2022 Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4

Some nameplates transcend the automotive arena and become cultural icons, writ large. Impacting a generation of design, the wedge-shaped Lamborghini Countach seemingly created a genre all its own. If the supercar had not been created by the time the original Lamborghini LP 500 prototype debuted, certainly after the Countach released it was offically born. A perfect nameplate to resurrect, then.

This is a 2022 Lamborghini LPI 800 Countach. It is finished in Oracio Aten with black trim, over a black interior with orange trim. It is powered by a mild hybrid electric drivetrain, consisting of a 6.5 liter naturally aspirated V12 engine, paired with a transaxle-mounted electric motor, running power to all four wheels though a 7-speed single-clutch automated transmission. This Countach has less than 245 miles (387 km) covered.

Here in 2024, fans of the supercar have recently witnessed radical changes in the approach to achieving ultimate speed. Over the span of an entire century, horsepower has seen a steady increase, but the means of motivation was the constant - the internal combustion engine. V8, V12, V16, W16, turbos and superchargers, there were constant variations on the theme, but the backbeat remained the same - petroleum power, and lots of it.

But as everyone started looking towards the future, the development of electric and hydrogen power started in earnest. It began at the edges, on the fringe, but in fits and starts it began to mature into practical propulsion for the general public. Every major manufacturer began considering what it meant for them, and the products they offered, as they peered into their corporate crystal balls and tried to see what the future held for them. And what you often saw, in addition to hints about what the future had in store, was how these manufacturers started making the most of what they had. If you love what you make, you make the most of what you have.

This end of an era approach to production was particularly poignant at Lamborghini. Under the auspices of Audi nee the Volkswagen Group, the Italian sports car concern had thrived, both with the quality of their product and their sales. The 10-cylinder “entry” level Gallardo was an unqualified success, but it was the flagship 12-cylinder bulls that improved in leaps and bounds. From the Diablo, to the Murcielago and through to the Aventador, the icon blended the outrageous personality with true capability and competency. The Aventador, in particular, became the platform that Lamborghini used to essentially make hay while the sun shined. So from around 2010 into the early 2020’s, the variants began to branch out in different directions, celebrating the iconic form factor of the mid-engine V12 supercar with different takes on where it was going. The resulting proliferation from that period runs the gamut - coupes and roadsters, hybrid drivetrains, tributes to past Lamborghini icons, the track focused street car category, and then finishes off with fully fettled factory race specification not legal for street use. It’s only proper that SBX Cars offer all of these variations, letting buyers pick their flavor.

This 2022 LPI 800 was created as a tribute to their original Countach, which had debuted to the world 50 years prior in 1972. It is driven by the same mild hybrid system found in Lamborghini’s Sian FKP 37, using a combination of the 6.5-liter V12 engine -which in this case produces 770 hp (574 kW) - along with a 48-volt electric motor producing an additional 34 hp (25kW), which is located inside the 7-speed automated manual transmission. Energy from the regenerative braking system is stored in a supercapacitor, which is lighter than a traditional lithium-ion battery.

But of course, it’s the exterior that makes the grandest statement here, with design cues that borrow directly from the original Countach’s Marcello Gandini design, and applied to the Aventador form. The side air intakes are reshaped and finished in contrasting black to emphasize the influence, and there’s no mistaking the angled leading edges of the wheel wells as being anything but a homage to the original Bull. That look continues with the rear bumper, where the lower valance panel sweeps up to the rear to meet the bottom edge of the taillight inset, with three rectangular lights that mimic the original setup. Up front, slim LED headlights are situated behind a clear lens that’s shaped like the turn signal covers on the original, completing the retro look for the modern Lamborghini.