Lamborghini teases the return of the Countach

If I could make a Countach, it would look just like this....

I'm putting my money on some sort of electrified powertrain. Maybe not full-on electric, but I'd be surprised to not see a hybrid setup.

And how do we like our Countachs? Flares or no flares? Wing or not? How about flares but no wing?

Personally, I always dug those original rear wheel cutouts. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

LP400 for me as well.

In reply to Colin Wood :

Shades of the recently cancelled NSX? 

This may drop with teasers of the Lamborghini LMDh race car too, my understanding is they are throwing in and using the Porsche and Audi spec'd engine.

Agreed on probable hybrid drivetrain use here.  Lambo has stated that a latest flavor of Aventador will be the last to get an unassisted V12.  

David S. Wallens said:

And how do we like our Countachs? Flares or no flares? Wing or not? How about flares but no wing?

I dig all versions except the 25th anniversary.  Those are awful.  I always hear it mentioned how Horacio Pagani styled that, like that is supposed to be a good thing.  

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Flares, wing and phone dial wheels for me. In white.

I want the one that was on my wall.

But I suspect it will disappointingly be just another spiky variation of the same look, just with an iconic name applied. If they're going to use the Countach name, it should move the game on in a major way.

Man, I sound like a Mustang owner getting all wound up about an electric CUV.

93EXCivic said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Flares, wing and phone dial wheels for me. In white.

Exactly the way it should be.

Sorry I don't know this. But how do you pronounce "countach"?

Coon-tak?

Coon-talk?

Count-ak? Count-aaaaah?

Coon-tatch?

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

Coon tosh

Or

Coon tash

93EXCivic said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Flares, wing and phone dial wheels for me. In white.

Yep, that's the one. Give me all the 80s/90s glorious excess. The OG ones just look weird to me. 

thatsnowinnebago said:

93EXCivic said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Flares, wing and phone dial wheels for me. In white.

Yep, that's the one. Give me all the 80s/90s glorious excess. The OG ones just look weird to me. 

I get that the white is totally Miami Vice, but the red one that Keith posted does it for me. 

But for old time's sake:

I think we get too hung up on "canon" when it comes to stuff like this. We've had, what, a dozen different actors play Batman? Some good, some great, some not so great. 

If the new Countach is cool, and inspires a new generation of kids to make space ontheir walls for a poster, then it's worthy of the name. The supercar space is actually surprisingly crowded these days, so it's even harder to stand out, but I think it's cool that Lamborghini is at least making an attempt to lean in to their own iconography.

And, for me, I guess the '86 is the pinnacle of the model. Biggest engine, smallest bumpers and best fuel injection all in one package were only available that year I believe. Maybe '87 as well, but I think the bumpers started growing with that model year. 

Just. Like. This.

Yeah, I honestly don't care what the drivetrain is like in this thing, as long as it is interesting both on paper and to the ears.  Porsche 919 LMP1 drivetrain (2 liter V4 + hybrid) tuned for the street?  

wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) said:

Just. Like. This.

 

You make a strong argument. I'l park it beside this.

I kind of think the Stratos is cooler.  

I'm with the full-'80s-ridiculosity campaign... Wish they could build it to look pretty much just like it did then and focus on making it actually drive as good as it looked.

That's certainly not the only way to have this be awesome, just the irrational-to-impossible hope I have. I mean, they'd have to at least scale it up or something just to avoid the feet-and-front-wheels-trying-to-occupy-the-same-space issue. At least this would be a really excellent use of backup cameras.

I sat in a Diablo a few months ago, and it seriously damaged my feelings about Italian exotics. That wasn't pleasant. It's hard to imagine that it drove well enough to get over the ergonomic insanity.

pres589 (djronnebaum) said:

I kind of think the Stratos is cooler.  

Way back when the Countach was my favorite - especially in yellow like SunStreaker.

But now, Stratos all day - I think I have 3 or 4 Stratos shirts from BlipShift

Jesse Ransom said:

I'm with the full-'80s-ridiculosity campaign... Wish they could build it to look pretty much just like it did then and focus on making it actually drive as good as it looked.

That's certainly not the only way to have this be awesome, just the irrational-to-impossible hope I have. I mean, they'd have to at least scale it up or something just to avoid the feet-and-front-wheels-trying-to-occupy-the-same-space issue. At least this would be a really excellent use of backup cameras.

I sat in a Diablo a few months ago, and it seriously damaged my feelings about Italian exotics. That wasn't pleasant. It's hard to imagine that it drove well enough to get over the ergonomic insanity.

You should watch some of the Hoovies Garage videos with his 25th anniversary Countach and Diablo. He is contorted in all sorts of weird uncomfortable ways to fit in the older car and makes the Diablo looks very nice in comparison.

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

Sorry I don't know this. But how do you pronounce "countach"?

Coon-tak?

Coon-talk?

Count-ak? Count-aaaaah?

Coon-tatch?

I always thought it was "Coon-tosh" but there was I think a Harry's Garage episode with Frank Stephenson and he pronounced it "Coon-toch" and when Harry asked him about the pronunciation, he said that's the way Valentino Balboni pronounced it.  Not sure how much of that is correct, and come to think of it I think Balboni actually signed Harry's car, so you'd think he'd have noticed then...

David S. Wallens said:

thatsnowinnebago said:

93EXCivic said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Flares, wing and phone dial wheels for me. In white.

Yep, that's the one. Give me all the 80s/90s glorious excess. The OG ones just look weird to me. 

I get that the white is totally Miami Vice, but the red one that Keith posted does it for me. 

But for old time's sake:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/M5yIWJLdUsE?rel=0

 

I should watch Miami Vice.

In reply to David S. Wallens :

The ONLY one, was the first one. It was a highly distilled design. Every following iteration was a water-down of the pure drug.

In reply to NOHOME :

Meh I have never heard anyone say that the Countach is any good to drive so give me the coked up 80s excess. 

Don't get me wrong I think the OGs are cool too but at that point in my fanasty of being a billionaire with a car collection there are other similar cars from that time period I'd rather have. The Ferrari 512 BBi for example. But no one does over the top excess like Lambo and no Lambo does that like the 80s Countach. 

LP500S just like the posters I always had. Or like the bed frame I found alongside the road that is taking up space in the basement right now.

one of my favorite images of a Countach 

Funny though, I posted the gorgeous Miura concept in that other thread but the quote from Lambo was that they would never make it "The Miura was a celebration of our history, but Lamborghini is about the future. Retro design is not what we are here for. So we won’t do the Miura."

P3PPY said:

Funny though, I posted the gorgeous Miura concept in that other thread but the quote from Lambo was that they would never make it "The Miura was a celebration of our history, but Lamborghini is about the future. Retro design is not what we are here for. So we won’t do the Miura."

I totally forgot about that. It's interesting Lamborghini changed its stance.

In reply to Colin Wood :

Depends on if they're doing retro design or just using a retro name. The latter would be consistent with that statement. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

All the wings & flares. 
 

All the flares, all the wings, all the scoops.

Don't really care if it outperforms other supercars... Countach is about being outrageous.

Might be an age thing but I always wanted a Diablo. In purple with white leather interior and gold wheels. 

JG Pasterjak said:

 If the new Countach is cool, and inspires a new generation of kids to make it the Lock Screen on their phone, then it's worthy of the name. 

Fixed that based on the new generation of car enthusiasts 

I'm out of the loop... 

Do kids still put posters on their walls? Do they still have those poster racks like I remember flipping through in Woolworths? 

I haven't been I a Spencer's since my youth. 

It should look like this, but they should, uhh, change the name to Miura

Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

All the wings & flares. 
 

That model was the worst looking of all with inverted front moustache and useless wings all over it.

The original shape was the purest and at the time, most revolutionary of all.  But my heart lies with the original Miura as the Lamborghini I would own if given the choice.

Capitan Obvious here!  It should invoke visions of the original without ruining the lines.  Basically leave the outside ALONE.  No Hyundai wing.  Add plenty of 2021 ergonomics to the inside to make it usable.  

Nuff' said.

wearymicrobe said:

Might be an age thing but I always wanted a Diablo. In purple with white leather interior and gold wheels. 

 

I agree, because the Diablo(or any Lambo after it) doesn't do anything for me. 

The Diablo was planned to be wilder initially 

Chrysler's instead toned it down and designer Marcello Gandini adopted much of the concept car for the Cizeta-Moroder V16T

Regarding the name, in Italian"ch" is pronounced like the "k" as in chianti. Or, my wife's personal pet peeve, bruschetta. It's broo-sketta, not broo-shetta.

vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) said:

Regarding the name, in Italian"ch" is pronounced like the "k" as in chianti. Or, my wife's personal pet peeve, bruschetta. It's broo-sketta, not broo-shetta.

Well now I'm totally ordering bruschetta next time I'm out (so, like, 2 years) purely for the pronunciation opportunity.

Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

All the wings & flares. 
 

That might be one too many wings for me. 

For those following along, Lamborghini just dropped three teaser shots on Instagram:

For now, at least, it looks like the V12 remains–but no word yet if there will be any electric motors attached.

This got leaked as well

In reply to JG Pasterjak :

I like it.  

Being a child of the 80's, the version with all the flares, scoops and wings is the one I was drawn to, although with age I've developed an appreciation for the original LP400 and its clean lines. It appears the new car is going after the latter theme.

Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to JG Pasterjak :

I like it.  

Being a child of the 80's, the version with all the flares, scoops and wings is the one I was drawn to, although with age I've developed an appreciation for the original LP400 and its clean lines. It appears the new car is going after the latter theme.

Yeah I have to think a flared version is coming later on this one, too. 

Also, I should clarify that I cannot verify the provenance of that image. It did not come from Lamborghini, so I'm not sure if it's a convincing fake or a leaked real image. 

Does the V12 badge mean that it's all-motor? 

(Also, yes, I just used the term "all motor." It's 1996 all over again.)

In reply to 93EXCivic :

Going strictly by form in my statement. The idea of function and Lamborghini in the same sentence is kinda funny.

David S. Wallens said:

And how do we like our Countachs? Flares or no flares? Wing or not? How about flares but no wing?

Personally, I always dug those original rear wheel cutouts. 

I like the late 70s models with the Bravo wheels. LP500 I guess? Bravo wheeeeeels. Drool.

I like those leaked full renders, except I really wish the blacked-out inlet the door line bisects was a proper NACA-shaped duct.

JG Pasterjak said:

This got leaked as well

I'm hoping that's not it, because that just looks like pretty much every other current Lambo with a NACA duct (ish) drawn on the side.

Legend has it that the Countach got its name when someone saw the prototype and uttered the equivalent of "holy E36 M3!". This is not that car. I think there's a significant chance it's a fan render, but it does match up with the "official" detail shots reasonably well.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

If they want people to say "Holy E36 M3!" when they see the new one it better not look anything like the old one. The original might as well have been a spaceship from Alpha Centauri that had just landed. They will have to go pretty far out to get that kind of reaction nowadays. 

Exactly.

FWIW, I dig the rendering that JG posted. 

vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) said:

Regarding the name, in Italian"ch" is pronounced like the "k" as in chianti. Or, my wife's personal pet peeve, bruschetta. It's broo-sketta, not broo-shetta.

Sooooo, it's "coon tak" then?

David S. Wallens said:

FWIW, I dig the rendering that JG posted. 

Goofy shaped wheel openings, Check.

Just make it so adult humans can fit inside and I'll be happy.

Too much stuff from Italy is built for 120lb Italian teenagers.

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) said:

Regarding the name, in Italian"ch" is pronounced like the "k" as in chianti. Or, my wife's personal pet peeve, bruschetta. It's broo-sketta, not broo-shetta.

Sooooo, it's "coon tak" then?

Well, it is supposedly of Piedmontese origin so I think the "ash" ending is acceptable, but an Italian would most likely go coontak.

David S. Wallens said:

(Also, yes, I just used the term "all motor." It's 1996 all over again.)

You may consider revamping that to "all engine" then if you're looking to differentiate from the coppertop cars

Copper top cars, I like it. 

I'll definitely say meh other then the big naca duct and front lights it's exactly any current Lamborghini.

Render is spot on

112 to be built at 2.64 mil a pop.  Sold out of course..

I like it, but it looks almost as much like a Diablo tribute as a Countache tribute.

Interesting...  I like the styling, but the production numbers and cost are disappointing.  What chassis is it based on?  I doubt it could be an entirely bespoke platform for just under 300 million (regardless of USD or Euros). 

I like it, but I prefer their current style of "angry" headlights, like on the Huracan, to this. I understand why they did it, but still....

Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:

Interesting...  I like the styling, but the production numbers and cost are disappointing.  What chassis is it based on?  I doubt it could be an entirely bespoke platform for just under 300 million (regardless of USD or Euros). 

Sián.

I'd totally drive it.

It's like the best possible bodykit for the existing Lambo platform :) Still clearly an evolution but the photographer knew how to make it look as much like a Countach as possible.

Countach for scale. A pre-NACA Countach, slightly ironically.

It looks OK, but I'd rather have a Huracan. To me that is the best looking Lambo nowadays.

How much are original Countachs going for? I known the periscope cars are nuts, but what about a 5000S QV? For 2.64M I think I could get a nice Countach, a Silhoutte or Urraco, a Diablo, a Gallardo, etc.

mblommel said:

 For 2.64M I think I could get a nice Countach, a Silhoutte or Urraco, a Diablo, a Gallardo, etc.

The 112 people Who already bought the new countach, doubt they are doing that math... 

Going back to the Countach, I stumbled on a slideshow of the Pebble Beach Concours that included this '76 Periscopio Countach.  Could it possibly have come from the factory like this?  :shudder:

I like the new one a lot, I wish they had done a more modern take on the phone dial wheels in something other than a dark color.

This 25th Anniversary car would be popular (especially around Halloween)  And no silly looking add on wings!

I think the numerous Countach styling elements are well conceived. But the whole thing ends up looking like a generic Lambo copycat from a video game to me. I don't think it's an improvement over any of their regular production cars for the last 25 years (not including Urus). For the price, you can have a brand new V12 Lambo and a very nice vintage Countach too.

Keith Tanner said:

Countach for scale. A pre-NACA Countach, slightly ironically.

That angle makes it look more like a Diablo than a Countach..  Interesting. 

I forgot how many huge names were in this movie...

Lots of brakes loving up in the clip. I guess it sorta looks cool, but wow.

I didn't realize Brock Yates wrote the script.