Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4

Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 at a glance

The LPI 800-4 is a tribute to the original Lamborghini Countach and a technical relative of the Lamborghini Sián. All models of the brand are in the Lamborghini catalogue.

The original Countach and the LP 112 name

The Countach story began in 1970 with a project coded LP112. The first result was the LP500 concept, designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone and shown at the Geneva motor show in 1971. Its name came from "contacc", an exclamation of astonishment in the Piedmontese dialect. The single prototype was destroyed in a crash test at MIRA in England on 21 March 1974.

The production Countach was built from 1974 to 1990, in versions from the LP400 to the 25th Anniversary. In total 1,983 cars were made, more than half of them in the last five years.

The new car's production number is a direct reference to this history: Lamborghini built exactly 112 LPI 800-4s, matching the LP 112 code used during the development of the original Countach.

Design by Mitja Borkert

The LPI 800-4 was designed under Mitja Borkert, Lamborghini's head of design. It is a two-door coupé with scissor doors, and it is much larger than the car it honours. It is 4,870 mm long, 2,099 mm wide and 1,139 mm high, on a 2,700 mm wheelbase; the LP500 prototype was only 4,010 mm long and 1,850 mm wide.

Under the body is the carbon fibre monocoque of the Sián FKP 37, unveiled in 2019. Wikipedia lists the Aventador and the Sián as related models, and the Sián's own six hexagonal tail lights were inspired by the Countach.

Engine and performance

The engine is the L539, a 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 mounted longitudinally behind the cabin. In the LPI 800-4 it produces 574 kW (780 PS). Together with the electric motor, the combined output is 599 kW (814 PS), which goes to all four wheels through a seven-speed ISR automated manual gearbox with a single clutch.

Lamborghini quotes the following figures:

The hybrid system: supercapacitor instead of battery

The hybrid part of the drivetrain is small and light. A 48-volt electric motor with 25 kW (34 PS) sits inside the gearbox, and the energy is stored not in a lithium-ion battery but in a supercapacitor, which is lighter.

The same system was first used in the Sián FKP 37. According to Wikipedia's Sián article, the supercapacitor gives three times the power of a lithium-ion battery of the same weight. It is recharged by regenerative braking. The electric motor adds power at speeds up to 130 km/h and helps the driver when parking and reversing at low speed.

Countach LPI 800-4 and Sián FKP 37 compared

The Sián FKP 37 was unveiled online on 3 September 2019 and shown at the Frankfurt motor show that month. Its name combines the Bolognese dialect word for a flash of lightning with the initials and birth year of Ferdinand Karl Piëch. The two cars share their monocoque and hybrid system, but their figures differ slightly:

In the Sián, Lamborghini fitted the V12 with titanium intake valves, a new engine control unit and a new exhaust. The electronically controlled all-wheel drive works with a mechanical self-locking rear differential.

Production and deliveries

Lamborghini presented the car on 14 August 2021 in California. All 112 cars were sold less than a week after the unveiling, and deliveries began in early 2022. Its technical twin, the Sián FKP 37, was built in 63 coupés and 19 roadsters, so the Countach LPI 800-4 is the most numerous car with this supercapacitor drivetrain.

Legacy

The LPI 800-4 is less a successor than a tribute. It brought the Countach name back for one limited run, using Lamborghini's modern carbon chassis and the supercapacitor hybrid system of the Sián, while its production number recalls the original LP 112 project. For the background of the brand see our history of Lamborghini.

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