Photo: Matthew Parsons on Behance
Picture this: the year was 1971, and the world of automobiles was bracing for the Malaise Era. Cars meant for regular people were boxy and unassuming, Ferrari was at the top its game, and Lamborghini had hit a wall with the development of the Miura. At that year’s edition of the Geneva Motor Show, the Raging Bull of Sant’Agata Bolognese reimagined the automobile as we know it with the Countach, which pioneered the wedge-shaped design of high-performance cars such as the legendary Lancia Stratos.
Everything changed with the Countach in terms of automotive design, and on the matter of performance, the successor of the beautiful Miura upped the ante to 375 PS (370 horsepower) from a 4.0-liter displacement of the Giotto Bizzarrini-developed V12 engine. For reference, the Ferrari Berlinetta (not actually a) Boxer couldn’t squeeze out more than 360 horsepower from the 4.9-liter V12 with the cylinder banks angled at 180 degrees.
Production started in 1973, and Lamborghini kept the Countach alive through powertrain and stylistic upgrades until 1990, the year the Diablo pushed things beyond 200 miles per hour (320 km/h). The Countach, though, is the Lamborghini that put the automaker on the map and the Raging Bull in the hearts of countless teenage boys with a passion for exotic cars.
In hindsight, Lamborghini never managed to replicate the design of the Countach with later models, partly because safety regulations hindered and continue to hinder designers from putting their ideas into practice. And to this day, the Countach continues to fascinate people from all walks of life with its lines, with Hollywood bringing the old-school supercar back into focus with the 2013 black comedy crime blockbuster The Wolf of Wall Street.
Matthew Parsons, a freelance industrial designer from South Africa, is one of the many who acknowledge the influence of the Countach in automotive design. To this effect, Parsons took to his Photoshop skills to reimagine the model as a modern supercar with a wraparound windshield and concept car-like styling. While it many not be as edgy and outlandish as the original, this fan rendering is an excellent tribute to the supercar that defined the '70s.
Production started in 1973, and Lamborghini kept the Countach alive through powertrain and stylistic upgrades until 1990, the year the Diablo pushed things beyond 200 miles per hour (320 km/h). The Countach, though, is the Lamborghini that put the automaker on the map and the Raging Bull in the hearts of countless teenage boys with a passion for exotic cars.
In hindsight, Lamborghini never managed to replicate the design of the Countach with later models, partly because safety regulations hindered and continue to hinder designers from putting their ideas into practice. And to this day, the Countach continues to fascinate people from all walks of life with its lines, with Hollywood bringing the old-school supercar back into focus with the 2013 black comedy crime blockbuster The Wolf of Wall Street.
Matthew Parsons, a freelance industrial designer from South Africa, is one of the many who acknowledge the influence of the Countach in automotive design. To this effect, Parsons took to his Photoshop skills to reimagine the model as a modern supercar with a wraparound windshield and concept car-like styling. While it many not be as edgy and outlandish as the original, this fan rendering is an excellent tribute to the supercar that defined the '70s.
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