Amalgam, syarikat yang terkenal dengan model skala yang sempurna, telah melancarkan model terbarunya: replika terperinci Lamborghini Countach LP400 ikonik tahun 1974 dalam skala 1:8. Keajaiban kecil ini menangkap setiap aspek kereta asal, dari pintu “scissor” hingga kedalaman dan ruang enjin yang dihasilkan dengan baik.
Dijual pada harga $19,995 (RM95,576), Countach mini ini tidak datang dengan harga yang murah, melebihi harga sebuah Proton S70 sebenar! Walau bagaimanapun, bagi peminat yang terpikat dengan daya tarikan Countach, perhatian terhadap perincian sangat berbaloi untuk pelaburan.
Replika ini mempunyai pintu “scissor” yang terbuka secara menegak, memperlihatkan butiran rumit seperti pemeriksa tingkap, poket pintu, stereng, kluster meter, shifter manual, stereo, pembesar suara, dan juga ashtray di konsole tengah. Bonet hadapan memuatkan komponen brek yang direplikasi dengan teliti dan tayar simpanan, manakala lampu hadapan boleh diletakkan ke atas atau ke bawah. Di bahagian belakang, mengangkat penutup enjin mendedahkan enjin V12 4.0 liter yang direplikasi dengan menakjubkan, lengkap dengan wayar percikan merah dan pautan throttle.
Dikeluarkan terhad kepada hanya 199 unit, replika ini tersedia dalam penyelesaian cat Giallo Fly (kuning) atau Rosso (merah). Setiap model memerlukan kira-kira 400 jam untuk dipasang oleh pasukan kecil, selepas 4,000 jam pembangunan. Pembeli juga boleh memilih binaan yang disesuaikan, walaupun butiran mengenai kos tambahan untuk penyesuaian tidak diberikan.
Bagi mereka dengan citarasa automotif yang berbeza, Amalgam juga telah menyiarkan gambaran kasar replika skala 1:8 Revuelto yang akan datang, dijual pada harga kira-kira $16,450 (RM78,688) untuk versi pelancaran standard. Walaupun hanya rendering yang tersedia pada masa ini, ia menjanjikan tahap kepakaran dan perhatian terperinci yang sama seperti replika Countach.
Amalgam, renowned for its impeccable scale models, has unveiled its latest masterpiece: a meticulously detailed replica of the iconic 1974 Lamborghini Countach LP400 in 1:8 scale. This miniature marvel captures every aspect of the original car, from its scissor doors to its finely crafted interior and engine bay.
Priced at $19,995 (RM95,576), this miniature Countach doesn’t come cheap, costing more than a real Proton S70! However, for enthusiasts captivated by the allure of the Countach, the attention to detail is well worth the investment.
The replica features scissor doors that open vertically, revealing intricate details such as window cranks, door pockets, a detailed steering wheel, gauge cluster, gated manual shifter, stereo, speaker indents, and even an ashtray in the centre console. The front trunk houses meticulously recreated brake components and a spare tyre, while the headlights can be positioned up or down. At the rear, lifting the engine cover reveals a stunningly replicated 4.0-litre V12 engine, complete with red spark wires and throttle linkages.
Pemodifikasi Jepun, Liberty Walk, telah memperkenalkan modifikasi widebody untuk Lamborghini Countach klasik di Tokyo Auto Salon 2024. Mengikuti projek modifikasi widebody Ferrari F40 pada tahun sebelumnya, Liberty Walk bertujuan untuk meningkatkan penampilan berani dan ganas ikon tahun 80-an ini.
Countach yang telah dimodifikasi menampilkan bahagian depan yang mencolok dengan splitter yang menonjol dan bumper bawah yang memasukkan penutup jala segi empat yang meliputi tiga bukaan, menciptakan penampilan yang kotak. Canard di sudutnya dengan lancar berintegrasi ke dalam flare fender yang melebar, menciptakan garis berterusan dari depan hingga ke roda. Sisinya menampilkan skirt bawah yang lebih lebar yang menghubungkan fender yang melebar, dan pembukaan tambahan diperkenalkan di depan roda belakang.
Reka bentuk Liberty Walk termasuk lembaran vertikal berwarna badan di ventilasi di bahagian atas belakangnya, menunjukkan bahawa modifikasi ini berdasarkan Countach 25th Anniversary. Supercar klasik ini duduk di atas rim Rohana Forged berwarna gelap dengan gaya “deep-dish” dan tayar Toyo. Spoiler kilang telah digantikan dengan yang lebih besar yang mula dari bawah bumper belakang, menekankan estetika yang lebih terinspirasi oleh dunia perlumbaan.
Modifikasi badan lebar untuk Lamborghini Countach ini kemungkinan akan menimbulkan pendapat yang berbeza di kalangan peminat, dengan sesetengah yang menghargai penampilan ganas dan yang lain tetap setia kepada keaslian yang mungkin tidak menyukai perubahan yang begitu meluas kepada reka bentuk ikonik. Walaupun Liberty Walk tidak mendedahkan butiran harga di laman webnya, syarikat ini kelihatan terbuka untuk membuat lebih banyak set badan ini untuk pelanggan yang berminat memberikan Lamborghini Countach mereka penampilan yang unik dan ganas.
Japanese tuner Liberty Walk has presented its widebody modification for the classic Lamborghini Countach at the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon, following its widebody Ferrari F40 project from the previous year. The customisation features extensive modifications, aiming to enhance the aggressive and bold appearance of the ’80s icon.
The front end of the modified Countach showcases a prominent front splitter and a lower fascia with a rectangular mesh covering three openings, creating a boxy look. Canards on the corners integrate into the widened fender flare, establishing a continuous line from the nose to the wheel well. The sides feature broader lower sills connecting the widened fenders, and an additional opening is introduced ahead of the rear wheels.
Liberty Walk’s design includes body-colour vertical strakes in the vents on the upper portion of the tail, indicating that this modification is based on the 25th Anniversary Countach. The classic supercar rides on dark-coloured, deep-dish Rohana Forged wheels with Y-shaped spokes and Toyo tires. The tuner has also replaced the factory wing with a larger fixture beneath the rear bumper, emphasising a more motorsport-inspired aesthetic.
The widebody modification for the Lamborghini Countach is expected to evoke mixed opinions among enthusiasts, with some appreciating the aggressive look and others remaining purists who might not favour such extensive alterations to the iconic design. While Liberty Walk has not disclosed pricing details on its website, the company seems open to creating more of these body kits for customers interested in giving their Lamborghini Countach a distinctive and daring appearance.
Maurizio Reggiani, the company’s Chief Technical Officer, remembers the huge impact the Countach LP 500 had on him and his professional growth. In his view, the new Countach LPI 800-4 has all the necessary characteristics to become part of the collective imagination.
“The technical formula of the LP 500, with its V12 engine in a longitudinal position at the rear and the gearbox positioned in front behind the cockpit, led to a new way of imagining super sports cars in terms of both design and performance. The vertically opening doors, which debuted on the LP 500, and the mechanical layout remained unchanged, confirming the original choice. The Countach LPI 800-4 adds modern technology, including composite materials, improved aerodynamic features, and a 12-cylinder hybrid engine equipped with a supercapacitor and four-wheel drive. All elements that have not changed the extraordinary spirit of the original Countach,” he said.
Every single unit of the Countach LPI 800-4 has already been sold (in fact, customers placed their booking even before the official unveiling to the public). Most of the customers are enthusiasts who already own an original Countach model and couldn’t resist the temptation to configure their new Countach with the same colours as the classic one. They will be getting their cars during 2022.
From 1974 to 1990, 1,999 Countachs in 5 different series were produced, representing a model that, in addition to ending up displayed on the bedroom walls of an entire generation and being used in dozens of films, allowed Lamborghini to survive the most difficult years of its history and to enter permanently into the halls of legend.
Posters of the Countach have been among the most popular in the world and when the organisers of the 2021 British Motor Show polled visitors, the Lamborghini supercar launched 50 years ago was the top choice. Now, a series of official new Countach LPI 800-4 posters has been completed and are available online at lamborghinistore.com.
Lamborghini Marzal: the car with the most glass surface area
Developed with the intention to create a 4-seater grand tourer, the Marzal, designed by Marcello Gandini for Carrozzeria Bertone, became a worldwide icon of style and design. Among the features that made the Marzal’s design special were the interior, entirely upholstered in silver-coloured leather and the hexagon, the central theme of its entire design which was repeated in as many details as possible. It was echoed in the shape of the dashboard, the rear window and in the console cut-out.
But the most striking feature of all was the extensive glass surface that covered 4.5 square metres in total, from the gull-wing doors to the roof. Though the Marzal was a fully operational showcar, it could claim having the largest glass surface in history.
Lamborghini Miura: designed by the youngest team in Lamborghini’s history
From the very beginning of his entrepreneurial history, Ferruccio Lamborghini wanted to give ample space to brilliant and capable young people, and the Miura project was a prime example of this. With the aim of challenging the competition of that era and getting his company off the ground, he made use of talented collaborators selected from universities and from among the youngest professionals in the automotive world.
In 1966, with an average age of just 29, the youngest in the history of the brand, designer Marcello Gandini and test driver Bob Wallace, both 28, along with chief engineer Gian Paolo Dallara and assistant engineer Paolo Stanzani, both 30, brought the Miura to life, an extraordinary car that was destined to become a legend.
Lamborghini LM002: the first Super SUV
Starting as a project aimed at developing a high-performance off-road vehicle for military use, the LM002 was first unveiled at the Brussels Motor Show in 1986. At the time of its launch, the LM002 was a completely different car from any other available in the market. It had performance similar to those of Lamborghini’s super sportscars, thanks to a 5167 cc engine delivering 450 bhp.
With a body made of aluminium and fibreglass, all-wheel drive, a 2-speed transfer-case with central locking differential, it could also be used off-road on rough terrain. It was undoubtedly the first Super SUV in history, with today’s Urus being the direct descendant. 300 units were produced between 1986 and 1992.
Lamborghini Countach: the first car with ‘scissor doors’
‘Scissor doors’, so called because of the way they opened upwards at an angle, were a unique feature in futuristic cars, usually design concepts. The first car with such doors was the Lamborghini Countach designed by Gandini. In 1971, it was the first production car equipped with vertically opening doors of this type, still today a distinctive feature of the most powerful Lamborghini models.
This feature was not just to wow the public as there was a useful function. The driver could lean out to see the area behind the car when reversing, solving the problem of poor rear visibility as well as that of parking in tight spaces, where a long door could not otherwise be opened.
Lamborghini Miura: lowest production roadcar at 105.5 cm in height
In the 1960s, low height and sinuous, aerodynamic forms were the most important aspects in the minds of designers developing a sportscar. At just 105.5 cm in height, the Miura was the lowest mass-produced car ever, a record that is part of Lamborghini’s DNA and still a styling feature in its cars today.
The Countach was undoubtedly a legendary Lamborghini model and an early entrant in the supercar era. On its 50th anniversary, the carmaker has unveiled a successor – the Countach LPI 800-4 – as a futuristic limited edition recreated for the 21st century. It imagines how the iconic Countach (pronounced ‘coon-tach’) of the 1970s and 1980s might have evolved into an elite super sports model of this decade.
The distinctive silhouette with the essential line running from front to rear, sharp angles and lines and idiosyncratic wedge shape, innovated modern super sports design as well as future Lamborghini models. The LPI 800-4 uses those characteristic lines of the original Countach’s five models over nearly 20 years, with the final outline being pure and uncluttered.
Giving the LPI 800-4 a distinctive Countach face, inspiration was taken from the Quattrovalvole edition with its long, low rectangular grille and headlights, as well as in the wheelarches with their hexagonal theme. The sharp inclination of the greenhouse adopts the straight lines redolent of the original Countach, adjoining the powerful, clean front-to-rear line.
There is no fixed rear wing outside the pure lines, and the airscoops are integrated fluidly in the strong shoulders of the car, embellished with the distinctive Countach slatted ‘gills’. The iconic and aerodynamically powerful NACA air intakes cut into the side and doors of the LPI 800-4 while the distinctive Periscopio lines running through the roof to the rear of the car, particularly distinctive if viewed from above, appear to float towards the rear of the car.
The rear is immediately recognizable from its distinctive inverted wedge shape, with the rear bumper featuring a lower, sleeker line, and the ‘hexagonita’ design shaping the 3-unit rear light clusters. The LPI 800-4 sports the quad tailpipes of the Countach family, connected within the carbonfibre rear diffuser.
The V12 engine of the Countach is as legendary as the design. Mounted at the rear together with its forward-cabin layout, the original Countach featured side-mounted radiators from Formula 1 cars, plus a forward-facing gearbox and tubular spaceframe technology.
The familiar 6.5-litre V12 engine is part of the hybrid powertrain that includes a 48V electric motor (e-motor) to generate up to 803 ps/720 Nm. The e-motor is powered by a supercapacitor providing 3 times more power compared to a lithium-ion battery of the same weight. This enables the 4-wheel drive supercar to rocket from standing still to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds, after which it will pass 200 km/h in another 5.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 355 km/h, it is claimed.
The monocoque chassis and all the body panels are in carbonfibre, provide the optimum lightweight solution as well as exceptional torsional stiffness. With a dry weight of 1,595 kgs, the weight-to-power ratio is 195 kg/ps.
Visible exterior carbonfibre features are available in the front splitter, around the front window and wing mirrors, engine bonnet cover air intakes and rocker panel and it is always present in specific interior details. Moveable air vents produced by the state-of-the-art 3D printing technology, and a photocromatic roof – changing from solid to transparent at the push of a button – act as a reminder that this car, despite its historic inspiration, is a future automotive screensaver for the 21st century.
The LPI 800-4 unveiled in California this week is in Bianco Siderale, a finish containing a hint of pearlescent blue and reminiscent of Ferruccio Lamborghini’s own Countach LP 400 S, complete with red and black leather heritage interior.
The interior also takes design cues from the original Countach within the context of a modern car. The classic and luxurious leather features geometric stitching on the specially designed comfort seats and dashboard, sporting a square motif referencing the bold style and optimism of 1970s design and technology. Access for driver and passenger is, of course, via the infamous scissor doors, first introduced on the Countach and that have become a Lamborghini V12 signature.
“The Countach LPI 800-4 is a visionary car of the moment, just as its forerunner was,” said Automobili Lamborghini President & CEO, Stephan Winkelmann. “One of the most important automotive icons, the Countach not only embodies the design and engineering tenet of Lamborghini but represents our philosophy of reinventing boundaries, achieving the unexpected and extraordinary and, most importantly, being the ‘stuff of dreams’. It upholds the Lamborghini tradition of looking forward, of exploring new design and technology avenues while celebrating the DNA of our brand.”
Lamborghini will build 112 units, the number taken from the ‘LP 112’ internal project name used during the original car’s development. Pricing is not known though that is not something potential customers will need to know right away. Those who do book one will get their car during the first quarter of 2022.