THE GREAT RETURN OF THE LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH LP 500
November 14, 2021
The return of the Lamborghini Countach LP 500 is an electrifying event for fans of the Italian brand and all car enthusiasts. The Lamborghini Countach LP 500 returns as a thrilling restoration commissioned by Automobili Lamborghini's Polo Storico for a major collector. The restoration took over 25,000 hours to complete. Lamborghini Centro Stile was instrumental in restoring the bodywork and overseeing the styling.
"The Lamborghini Countach LP 500 reinvented the performance car," said Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. "It became an icon in terms of its design message, which, even today, decades later, continues to inspire modern Lamborghinis. The restoration of the first Countach in the year we celebrate its 50th anniversary is extraordinary, allowing us to admire the legendary 1971 LP 500 in person for the first time in so many years."
At the Geneva Motor Show in March 1971, Automobili Lamborghini unveiled a concept car – the Lamborghini Countach LP 500. The car became an instant star of the show, and images of it quickly went viral, appearing in leading magazines worldwide. This new model was intended to replace the legendary Miura and write a new page in automotive history, both in terms of technology and design. Three years later, the LP 500 was crash-tested in March 1974.
In late 2017, a classic car enthusiast and important Lamborghini client asked Polo Storico if it was possible to create a reconstruction of the Lamborghini Countach LP 500, a legendary model known only from photos from the time.
The first few months were devoted to gathering all available materials and undertaking an in-depth analysis. "Collecting the documents was crucial," emphasized Giuliano Cassataro, Head of Service and Polo Storico. "Great attention was paid to every detail of the car, its overall integrity, and its technical specifications." Photographs, documents, meeting reports, original drawings, and the memories of some of the heroes of the era: all of this contributed to the most accurate reproduction of the form and function of every detail. The support of the Pirelli Foundation was also crucial in providing historical archive materials that allowed us to recreate the tires fitted to the original LP500.
Work began with the chassis, which is completely different from the frame of subsequent Countach models. In addition to the physical redesign, Polo Storico had to decide on a workflow to build it, taking into account the production methods of the time. The same process was applied to the bodywork, with various modern technological instruments used to analyze it. Once the bodywork stage was reached, the technology gave way to the traditional Italian system, executed by the "battilastra" using his creativity and tools. A similar process was applied to the interior, which featured illuminated diagnostic instruments, just like the 1971 prototype.
For all mechanical components, as in 1971, original Lamborghini spare parts or restored components from that era were used, and where these were missing, parts were completely rebuilt.
To recreate the historical aspect of the original design, the Polo Storico turned to Lamborghini Centro Stile, where a team led by Mitja Borkert, Head of Design, began work on a highly demanding project. "The Lamborghini Countach LP 500 is of enormous importance to the company, as it laid the foundation for the design DNA of all subsequent models," said Mitja Borkert. "To restore the car that debuted in Geneva in 1971, a 1:1 scale styling model was developed. The car was lost, but extensive photographic documentation remained. This was the approach we took to this project. Starting with period publications, photos on homologation cards, and other materials recovered from the Polo Storico, we were able to apply the mathematics necessary to create the first 1:1 scale model. The biggest challenge was reproducing the exact volume of the car, and for this, we utilized the 3D scan of our LP 400 (chassis 001), which was a tremendous source of information. It took us a total of 2,000 hours to achieve the final model with the lines we were satisfied with. Exactly the same procedure was followed for the interior."
The collaboration with Pirelli – established in 1963 – in reconstructing the tires fitted to the Lamborghini Countach LP 500 prototype proved invaluable. Thanks to photos and materials preserved in the Fondazione Pirelli archives, it was possible to use the original plans for the Cinturato CN12 tire fitted to the LP 500 during its Geneva debut. Based on these documents, technicians from the Milanese company developed the Cinturato CN12 tire from the Pirelli Collezione range, a current line of tires dedicated to the most iconic cars built between 1930 and 2000, preserving the originality of the rubber while combining a vintage look with modern technology. The Pirelli Cinturato CN12 tires for the Lamborghini Countach LP 500 were supplied in sizes 245/60R14 for the front and 265/60R14 for the rear, and now feature the same tread pattern and aesthetics as in the 1970s, but with a modern compound and structure.
When it came to choosing the color, the PPG archives proved crucial, allowing them to identify, after careful analysis, the exact composition used to produce the yellow color, designated "Giallo Fly Speciale.".
Lamborghini Polo Storico
Lamborghini Polo Storico, launched in 2015, is a division of Automobili Lamborghini responsible for preserving the historical identity of the Sant'Agata Bolognese-based company. Its primary responsibilities include the certification and restoration of all Lamborghini cars produced up to 2001. To this end, Polo Storico oversees the preservation and acquisition of new sources for the company's archives, allowing for the identification and preservation of the value of all classic Lamborghinis. Due to requests from classic Lamborghini enthusiasts, special attention is paid to the production of spare parts that are no longer available on the market.
the material was created thanks to Automobili Lamborghini SpA.
