25.000 working hours: first Lamborghini Countach reconstructed!

"The Countach has reinvented high-performance vehicles", explains Stephan Winkelmann, Chairman and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, “And in terms of design language it has become an icon that still inspires the modern Lamborghini today, decades later. The participation of the reconstructed first Countach on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of this model at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in the Concept category is something extraordinary, because for the first time in so many years the legendary LP 500 from 1971 is being admired up close can."

In March 1971 Automobili Lamborghini presented its “Idea Car” at the Geneva Motor Show: the LP 500 Countach. The vehicle became the undisputed star of the show and its photos, which went viral, were featured in major magazines around the world. This new model was to replace the legendary Miura and write a new chapter in the history of the automobile - both in terms of its technology and its design language. After three years of development, the LP 500 was sacrificed in crash tests in March 1974 and then disappeared.

At the end of 2017, an important Lamborghini customer and classic car fan asked the Polo Storico whether it would be possible to make a reconstruction of the Countach LP 500 - a cult model that is only known thanks to the photos from that time.

The first few months were spent collecting the available material and analyzing it in detail. "Collecting the documents was crucial", emphasizes Giuliano Cassataro, Head of Service and Polo Storico. "Great attention was paid to all the details of the vehicle, the overall consistency and the technical specifications." Photos, documents, meeting reports, original drawings, the memories of some contemporary witnesses: all of this has contributed to determining the form and function of every little detail with the greatest possible accuracy. In addition, the support of the Fondazione Pirelli in providing the historical documents stored in its archives was essential in order to reconstruct the tires of the original LP-500 model.

Work began with the platform frame, which was completely different from the tubular frame of the later Countach models. In addition to the physical redesign, the Polo Storico also had to decide on a construction process in order to take into account the production methods of the time. The same applied to the body, which was analyzed and defined using various modern technologies. As soon as the sheet metal working phase was reached, the technology gave way to the traditional Italian method, that is to say the sheet metal bat called “battilastra” with its craftsmanship and tools. The same procedure was followed for the interior, which includes the illuminated diagnostic instruments as shown in the prototype from 1971.

Mandatory: original spare parts from Lamborghini

Original spare parts from Lamborghini or restored components from the time were used for all mechanical components. If these were not available, they were completely recreated.

For the historical reconstruction of the original design, the Polo Storico turned to the Centro Stile Lamborghini, where the team, headed by Mitja Borkert, Head of Design, began work on this challenging project. "The LP 500 is of outstanding importance for Lamborghini because it established the design DNA of all subsequent models." explains Mitja Borkert. “In order to develop the vehicle, which made its debut in Geneva in 1971, a 1: 1 scale model was made which, like the car itself, was lost over time; but there are still several photographic evidence. This is exactly how we approached the project. Based on the publications at the time, the pictures on homologation sheets and other material collected by the Polo Storico, we were able to reconstruct the mathematical principles that were necessary for the production of the first model on a 1: 1 scale. The greatest difficulty was getting the exact volume of the vehicle. Therefore we resorted to the possibility of a 3D scan of our LP 400 (chassis number 001), which was an enormous source of information. It took 2000 man hours to get the final model with the correct shapes that we were satisfied with. The same procedure was followed for the interior. "

The cooperation with Pirelli, which had existed since 1963, proved invaluable for the reconstruction of the tires of the LP 500 prototype. Thanks to the images and documents stored in the archives of the Fondazione Pirelli, the original designs of the Cinturato CN12 tire installed at the presentation of the LP 500 in Geneva could be used. On the basis of these documents, the specialists at the Milan-based manufacturer created the Cinturato CN12 for the Pirelli Collezione tire line, dedicated to the iconic models built between 1930 and 2000, preserving the original characteristics of the tires, combining classic looks with modern technologies. The Pirelli Cinturato CN12 for the Lamborghini Countach LP 500 are available in dimensions 245 / 60R14 for the front tires and 265 / 60R14 for the rear tires. They have the same tread pattern and aesthetics as in the 70s, but with a modern rubber compound and tire design.

The PPG archives turned out to be decisive for the color selection, as they made it possible, after careful analysis, to determine the exact composition for the manufacture of the yellow paint used, called “Giallo Fly Speciale”.

Lamborghini Polo Historico

The Lamborghini Polo Storico, launched in 2015, has the task of preserving Automobili Lamborghini's historical identity. Its main tasks are the restoration and certification of all Lamborghini vehicles produced up to 2001. To ensure this, the Polo Storico monitors the maintenance of the archive and the development of new sources of information in order to contribute to the development and maintenance of the value of all classic Lamborghini. Due to inquiries from owners of classic Lamborghini vehicles, special attention is paid to the production of spare parts that are no longer available on the market.

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Reconstruction of the Lamborghini Countach LP 500 Photo credit: Lamborghini

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