Lamborghini fans rejoice: for the Countach’s 50th anniversary, the Italian car company recreated the original 1974 Countach that was wrecked during crash testing. The new old Countach was commissioned in 2017 by an “important Lamborghini customer,” according to Fox News, and took almost 3 years to complete.
There was nothing left of the original prototype after crash testing, not even the scale model. The restoration team at Lamborghini could only scour notes, drawings, and interviews from the time. They seem to have done it, though.
The recreation features Pirelli-designed tires that mimic the look of the original prototype’s Cinturato CN12s. It also features the same Giallo Fly Speciale yellow shade the prototype was painted in. It’s as authentic as it gets, even scrounging for parts from the 70s. Who knows if this thing will ever be driven on the road, but maybe keep your eyes peeled for a wedge-shaped yellow blur tearing down the highway, just in case.
The 1974 Countach pioneered the instantly recognizable Lamborghini wedge shape we know today. It was also the first car to use scissor doors, doors that open straight up instead of out. The doors proved an issue during crash testing, though, as they were near impossible to open in a rollover crash.
Lamborghini pitched some ideas for a kick-out windscreen or explosive bolts that removed the doors in case of an accident. Neither of those made the final product.
‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ Destroyed $550,000 Anniversary Lamborghini Countach
Speaking of destroying cars, a scene in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street took an incredibly rare 25th anniversary Countach and literally destroyed it for a few seconds of film. Talk about a disposable budget.
The Countach in the scene is so wrecked it looks like a creature with its horrible mouth open; the front bumper is hanging off, one pop-up headlight out, scissor doors askew, rear tire crooked. It looks like it got side-swiped by a semi truck.
That Countach was one of 658 anniversary versions released. MotorBiscuit reported that, in a delightful turn of events, none of the damage seemed to be structural, so it could all be fixed. For a hefty fee, of course, but still. The rare Lamborghini was salvageable.
As for news of the Countach after the film, it’s likely that it’s safe in someone’s private movie memorabilia collection. It’s most likely still smashed up, and even more rare than it was before. Now, this new old Lamborghini Countach takes the cake when it comes to rare vehicles. Aside from the rebuild, the Countach is officially coming back in 2022 for the 50th anniversary, but enthusiasts have already filled the slots available for the $2.5 million builds.
