50 years of the ultimate pin-up
50 years ago at the Geneva Motor Show, the undisputed star of the event was the introduction of a Lamborghini Countach LP 500 in yellow. The prototype made its first public appearance in the exhibition space of Carrozzeria Bertone. Its unveil was so successful that the company raced against time to satisfy the customers’ requests and transform the futuristic show car into a production car, though in a small series.
The decision to unveil the Countach LP 500 in Bertone’s space was motivated by the fact that Lamborghini’s stand featured their latest arrival, the Miura SV, perfected after five years of production. With this double presentation, Lamborghini communicated and confirmed its prowess not only in production but especially in innovation, to the extent that in the months following Geneva, the Countach LP 500 was featured in all the international automotive magazines.
The Countach project, with internal code number LP112, where LP indicates the rear longitudinal position (“Longitudinale Posteriore” in Italian) of the 12-cylinder engine, stemmed from Ferruccio Lamborghini’s desire to maintain the image of a company at the forefront of style and technology following the Miura.
The beautiful, clean, futuristic lines of the Countach were styled by Marcello Gandini, Design Director of Bertone. Gandini was also responsible for the decision to use the scissor doors, which since that time have characterized the production of Lamborghini’s 12-cylinder models.
Following the LP 500’s success in Geneva, Lamborghini’s chief test driver Bob Wallace used the car, equipped with a more reliable 4-litre engine, for every possible kind of road test. The career of this extraordinary car ended at the beginning of 1974, when it was used for the crash tests required for the homologation of the production car and subsequently scrapped.
From 1974 to 1990, 1,999 Countachs in five 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. Photos © Lamborghini and RM Sotheby’s.