What If... The Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 Was Also Offered as a Sedan?

My personal relationship with the original Countach started not thanks to car magazines or posters, but rather pop culture. I became aware of its existence after watching the movie Cannonball Run, which featured a 1979 Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S.

Spoiler alert, the Lambo won the race, and come September 2021, that very same car became part of the National Historic Vehicle Register of the United States Library of Congress.

Only 32 vehicles are on this exclusive list, with the Countach joining the likes of the 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 from Back to the Future, 1921 Duesenberg Straight Eight, 1970 Dodge Challenger, 1969 Chevrolet Corvette, 1968 Ford Mustang (yes, the one from Bullitt), 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL, 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, plus a whole bunch of other iconic nameplates.

Lamborghini built just under 2,000 units between 1974 and 1990, featuring several different specifications – from the entry-level LP400 to the LP400 S, LP500 S, LP5000 Quattrovalvole (QV), the 25th Anniversary Edition, plus several bespoke variants like the Walter Wolf Countach or the Countach Turbo S.

If you know your Lambos, you probably know that, out of all the mainstream ones, the LP5000 QV stands out. Its engine was bored and stroked to 5.2 liters, with 4 valves per cylinder, ergo “quattro valvole.” This variant produced a maximum of 414 hp with fuel injection tech, while carbureted versions were rated at 449 hp and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque.

In a straight line, it would take you to 62 mph (100 kph) in 4.8 seconds, and on to a top speed of 185 mph (298 kph).

Fast-forward to 2022, and we have the all-new, Aventador-based Countach LPI 800-4 mild hybrid model, limited to just 112 units, all sold out.

This newer car is considerably quicker than any original Countach, putting down a combined 803 hp. It needs just 2.8 seconds to hit 62 mph, and if you keep going, you’ll eventually max out at 221 mph (355 kph).

Technically, it’s not a great deal more powerful than the bespoke LP500 Turbo S from the early 1980s, which had 748 hp and 646 lb-ft (876 Nm) of torque, but what that older car didn’t have were vital software and hardware bits like a Launch Control system or a modern day seven-speed automated manual gearbox.

Anyway, this brings us to the reason why we’re all here, which is to celebrate the hypothetical notion of a four-door Countach LPI 800-4. Now, such a car might make little sense in the grand scheme of things, but there is a precedent we should account for.

I’m talking about the one-off Estoque concept unveiled by Lamborghini at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. I was in attendance that day, and I remember feeling quite excited about it – although, in hindsight, they probably could have done a better job with the styling.

So then, since there is a precedent for this type of vehicle out of Sant’Agata Bolognese, feel free to feast your eyes on our exclusive rendering of the LPI 800-4 sedan and let your imagination run wild. As you can probably ascertain, we didn’t just stretch the real car while adding extra doors, we also raised the roof a little bit in order to recalibrate the proportions.

This actually reminds me of the Aston Martin Rapide, which failed miserably in terms of sales. It wasn’t that it didn’t look cool, but rather because it was extremely cramped and uncomfortable. It stood little chance against its rival from Porsche, the Panamera, and I’m pretty sure a four-door Lambo of similar proportions would eventually meet with the same fate.

That’s not to say that Lamborghini couldn’t build a very successful sedan model, because I’m sure they could. The key would be to start fresh and not base it on any of their two-door supercars.