It’s Back: The Lamborghini Countach Reborn

Photo: The Lamborghini Countach

Riley’s Automotive Editor, TMA Howe, relives boyhood fantasies inspired by the incredible Lamborghini Countach

As a young car mad boy growing up in the ‘60s, the original Italian Job film filled me with excitement, dreaming of racing one of those Minis through the streets to evade the chasing police cars.

However, the one image that stuck with me was of the beautiful Lamborghini Miura driving through the Italian Alps as Matt Monro crooned On Days Like These. It was followed, however, by sheer devastation as this magnificent car was bulldozed off the side of the mountain!

The Lamborghini Miura, launched in 1966, was the poster to have on the bedroom wall at the time. But, in the early ‘70s, the gorgeous, rounded form of the Miura was replaced by the angular lines of the Lamborghini Countach. Soon after, the poster on the wall changed, too.

The Lamborghini Countach Makes a Long-awaited Return

The Lamborghini Countach was first previewed at the Geneva Motor Show in 1971. Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, the Countach evolved with the looks becoming more and more extreme, with bigger wheels, wider body work, and even a spoiler to the rear. In 1990, the Countach was superseded by the Lamborghini Diablo, by which time the only posters on my walls were of Thomas the Tank Engine and the like.

Now, 50 years after the first outing at Geneva, Lamborghini have surprised everybody by releasing a limited-series hybrid supercar celebrating the design ethos that laid the foundations of the Lamborghini legacy. Only 112 of this commemorative model will be manufactured.

The wedge-shaped silhouette clearly reminds one of the original car, but this has been undoubtedly designed as an evolution rather than imitation. The triple lights at the rear have been updated as hexagonal LED lights, and air intakes along the sides also pay homage to the original. Even the wheels have been designed to be a modern interpretation of the original ‘telephone dial’ design.

Whilst the exterior design keeps faith with the original, the interior is definitely 21st century. An 8.4-inch touch screen allows the driver to control many of the car’s functions, together with Apple CarPlay.

The Lamborghini Countach… Good Luck Getting One!

The limited run model will sadly only find its way into the hands of the very rich with prices likely to be over £2 million GB / $2.7 million US. And that will just be for starters as there will be plenty of options and add-ons available.

The performance of this hypercar is something to behold. Power comes from the hybrid-assisted 6.5 litre, 12-cylinder engine that was first seen in the gorgeous Sian Hypercar. The V12 produces 769bhp with the 48-volt electric motor adds a further 34 brake horsepower. That 803bhp will take the car from 0-60mph in under three seconds and will then carry on up to 217mph (350kph).

This is most certainly a worthy successor to that original Lamborghini Countach poster that once adorned my wall. Although today, naturally, it’ll more likely make an appearance as wallpaper on my computer.

But don’t take my word for just how gorgeous this luxury Italian car really is. Check out this video for yourself at https://youtu.be/MYWdClD9ems.

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TMA Howe is Riley Media’s Automotive Editor.