Lamborghini Reinterprets the Countach

• The Countach name is revived for a limited-run hypercar
• Carbon-fiber body invokes styling cues from 20 years of Countach production
• The V12 engine is aided and abetted by a lithium-ion supercapacitor

If you were an auto manufacturer, how would you celebrate an anniversary for one of your most iconic cars? Would you drag perfectly preserved examples of your best work out of a museum, arrange for Q&A sessions with similarly preserved employees from that era and call it a day? Maybe you'd create a special badge and slap it on an existing car, hoping to stir feelings of nostalgia from a customer willing to pay extra for the retro font?

Or, you could do what Lamborghini has done and reintroduce the car in question, stuff it full of the company's latest technology, and style it to invoke the distinctive and revolutionary design of the original. Meet the 2022 Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4.

What is the Countach LPI 800-4?

Lamborghini is the rare automaker that doesn't buckle under the weight of its own past. Given the seeming disinterest in its own heritage, it's a miracle at all that we're even getting a new Countach. But the original, wildly styled coupe set the tone for decades of Lamborghinis to come, and the company has decided to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this iconic sports car with a modern reinterpretation. It will be limited to just 112 examples worldwide (the number pays homage to the original Countach's internal project code).

Utilizing a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis and full carbon-fiber bodywork, the new Countach takes full advantage of Lamborghini's mastery of the strong, lightweight material. Eagle-eyed Lamborghini fans might already suspect that the Countach is related to the Sián FKP 37, and they're not wrong. For those unfamiliar, the 2019 Sián was Lamborghini's first hybrid supercar, and the exterior dimensions and powertrains of the two vehicles are quite similar. 

Messing with, or reinterpreting, if you will, a design as iconic as the Countach's is bound to raise some eyebrows. After all, Marcelo Gandini's original Countach has been the blueprint for countless mid-engine supercars, both real and imagined, since it debuted back at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. As you can see from these images, hallmarks of the original Countach design — plus cues developed over the 20 years of the Countach's life span — can be seen all over the modern LPI 800-4. Whether or not you agree with the execution, we do not envy the job of the designer tasked with resurrecting such a legendary automobile.

What's under the Countach LPI 800-4's hood?

Power — and gobs of it — comes from a 6.5-liter V12 engine mated to an electric motor mounted directly to the gearbox. Lamborghini quotes the V12 engine's output at 780 cv (an Italian measure of metric horsepower, cavallo vapore), which converts to 769 horsepower. The electric motor adds an extra 34 hp directly to the rear wheels for increased throttle response at lower rpm. It should be noted that the electric motor isn't powered by a conventional lithium-ion battery but instead uses a lithium-ion supercapacitor. Implemented first on the Sián, the supercapacitor is three times lighter than a lithium-ion battery producing the same amount of power. Plus, it's a cool thing to say you have on your car.

Unlike the original incarnation of the Countach, which was rear-wheel-drive, the LPI 800-4 apportions all of that mondo power to all four wheels through Lamborghini's seven-speed single-clutch automatic transmission. Like the power output of 803 hp, estimated performance numbers are also very much on brand. The Countach LPI 800-4 should be able to hit 62 mph in 2.8 seconds, dispatch 124 mph in 8.6 seconds and top out at 221 mph. And, no, we don't care that the Tesla Model S Plaid is quicker to 60.

Edmunds says

Though the rebirth of the Countach name might be controversial to people who can't afford one in the first place, the performance and capability of the new model bring full circle the concept of the original Countach: a fully modern super sports car. With production limited to just 112 examples, it's probably a good idea that you start pulling a few strings to ensure you can add one of these raging bulls to your collection.