The new Countach has broken cover

So what is it? Well, as above, a re-skinned Sian, which itself is an Aventador with its V12 augmented by a supercapacitor hybrid system for a combined 818PS (601kW). The Countach utilises those underpinnings with an 814PS output (598kW).

It’s not what’s underneath but the looks that matter most with the Countach, right? Yes and no. Obviously, underpinnings dictate and inform certain elements of styling. Plus, even Lamborghini has stated there was never any intention to straight recreate the Countach. Think of this in the same way as the modern Alpine A110. It sort of resembles the original and sort of pushes the same buttons but the two are related really in name alone. With that, let’s look at the styling.

Lamborghini is pulling references from across the Countach’s near 20-year stint on sale. However, it is for the most part a tribute to the original LP500 Concept and the first LP400 that went on sale in 1974. There’s no massive wing, no blistered arches, no box intakes on the haunches. Instead, a nod to the LP400’s NACA ducts and slats aping what turned out to be the completely inadequate intakes on the LP500 prototype. They are raised, but bleed gracefully into the car’s natural lines.

Upfront, per the original, the nose is aggressively sloped down compared to almost everything else that’s based on the Aventador platform. Front lights, a pivotal part of a car’s personality, come over too, with these slim-line LED-lit cuboidal items a definite nod to the original. On the top, a nod to the iconic Periscopica design, spreading outwards as it moves back across the engine and down to the rear end.

At the back, the Sian’s rear lights nestle within a recreation of that o-so iconic rear-end shape from the original Countach. Below that, there’s a substantial diffuser, in which the quad exhaust tips nestle, not so original then given the ‘70s wedge predated that technology’s use on road cars. Subtle vents hide under the rear lights and under those, the massive tyres are gloriously visible. What’s definitely different, is the lack of chubby tyre sidewalls. They disappeared with the last of the Diablo 6.0, with low-profile items taking their place. 

The inside is very much Sian, with new hexagonal air vents and themes and colours borrowed from the original. The crime scene of red that is the entire interior is pure ‘80s excess. The square patterns in the seats make the modern-day diamond- and hexagon-stitch patterns we’ve become used to seem a bit fiddly.

What do you think? We mostly like it. It definitely feels like something is off and we have theories as to why. The problems are two-fold – the modern rules of the road and people’s perceptions. Do you get the feeling the front lights are too far up? That, among other things, can’t be helped because of height regulations. Show an original Countach to the bods that make the rules that dictate modern car design and they’ll laugh you out of the room. If the way the car looked seemed impossible when it came out, it’s actually impossible to make now. 

Likewise, are you grumpy that it doesn’t look like your favourite Countach, one of the ones with arches and the wing? That’s your perception. See, the new Countach doesn’t speak to the most famous iterations of the original car. The Quattrovalvole, the LP5000S and so on, got the veritable AMG Black Series treatment by comparison to the original LP400 Periscopica. The new Countach is as much a gift to Lamborghini itself, as a celebration of five decades of the world’s most iconic supercar, as it is a gift to fans and a car to buy.

The fact that the original prototype was christened LP112 explains why 112 are set to be produced, costing between £1.8- and £2.2million each. No, Lamborghini doesn’t care that much what you think because yes, they’re all sold. The more we look at it, the more it grows on us. Paint it in Viola Metallizzato, and we’ll fall head-over-heels.