The
second impression was: it must be extremely powerful and electric fast.
Race version of GT40, with
425 hp 7-litre V8, actually
out-powered the Countach, but its soft profile prevented one from believing
its real speed. On the contrary, the original Countach had 50 hp less but
looked like 40 mph faster. Therefore, when Lamborghini made a wild claimed
of "in-excess of 200 mph top speed" in the Geneva show, most journalists
believed it really could!
This ingenious design was
made by Marcello Gandini. Having styled several masterpieces like Lamborghini
Miura and Urraco, he was hungry for a chance to show all his talents. Ferruccio
Lamborghini, who was very satisfied with his previous services, gave him
this precious chance. Why precious? Because Countach was to be a car emphasising
on great styling and performance over practicality and cost concerns, thus
giving the designer full freedom to design without limitation.
Gandini did not let us down.
His Countach LP500 prototype attracted overwhelming attention in Geneva
show.
Later, the production Countach
was regarded as the most exotic-looking car ever built. Until production
stopped
in 1990 (that's 19 years
later), it still looked fresh and appealing. If the design were not so
futuristic, such achievement would have been impossible.
The
first thing making Countach so exotic was its look. The wedge-shape design
combined with sharp edges and distinctive features like scissors doors,
NACA ducts and square pop-up headlamps, not only caught eyes but also looked
futuristic.
