If you are a petrol-head, chances are a poster of a red Lamborghini Countach adorned your bedroom walls. Or it was your wallpaper on your curved screen LCD monitor on your desktop. It might have even made it to your pixelated Nokia colour screen mobile phone. Remember? Even though it was launched in 1971, with its iconic scissor doors, the Countach was a thorough drool machine for car-lovers right up to the early 2000s. 

While it was a dream to own one, it was a nightmare to drive it. Given the ergonomics and poor rearwards visibility. Everything about the Countach spelled P-O-W-E-R.

Now, Lamborghini have relaunched the Countach. A new, re-imagined, re-designed, modern version of the legend. Thus, we have the Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 – a commemorative version to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the beast. 

The Countach, along with the Diablo, have influenced the design of every Lamborghini ever since. The acutely raked windscreen, the broad stance, and the tapering rear have since then become characteristic as Lamborghini DNA.

 The new Countach is a limited-edition hybrid supercar. Only 112 units are going to be produced worldwide. 

The Countach is special in yet another sense, as this is one of the few Lamborghini cars that are not named after a bull. Countach is a word that expresses amazement or surprise in the Italian Piedmontese dialect. It is pronounced as “Coon-tach”. (Read more about Lamborghini and the connect with bulls.)

Design:

While maintaining the distinctive silhouette of the original Countach from the 1980s, Lamborghini has made it cleaner. It still has scissor doors, thankfully! It even has built-in air intakes and distinctive “shark gills”. The engine is rear-mounted in the longitudinal position.

Engine:

What’s a Lamborghini without massive power. Equipped with a 780 hp, 6.5 liters, naturally aspirated V12 engine, Lamborghini has given the engine a ‘modern’ touch as well. The traditional engine is paired with a 48V electric motor. The electric motor is mounted directly on the gearbox ensuring an additional 34 hp to the wheels. This gives it a combined power output of more than 800 hp. The Countach is a unique Lamborghini to have such an engine arrangement. This power helps the sleek machine accelerate from 0-100 kmph in just 2.8 seconds. This power pulls it to an extraordinary top speed of 355 kmph.

Build:

Built on an integral body chassis, the Lamborghini Countach has all body panels in carbon fibre. This keeps the dry weight to 1,595 kg. The mobile air intakes are 3D printed. The roof is a photochromatic glass that can change opacity at the click of a button.

Performance:

As the name suggests, the new Countach LPI 800-4 features a four-wheel-drive system. This is further enhanced with rear-wheel steering to ensure high performance even in situations that entail poor grip. Adjustable front and rear shock absorbers adapt to the driving mode and road conditions.

Interiors:

Finished in a historic red and black leather interior, the inside also has some modern touches. Apart from the characteristic buttons that we expect in a Lamborghini, the Countach also has an 8.5-inch touchscreen display equipped with Apple Car Play.

Stephan Winkelmann, Chairman, and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini commented, “The Countach LPI 800-4 is the visionary model of the moment, precisely like its predecessor. One of the most important automotive icons, the Countach not only embodies Lamborghini design and technology, but fully represents our philosophy, that philosophy able to reinvent boundaries, attain the unexpected, and access the extraordinary realm of the dream.”

As car enthusiasts we love such a fusion of a vintage legend with a modern re-birth. What do you think about this?

Check out the gallery below for some wallpaper-worthy shots of the new Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4. What do you think of the design? Will this beast find a place as your ‘screensaver’ in 2021? Does it have the pull and lure as it did 50 years ago? Let us know in the comments section!

To understand more about the Lamborghini DNA, the story of the founder Ferruccio Lamborghini shall shed some more light.