Countach

[Ferruccio]

markiii said:

the missed opportunity was to make something good. rather than the vague pastiche they have come out with thats worse than any of the fan renders from the last 5 years

purely using the name to grab some cash

all IMHO

And my point was that I do not believe that there was an “opportunity” to use the Countach name.
It’s just cynical branding.

[markiii]

There was an opportunity to build something worth the name, the blew it

[hyphen]

markiii said:

There was an opportunity to build something worth the name, the blew it

shocking that the management of Lamborghini though this car was acceptable.

Hope they fail to sell.

[is-uk]

All 112 are already sold.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrRjIbHNuws&ab...

[Martin350]

For me, this render looks pretty good, a sexy car and very much like the original prototype.

is-uk said:

However, as is quite common knowledge, the original prototype looked amazing in 1971 but was fundamentally flawed from an engineering point of view, largely with engine heat management, which is why the production cars ended up with extra air intakes and vents etc., so I guess it still wouldn't work now, especially with almost double the power of a modern big V12.



I still regard the LP400 and subsequent Countach models (apart from the less good looking Anniversary, in my opinion) as the best looking cars ever made.

I'm sure it was the LP400 Countach in my pack of Top Trumps as a kid that got me fascinated in cars in the first place, it was so spectacular at the time.
When I was about nine or ten years old whist playing outside with mates on our bikes after school one afternoon a red LP400 went past us and we were absolutely stunned, it was such an amazing, exotic and rare thing to see.
What with the recent-ish boom in super/hyper car availability these days I don't think it's even possible to recreate that.

The NACA duct on the side of the original Countach is an iconic feature.
The air duct on this new one is utterly hideous, in my opinion.

This car is no such leap forward in road car design, philosophy, construction, performance or styling that the original was, so for me it makes no real sense at all.
I love Lamborghini, I've been a massive fan all my life, but I'm sad to say, I think think this an ill conceived mistake and made for, maybe, the wrong reasons.
I wanted to like it and I feel a bit sad that I don't.

Edited by Martin350 on Sunday 15th August 00:59

[supersport]

Martin350 said:

However, as is quite common knowledge, the original prototype looked amazing in 1971 but was fundamentally flawed from an engineering point of view, largely with engine heat management, which is why the production cars ended up with extra air intakes and vents etc., so I guess it still wouldn't work now, especially with almost double the power of a modern big V12.



I still regard the LP400 and subsequent Countach models (apart from the less good looking Anniversary, in my opinion) as the best looking cars ever made.

I'm sure it was the LP400 Countach in my pack of Top Trumps as a kid that got me fascinated in cars in the first place, it was so spectacular at the time.
When I was about nine or ten years old whist playing outside with mates on our bikes after school one afternoon a red LP400 went past us and we were absolutely stunned, it was such an amazing, exotic and rare thing to see.
What with the recent-ish boom in super/hyper car availability these days I don't think it's even possible to recreate that.

The NACA duct on the side of the original Countach is an iconic feature.
The air duct on this new one is utterly hideous, in my opinion.

This car is no such leap forward in road car design, philosophy, construction, performance or styling that the original was, so for me it makes no real sense at all.
I love Lamborghini, I've been a massive fan all my life, but I'm sad to say, I think think this an ill conceived mistake and made for, maybe, the wrong reasons.
I wanted to like it and I feel a bit sad that I don't.

Edited by Martin350 on Sunday 15th August 00:59

This really.

I suspect I was in my 30s before I saw one of these. I remember screen test on tv showing scenes from Gumball Rally I think it was. So utterly mind blowing.

For me as a Porsche fanatic the seen from Condorman with the black turbos set in stone my love of wide body 911s.

OrangeLP400 on here has a car I have drooled over since the minute I saw it at an early Malton meet. I love our chats every time I take a car for an MOT. I lose a day every time.

[is-uk]

Martin350 said:

....

The NACA duct on the side of the original Countach is an iconic feature.
The air duct on this new one is utterly hideous, in my opinion.

The large NACA style duct on the side is required to channel the airflow to the radiators which had to be moved from the front of the car to the side to allow the front aspect to be low like on the original model. As you rightly pointed out the original concept was flawed in terms of air flow to the engine and the radiators for the current V12 require significant airflow.

The best way to regard this car is by thinking of it as the Countach Mk 5 or 6 had Lamborghini chosen to slowly evolve the design in much the same way that Porsche have done with the 911. This is like comparing a current 992 series 911 to the original F model as if no other versions (G series, 964, 993, 996, 997 and 991) had ever been made. The 992 would be slaughtered by online opinion in that scenario. Considered in that context I think Lamborghini have managed to retain key design elements of the original - giving some such as the Periscopa roof a novel modern interpretation - whilst having to make the car compliant with far more stringent legislative requirements than Gandini and Bertone had to contend with back in 1971.

The other renderings of a modern Countach are flights of imagination that have not had to be reworked to meet such legislative constraints nor have they been drawn to sit atop the mechanical underpinnings of the Aventador.

[hyphen]

is-uk said:

Martin350 said:

....

The NACA duct on the side of the original Countach is an iconic feature.
The air duct on this new one is utterly hideous, in my opinion.

The large NACA style duct on the side is required...

It's too large aesthetically regardless.

Considering the cost €3m or something, surely they could have come up with something alternate.

Edited by hyphen on Monday 16th August 15:26

[cgt2]

Interestingly the first Countach Evoluzione prototype that Horacio Pagani developed in 1987 also removed the iconic NACA side ducts for much larger vents. It was striking but took away the signature feature of a Countach for me.

It later reappeared on the prototype.

Can't find a photo of the early design on the web, only NACA examples but it was shown in an issue of CAR without the ducts.

Edited by cgt2 on Sunday 15th August 16:41

[jtremlett]

Well, I quite like it but other than the name it has no more to do with the Countach than any other recent Lamborghini. But then I can't imagine Lamborghini care what I or anyone else thinks if they've sold them all at a silly price.

[raymondqv]

cgt2 said:

Interestingly the first Countach Evoluzione prototype that Horacio Pagani developed in 1987 also removed the iconic NACA side ducts for much larger vents. It was striking but took away the signature feature of a Countach for me.

It later reappeared on the prototype.

Can't find a photo of the early design on the web, only NACA examples but it was shown in an issue of CAR without the ducts.

Edited by cgt2 on Sunday 15th August 16:41

Are you sure about the Evo?
Since all pictures I know are with the Naca: http://www.countach.ch/History/Evo/index.html

Basically a carbon fibre chassis with the regular Alu body parts.

Edited by raymondqv on Sunday 15th August 21:34

[cgt2]

raymondqv said:

re you sure about the Evo?
Since all pictures I know are with the Naca: http://www.countach.ch/History/Evo/index.html

Basically a carbon fibre chassis with the regular Alu body parts.

Edited by raymondqv on Sunday 15th August 21:34

Just from memory. I believe it was in a 1986 issue when they snapped an early photo at the factory with a different intake.

Then it featured on a cover in 1987 in finished form when they also showed the F40/959/GTO/Zagato and that picture showed it with NACA.

Edited by cgt2 on Monday 16th August 00:28

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Presumably in honour of the new version, CAR has reproduced it's epic road trip article by Mel Nichols "Convoy" on their website.

https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/magazine...

[is-uk]

Here is the 1988 prototype that ditched the NACA ducts.

[rat rod]

is-uk said:

Here is the 1988 prototype that ditched the NACA ducts.

OMG------- I for one am glad it remained a phototype

[raymondqv]

is-uk said:

Here is the 1988 prototype that ditched the NACA ducts.

This is the L150 not the EVO.

[is-uk]

raymondqv said:

This is the L150 not the EVO.

The Evo (shown below) retained the NACA ducts. I think the L150 is the car cgt2 is likely recalling.

[cgt2]

is-uk said:

The Evo (shown below) retained the NACA ducts. I think the L150 is the car cgt2 is likely recalling.

Correct! I knew I didn't imagine it existed, that's definitely the car. The one pictured in CAR was bare metal.

[xcentric]

hyphen said:

is-uk said:

Martin350 said:

....

The NACA duct on the side of the original Countach is an iconic feature.
The air duct on this new one is utterly hideous, in my opinion.

The large NACA style duct on the side is required...

It's too large aesthetically regardless.

Considering the carbon €3m or something, surely they could have come up with something alternate.

Mclaren manage the heat issue perfectly fine with appropriately-sized vents. I agree these are too large. The overly heavy rear is jarring in today's design languages but does ape the original. I'd have the front lights lower, the vent smaller but with some additional shaping forwards to encourage more airflow.

In terms of the 'missed opportunity' comments, surely the point of a Countach is to be overly extravagant, with aggressive wedge looks and a bonkers engine. This misses on the first two, so IMHO misses what a Countach should be. As to why they could reuse the name, it would be to cement them at the top of the 'wildest looking supercar' table - essentially, it should be their winner top trumps card. Pleased for them as a company that they've sold them all, as the cashflow will help lower models keep coming, but it could have been much more of a halo car.

[is-uk]

The renders are appearing already. A few subtle changes - change of wheel design, paint the NACA ducts in body colour, change to the tail lights, lowering the rear bumper vents, adding a couple of vents to the rear wings, add more angle to the rear wheel arch and fitting a large rear spoiler - and voila, the Countach 50 becomes an update on the LP500s version