When the 1970s rolled around, the collective sense of optimism and passion from the previous decade turned into ambition and the inevitable excess that arose from it. Early supercars like the Mercedes 300SL played no small part in elevating car culture to new and lucrative heights.
Naturally, there had never been a better time for Lamborghini to uncage the Countach.
This Italian beauty carved its way into classic supercar iconography in 1974 with its characteristic wedge-shaped design and trademark scissor doors. It also packed a mighty V12 engine and exceptional handling in rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive format, outclassing its stablemate and predecessor, the beloved Miura.
But the Countach defined more than '70s car culture - its presence ebbed and flowed throughout the next two decades, becoming a symbol of luxury and performance for an entirely new generation.
A design that broke the mould
"Countach!" - a Piedmontese exclamation of astonishment perfectly captured the reaction upon seeing this car.
In the wake of the Miura's success, Lamborghini tasked Marcello Gandini at Bertone to design its successor. Gandini's design was unabashedly subversive, a departure from the curves of his imagining of the Miura. The Countach's playfully sharp angles, wide and low stance and dramatic proportions were like nothing else on the road at the time.
But beneath the angular bodywork lay a roaring longitudinally-mounted V12 engine, evolving in displacement over the years. Whether it was the initial 4.0-litre LP400 or the potent 5.0-litre Quattrovalvole, the Countach possessed ferocious power, topping out at 335kW at its peak while boasting an acceleration time of around five seconds to 100km/h.
It wasn't just about raw speed, though. The rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout provided sharp controls and shifty weight distribution, allowing drivers to tame the Countach with surprising agility.
The Countach also evolved over its nearly two-decade lifespan. The LP400 S brought wider tyres and improved suspension, while the LP5000 S introduced a larger 4.8-litre engine. The 5000 QV took performance to new heights with four-valves per-cylinder and a distinctive engine cover.
Certified classic
The Lamborghini Countach has gained notoriety not only for its beautiful design and raw performance but also as a symbol of excess and a poster car for a generation.
The Italian supercar's appearances in films like 1981's Cannonball Run and 2013's Wolf of Wall Street as well as video game franchises like Gran Turismo have cemented it as a bonafide pop culture phenomenon.
Today, the most pristine Countach examples like the 25th anniversary edition can still command millions at auction, proving that the nameplate remains worthy of Lamborghini's distinct luxury-performance heritage.
And it even sparked a modernised version in 2022, to mark its 50th anniversary of its unveiling, in the form of the Countach LPI 800-4.
