Sian in makeup: the new Lamborghini Countach turned out to be just styling
The miracle did not happen: Lamborghini did not start making the new Countach from scratch, but took the current flagship Sian model with a hybrid power plant as a basis.
If you are looking for truly successful reincarnations of 80s auto legends, then we recommend taking a closer look at the Lancia 037 from the Italian company Kimera Automobili or the Renault 5 Turbo 3 from Legende Automobiles, and the new Countach is nothing more than a marketing product created with little blood to replenish the Lamborghini cash register.
The full name of the novelty is the Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4, it was made on the basis of the Sian, which debuted two years ago, which in turn was made on the basis of the elderly Aventador model (produced since 2011). Aventador also served as the basis for the supercars SC18 and SC20, Essenza SCV12, Centenario, Veneno – that is, Lamborghini monetizes the Aventador platform in full and, perhaps, the new Countach is not the last in a series of its offspring.
We must pay tribute to the stylists, they draped the body of the Sian as best they could under the classic Countach, but could not convey the main thing – its chisel proportions. The main obstacle here is the curved A-pillars of the donor model, while the classic Countach has straight ones. Straightening the struts on the new Countach was probably beyond the budget of the project, an operation that would have required serious intervention in the power structure of the body and its aerodynamics.
In movies and computer games, the classic Countach usually flaunted the chubby wheel arches that it received in the late 70s during restyling, but this characteristic feature is absent in the new model for the same reason as the straight pillars. Of course, the successor does not have retractable headlights either, they have long been banned by safety rules, and even the air intake ducts of the original Countach are reproduced on the new model very conditionally.
What then do the old and new models have in common? Similarities can be seen in the design of the front and rear, as well as in the gills behind the door windows (they were on the classic Countach of the early series). Inside, the old and new Countach have nothing in common at all, the LPI 800-4 differs from the original Sian only in minor details: a new shape of the air ducts and frames of the 8.4-inch multimedia display, new graphics for this display, new seat upholstery and door cards.
In terms of technology, the Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 is a seamless Sian, but with a slightly derated 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12: maximum power is reduced from 785 to 780 hp, maximum torque is the same – 720 Nm. A 48-volt electric motor (34 hp, 35 Nm) is implanted between the V12 and the 7-speed “robot” with one clutch, which, when braking, works as a generator and stores the generated electricity in a supercapacitor located behind the seats. During acceleration, the supercapacitor, on the contrary, feeds the electric motor, which assists the internal combustion engine for several seconds, allowing you to get maximum acceleration. The drive is all-wheel drive, with a Haldex clutch that takes power to the front axle.
The dynamic characteristics of the Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 are the same as those of Sian: acceleration to 100 km/h takes 2.8 seconds, top speed is 355 km/h. Even the dry weight of related models is the same – 1595 kg.
Lamborghini is going to produce only 112 copies of the Countach LPI 800-4. The price was not specified in the press release, but according to the British magazine Autocar, it will be 2 million euros. Shipment of ordered cars to customers will begin in the first quarter of next year. We believe that the entire circulation is already sold out.