The Lamborghini Countach

March of 2021 marked the 50th birthday of one of the most iconic cars of all time - the Lamborghini Countach. It was this yellow Countach LP 500 prototype which was presented to the public in the exhibition space of Carrozzeria Bertone at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. Join us on a historic journey of this immortal legend.

Over the years, Lamborghini Automobili has changed hands several times. The iconic Lamborghini Countach was one of the last models created under the ownership of the founder of the company, Ferruccio Lamborghini.

The History of Lamborghini Ferruccio Lamborghini, a manufacturer of agricultural and air conditioning equipment, was fascinated with mechanics and loved fast cars. Even before starting his own tractor business he had tuned Fiat cars and had built a Fiat Topolino for himself, entering in the 1948 Mille Miglia competition. Years later, his increasing wealth allowed him to purchase some of the most iconic cars of that era, including a Mercedes-Benz 300SL, a Jaguar E-Type Coupé, and the Maserati 3500 GT. He added his first Ferrari in 1958, a 250 GT, and several more over the next few years. However, he wasn’t happy with the quality and apparently called them ‘repurposed track cars with poorly built interiors’. To his annoyance, he had several issues with the cars, especially with the clutch, and had to bring them in for too many extra services. Finally, he tried to bring his misgivings to Enzo Ferrari’s attention, but the notoriously pride-filled Modenan turned him away. According to Valentino Balboni, Lamborghini’s longtime test driver, Enzo Ferrari told Ferruccio Lamborghini that he is just “a tractor driver and a farmer who shouldn’t complain driving his cars because they’re the best cars in the world”. The legend goes on that Lamborghini replied that “yes, he is a farmer and that he will show Ferrari how to make a sports car.” It was the birth of Automobili Lamborghini.

Being the hands-on person he was, Lamborghini dismantled the engine and transmission in his personal Ferrari and found an easy solution for the clutch issue – he replaced it with one from his tractors. The problem never returned and Ferruccio Lamborghini decided that it was the time for a new endeavour, creating a car that he felt no one could build for him. A Gran Turismo. The best Gran Turismo, with a smooth-running V12. On 30 October 1963, Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini S.p.A. was officially incorporated and showed what would become the first production car, the prototype Lamborghini 350 GTV, at the Turin Motor Show the same month. The 400 GT 2+2 followed, but it was in 1966 that history was made when Lamborghini introduced the Miura, the first-ever supercar, wowing the crowds. The designer – Marcello Gandini.

Marcello Gandini Born in Turin in 1938, Marcello Gandini applied for work with Nuccio Bertone, head of the automotive design house Gruppo Bertone. However, it was only after Bertone’s chief designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro, left the company two years later, that Gandini was hired and would create some of the most stunning cars for his new employer. After the Miura, Gandini introduced the concept of scissor doors with the Alfa Romeo 33 Carabo prototype, which already showed other clues of his next project, the successor of the Miura.

The Birth of the Countach Little did Marcello Gandini know that one of his designs would become the dream car of every schoolboy in the 1970s. At the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, Automobili Lamborghini introduced a concept defined by razor-sharp angles and sleek lines. It was somehow based on the blueprint Gandini had created for Bertone to win a new client, Lancia. The one-off ‘Zero’ would not only be the starting point for the Lancia Stratos, designed by Gandini, it would also find its lines into Lamborghini’s concept car, the Project LP112.

The concept car, renamed the LP500, became the star of the Motor Show. Three pre-production prototypes were made: After the bright yellow LP500 show car, a red car was shown at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show and then, repainted in green, at the 1973 Paris Motor Show. The car currently resides in the Lamborghini factory museum. Finally, the third prototype was shown at the 1974 Geneva Motor Show and was the first to be constructed entirely in the Lamborghini factory, except for the tubular full spaceframe chassis. It was painted bright yellow and had the finalized production LP400 body style, which was 13 centimetres longer than the previous prototype bodies to increase the interior space.

Hello and Goodbye In 1974, the first Countach generation named LP 400 was officially introduced. It was the same year that Ferruccio Lamborghini, plagued by the world financial crisis, sold the company and retired to the country to produce wine. The Countach, envisioned to be powered by the company’s 4.97-litre V12, had gone through several revisions demanded by the 1973 oil crisis, rising fuel prices and new fuel economy laws, and was finally powered by a Bizzarrini-designed 3929cc V12, mounted longitudinally with the 5-speed gearbox and clutch located in front of the engine. It would generate 325 bhp @7,500 rpm and 260 ft.-lbs. @ 5,500 rpm, catapulting it to 100 km/h in less than 6 seconds and reaching a top speed of 291 km/h.

The Evolution Through the years, the Countach was continually evolved. The first model, known as “Periscopio” for its unique periscope-style rear-view mirror setup, is the purest from a styling standpoint. Made of aluminum alloy bonded on a lightweight tubular spaceframe chassis, it was in production until 1978 when the LP400S was introduced. And with it came the scoops, vents, fiberglass flares and the optional massive V-shaped rear wing that would become the iconic signature of the later cars. The wing actually originated from the Walter Wolf Countach and although it improved highspeed stability, it reduced the top speed by around 15 km/h.

Three distinct LP400 S series models were produced. The first, with only 50 cars made, had the unpadded LP400 steering wheel, different gauges and Campagnolo “Bravo” wheels with protruding hole edges. It also had a lowered suspension ride height. The second series of which 105 were produced, can be identified by their smooth, concave wheels and lowered suspension ride height, whilst the final series saw 82 cars with increased suspension ride height and an increased interior space.

In 1982, again under new ownership, Lamborghini introduced the LP500 S (also called the 5000 S) with a bigger, more powerful 4,75cc/ 4.8L engine. The bodywork was unaltered, but the interior was given an update. 321 cars were built. It was also the model that was finally federalized for U.S. sales—a market that would become to be the automaker’s largest.

In 1985, the LP5000 Quattrovalvole (four valves per cylinder) received a 5,167cc/ 5.2L engine. The carburettors were moved from the sides to the top of the engine for better cooling, requiring the “hump” on the engine cover, which reduced the already poor rear visibility to almost zero. 610 cars were built, including 66 with a Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system.

Happy Anniversary! For the company’s twenty-fifth anniversary in 1988, the 25th Anniversary Countach was introduced. Its modernized restyled body was designed by no other than Horacio Pagani (yes, THE Pagani who would form his very own supercar company some years later). It is said to be the fastest variant of the Countach, accelerating from 0–100 km/h in 4.7 seconds and reaching a top speed of 295 km/h. With its dramatic ducts and airfoils, it was equally loved and hated, and was discontinued in 1990 to make way for the new Diablo, styled again by Marcello Gandini.

Noteworthy

What’s in a name?

The story is that a profiler who worked on the prototype of the then-nameless Countach for the auto show would frequently exclaim ‘Countach’ in his Piedmontese (which is much different from Italian), which is an ion of amazement and admiration. When Marcello Gandini heard him say it, he joked that it is what they should call the car. He mentioned it to Bob Wallace who was in charge of the mechanics and asked him how it sounded to an Anglo-Saxon ear. Well, it seems that it sounded pretty good to him.

Spaceship Interior

Initially, Gandini had envisioned an alldigital dashboard, incorporating the newest technologies. However, with not enough time left before the auto show, the decision was made to use analogue gauges mixed with some innovations such as an onboard diagnostic system and an early version of a cruise control.

The Periscope

As the car’s unique shape restricted visibility, a periscope mirror-system was integrated into the roof, replacing a conventional rear-view mirror. It would give the first 157 models its distinctive nickname, Periscopio.

Made in Cape Town

A very small number of Countachs were assembled in Cape Town, South Africa during the mid-1970s by local dealer and importer Intermotormakers (IMM), who imported the Countach and other Lamborghini models from the Lamborghini factory as complete kits.

Walter Wolf and The Wing

A wealthy Austrian-Canadian businessman, Wolf owned his own Formula 1 racing team. He purchased an LP400 in the mid-1970s but disappointed by its pow- er output, he asked Lamborghini’s chief engineer Gianpaolo Dallara to create a more powerful version. They decided to use a 5.0-liter V-12 engine identical to the LP500 prototype, producing 447hp.

Other special styling modifications, including large fender flares (needed for the world’s-first 345-series road tires which Pirelli produced especially for Wolf), a front spoiler and the famous V-shaped rear wing—would foreshadow changes later made to the production Countach. The Wolf-Countach was designated LP500 S, years before Lamborghini used this designation for their production cars. Three Wolf Specials were produced.

Safety Car

The Countach was used as the official safety car for the 1980-’83 Monaco Grand Prix Formula 1.

Countach Evoluzione

A one-off prototype built by Lamborghini in 1987, the Evoluzione was developed by Lamborghini’s engineering team, led by Horacio Pagani to test multiple technologies for the Countach’s successor. It featured a unibody chassis instead of the previous steel tube frame and was continually modified for testing purposes. Both the Countach Anniversary Edition and the Diablo would incorporate some of its engineering, including carbon fibre/Kevlar composite body panels developed by Horacio Pagani, as well as aluminum honeycomb panels. Using new materials and technologies, the Evoluzione had an astonishing weight reduction of approximately 397 kg compared to the LP5000 QV production model. Lamborghini even tested a 4WD system and electronically controlled ride height suspension.

Countach LPI 800-4

For the 50th anniversary of the Countach, Lamborghini gave the famous name to a limited-edition hybrid model in 2021. However, most owners of the original car see the LPI 800-4 more as a restyled Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 with some Countach tribute cues rather than a worthy successor.

Production figures

A total of 1,983 cars were built during the Countach’s sixteen-year lifetime. It is believed that around 1,500 are still in existence.

images: Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. | National Historic Vehicle Register (1)