Celebrating the Lamborghini Countach at 50

The Lamborghini Countach was first shown in prototype form 50 years ago, at the Geneva auto show in March 1971.

It would be another three years before the production-ready car was shown and it looked every bit as dramatic as the prototype. Over the next 16 years Lamborghini would build almost 2000 Countachs in five different forms, all of them with jaw-dropping looks. Let’s take a look at the story:

The Lamborghini Miura wasn't the first mid-engined sports car (that was the Bonnet Djet), and the Ford GT40 was the first mid-engined supercar, although this was created for the race track. But the Miura can claim to be the first production supercar created for road use, and it also sold in significant numbers with 763 made. Its 4.0-liter V12 engine was mounted transversely behind the cabin, sparking a revolution in supercar design.

When Lamborghini started its work on a Miura replacement the new car was known simply as Project 112. It would aim to address the many key failings that the Miura had in terms of ergonomics, build quality and high-speed usability. Project 112 would use the same mid-mounted V12 as the Miura, but mounted longitudinally instead of transversely.

As soon as the designer Nuccio Bertone saw the Project 112 prototype he exclaimed "countach!", which is pronounced 'coontash'. It's a Piedmontese word that has no direct translation, but it's uttered as an expression of amazement. Once Bertone had uttered this word it was adopted as the name of the new Lamborghini.

At the 1971 Geneva show something impossibly dramatic was revealed: the Countach LP500 (Longitudinale Posteriore 5.0-liter). This unique prototype was fitted with a 4971cc version of Lamborghini's V12 engine; at the same show the last-of-the-line Miura SV was also unveiled, with a 3929cc version of the same engine.

The Lamborghini Miura had been designed by Marcello Gandini (born 1938) while he worked for Carrozzerria Bertone; Gandini was also called upon to style the Miura's replacement. Where the Miura had been lithe and curvy the Countach was angular and brutal and it set a template for Lamborghini's V12 models for decades to come.

They've become something of a Lamborghini trademark and this is where it all started for the brand; on the Countach prototype 50 years ago. The Lamborghini wasn't the first car to feature scissor doors however; the Bertone Carabo concept of 1968 got there three years earlier, although it was a one-off.

Lamborghini's original plan was to build the Countach in tiny numbers, for a few well-heeled owners who prized drama and performance above usability. There would be no creature comforts such as air conditioning or electric windows as performance was everything. But there had been a change of heart by the time the more-or-less production-ready Countach was shown as the 1973 Geneva show, although it would be another year until the road-ready car was seen.

In 1973 crash testing became mandatory in Europe, for cars to be granted the E-Mark that they needed to be sold there. As a result, in 1974 a Countach was slammed into a 110-ton concrete block at 30mph. The only thing that was tested was how much the steering column moved; this was just half an inch in the Countach. However, the car tested was 19 inches shorter after the impact thanks to the nose deforming significantly – but crucially the passenger cell remained intact.

The production-ready Countach made its debut at the 1974 Geneva show, where it went down a storm. With a 4.0-liter V12 rated at a claimed 350 hp, Lamborghini reckoned the Countach LP400 could top 190mph and do 0-60mph in just 6.8 seconds. The former figure was rather fanciful; 170mph was more realistic. But who cared when the car looked this good?

We didn't get to drive the LP400 at high speeds when it was launched but we could tell straight away that this was something deeply special, even if we thought at the time that the days of the supercar were numbered. In June 1974 we said: "The Countach is not a racing car but it is capable of racing speeds. It's not a difficult car to drive but if this is the last car of its type ever to be made, Lamborghini figures it should build it as best as it possibly can".

In 1978 the Countach had been on sale for four years so it was time for a refresh. Lamborghini had been going through turbulent times since the Countach's arrival; Ferruccio Lamborghini had sold up in 1974 and the company was very badly run throughout the 1970s. So it was a miracle that a significantly upgraded Countach, the LP400S, was launched in 1978. This featured a heavily revised chassis, more efficient air-con and some aero tweaks to the bodywork.

The Countach LP400 was fitted with Michelin XWX tyres which were 215/70 VR-14 items front and rear. Such high-profile, narrow tyres were very limiting for Lamborghini, so when Pirelli launched its P7 in late 1974 it represented a revolution in tyre development. Lamborghini developed the LP400S around the P7, with 205/50 VR-15 items up front and 345/35 VR-15 at the back. Such grippy tyres meant that Lamborghini could completely redevelop the Countach's suspension and steering.

Lamborghini went into receivership in August 1978 and the next two years would be especially tumultuous for the company. By February 1980 Lamborghini was declared insolvent but it was then bought outright in May 1981 by the Mimran family which saved the company from oblivion. One of the first things the Mimrans did was to launch an updated Countach in spring 1982, called the LP500S, which featured a 4754cc V12 rated at 380 hp.

When Ferrari unveiled its Testarossa in 1984 its magnificent V12 came with four valves per cylinder. Lamborghini responded by developing four-valve heads for the Countach and in spring 1985 the LP500S QV (for Quattrovalvole) made its debut. This got a hefty increase in displacement (to 5167cc) which pushed the power output up to 461 hp which cut the 0-60mph time to just 5.2 seconds, while also raising the top speed to 185mph.

The introduction of the QV also saw the launch of the Countach which adhered to US standards. The most dramatic impact of this was the deployment of extra large bumpers, which did nothing for the car’s smooth lines overall. Many owners removed them as soon as they could, presumably hoping local police departments wouldn’t notice.

If you drove a premium car in the 1980s and you really wanted it to stand out from the crowd, you took it to Willy Koenig (born 1938). He was always happy to stick on some wings and skirts to add drama. Where the Countach was concerned he fitted his own rear wing, wheel spacers to increase the track, redesigned side skirts and more effective door mirrors. Later would come huge hi-fi installations and turbocharged engines offering up to 750 hp.

At the 1988 Turin Salon, Bertone unveiled one of the most bonkers concept cars ever devised: an MPV powered by a Countach 5.2-liter V12. With seating for five the Genesis featured a V12 engine under the front seats rendering it completely inaccessible for maintenance. Bertone claimed: "I’m convinced that – in the near future – reliability will be so good that we will not have the need to reach the engine compartment easily any more. A car will be like a fridge; it will work for years and years without the need for maintenance".

Lamborghini celebrated its 25th birthday in 1988, and to mark the occasion it unveiled the final Countach derivative: the Anniversary. As the Countach aged its design became ever less pure and the Anniversary took this to the extreme with a tacky bodykit that did nothing for the car's appearance. The Anniversary was mechanically the same as the QV but Lamborghini did get the air-con working properly at last.

In the Miami Vice era, the more outrageous the better, whether it was clothes, hair, jewellery – or cars. Taking this approach, California-based Ultra Limousines came up with the California Countach. Around 59in longer than standard, this four-door Countach  featured two separate passenger compartments (front and rear). Thankfully no Lamborghinis were harmed in the making of the California Countach which was made of glassfibre – complete with a 2.8-liter V6 engine from a Ford Taurus.

Mike Ryan had a history of building amphibious cars throughout the 1980s, with his company Searoader. In 1995 he decided to do something completely different; build a Countach that could swim. Starting with a kit car with a 4.2-liter Rover V8, Ryan developed a power take-off between the two seats which drove a pair of propellers at the back of the car, via chains. For added reality Ryan fitted lots of genuine Lamborghini parts including the dashboard, wheels and all of the glass.

The Evoluzione looked like a low-quality Countach kit but it was actually cutting-edge as it was an all-new supercar with a carbon fibre monocoque. Developed by Horacio Pagani who was in charge of Lamborghini's hurriedly set up composites department, the Evoluzione was 500kg (1100lb) lighter than the regular Countach and as a result it was far faster and more agile. Supposedly capable of 206mph and 0-62mph in under four seconds, the unique Evoluzione was destroyed in crash testing.

Almost two decades after the original concept had been shown, and 16 years after the first production car had made its debut, the final Countach was built. It was a silver Countach Anniversary which rolled off the production line on 4 July 1990. Bearing chassis number 12095, this Countach was the 1997th made and it went straight into Lamborghini's own collection.

The Countach left quite a legacy. After all, how do you come up with an encore for the world's most dramatically styled production car? The answer was the Diablo which was launched in January 1990 – right into a recession. The car was supposed to have arrived much earlier but ownership changes of Lamborghini delayed things. Predictably the new car was a huge advance over its predecessor, as our front cover proclaimed.