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Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 unveiled: This wedge is a hybrid

Lamborghini reboots one of the most iconic supercars of all time. This time, though, it's packing electrification.

Tim Stevens Former editor at large for CNET Cars
Tim Stevens got his start writing professionally while still in school in the mid '90s, and since then has covered topics ranging from business process management to video game development to automotive technology.
Tim Stevens
2 min read
Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4
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Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4

It's back.

Lamborghini

In my eye, a supercar isn't a supercar if it lacks an element of iconic presence to match its performance, and it's hard to argue that among that rare breed of cars the Countach stands at or near the top. The 18th green at the 2021 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance will be littered with prized examples of the breed as celebrates the car's 50th anniversary, and now there'll be one more with the new Countach LPI 800-4.

Actually there will be 112 more, as that's how many of the new Countach models Lamborghini will build, an homage to the original's LP112 codename. This whole thing is an homage, as you can tell from the press photos, with styling clearly derived from the earlier breed of Countach, before it was dragged down by the big wing and scoops that supercar stakes demanded by the end of that car's epic 26-year run.

Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4
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Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4

It's definitely still a wedge.

Lamborghini

As such this new Countach is actually a little understated by Lamborghini standards. The car's lines are simple and clean, angular cut-outs for the wheels and giant, contrasting door intakes perhaps the most obvious throw-back to the original, though the simple horizontal lines of the nose are also familiar -- if somewhat spoiled by moving the headlights up and back. The rear tapers down in a single, clean sweep, unspoiled by a big wing but clearly swinging a serious diffuser underneath.

And under the skin? It's a hybrid, believe it or not, repurposing the company's familiar 6.5-liter V12 and pairing it with the same 48-volt electric motor we saw on the Lamborghini Sian. No, this isn't the next-gen hybrid system Lamborghini CEO Stefan Winkelmann has told me about again and again. Rated at 34 horsepower, the electric system here is barely a footnote compared to the 770 ponies provided by that V12, but it is yet another encouraging sign that Lamborghini wants to make this configuration mainstream. Combined, the system offers 803 horsepower through all four wheels and that's enough to get the thing from 0 to 62 mph in a sprightly 2.8 seconds. Top speed is 221 mph.

Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4
Lamborghini

Other tech wizardry in the new Countach includes a dimming, photochromic glass roof and 3D-printed components, plus an 8.4-inch infotainment system that has a designated presentation mode to teach the history of the model. I'm sure that won't get old. There is, at least, Apple CarPlay.

Early reactions to the car are polarizing to say the least. I'll let you make up your mind on whether this homage is heavenly or hideous, but if you're wondering what it costs, Lamborghini didn't have a final price in US dollars as of publication, but said it'd be in the ballpark of the Sian. For reference, the Sian was priced at somewhere north of $3 million and they all sold in a heartbeat. The company is building twice as many examples of the new Countach, but that of course still wasn't enough. They're all sold. Lucky owners will take delivery next year.

Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 reignites the 1980s dream machine

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