, hear and most of all drive.”
