Its legend surpasses that of most other supercars of the 20th century. 5-year-olds and 55-year-olds alike can recognize it, even the layperson who knows nothing of sportscars. It was found in cereal boxes, on wall vinyls, and schoolchildren would draw it out of boredom, because its shape was so recognizable. The Countach was the first modern Lamborghini, a car that set the standard for what all modern supercars should look like.
Many Lasting Firsts
The Countach was a car that was built by hand just 2,049 times between 1974 and 1990. This mid-engined V12 car needs little introduction, but it certainly deserves it. The Countach is one of the most important cars ever made for quite a few reasons: It pioneered the concept of wedge-shaped, angular coupes, blurring the lines of “concept” cars, science fiction, and reality.
It popularized the concept of a “cab forward” configuration, pushing the passengers up and close to the business end so the rear could squeeze in a comically large rear-mounted motor. The brain child of designer Marcello Gandini, the Countach threw logic and safe designing to the wind. Even the name functions as an Italian exclamation of emotion (“Heavens!”). Gandini wasn’t even that great of a car designer, and in truth, that was a good thing.
Even the Countach’s interior looked like a spaceship’s cantina
Built with Wild, Young Abandon
Where other designers felt inspired by pedigree, heritage, and a storied history of whatever it was they were mocking up in clay, Gandini’s creative mind was a blank slate. His youth and inexperience coupled with Lamborghini’s reputation for the excess, and the result was a car that accomplishes what most dream of seeing: A concept turned into a reality that’s even cooler than was hoped for. A car that could take a crotchety banker on Fifth Ave and turn him back into a jubilant child playing with Hot Wheels.
Ahead of Its Time in Design …
The Countach looks like a spaceship in flight from every angle. Even entry and exit are an event to witness, with the LP400 – the original production model – boasting those signature scissor doors we’ve all come to know and secretly love. Gandini himself invented the concept using the Alfa Romeo 33 Carabo concept car in 1968, though production wouldn’t be realized until the Countach was introduced.
The Countach brought with it those legendary scissor doors
Beneath all that fanciful linework rests a tubular space frame with aircraft aluminum, something ahead of its time to this day. This expensive fabrication process made the Countach incredibly light and strong, weighing just 3,100 pounds with a total length of 163”. The Countach boasted a longitudinal motor, contrasting with Lamborghini’s frequently configured transverse installations.
And Performance, Too
The V12 engine’s “front” faced the rear, with the output shaft and gearbox in front, and the driveshaft running back through the motor’s sump to the rear differential. Four valves per cylinder helped produce 370 horses and 266 torques at a 10.5:1 compression ratio. A prototype L500 Turbo S came with twin turbochargers and pumped out an astounding 730 horses and 646 torques.
The Countach’s V12 pioneered rear-engine supercar design
A ”Most Important” Car
Countaches are rapidly appreciating in value, with one 1975 model selling for $1,248,732 in American dollars at a foreign auction just three years ago. The Countach is certainly a supercar with an unbeatable legend to its name. It’s a car that’ll have even the most ignorant driver stopping and staring. They may not know exactly what it is, but even they know it’s special, rare, and probably very important.
