Lamborghini Celebrates The Countach, The Car That Still Influences Its Designs Today

We’re so used to seeing the Lamborghini Countach and the wedge-shape it helped popularize that it can be hard to remember just how wild and influential its design would become. Now, 50 years after its design was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show, Lamborghini says still inspires its designs.

“There are works of art that always remain relevant, and the form of the Countach is one of them,” says Mitja Borkert, Lamborghini Head of Design. “Its design is comprised of perfect proportions, characterized by a very pure and essential approach.”

Such is the staying power of the design that Lamborghini openly admits that it’s still the basis on which vehicles like the Aventador, the Huracan, the Sian, and even the Urus are designed.

Read Also: Lamborghini Rumored To Debut Limited-Run Sian Paying Homage To The Countach

Specifically, the design lines that are on the Countach’s hood and repeated on the engine cover, the low and square shape of the passenger compartment, and the aggressively raked windshield continue to define Lamborghini’s design language today, the brand says.

“From a stylistic point of view, it’s a perfect inspiration because, even when the rest is modified, the line is an element of visual continuity between past and present,” says Borkert. “It’s the epitome of the DNA in all Lamborghini design, the tradition of the stylistic language from the origins to the present day.”

Designed by Marcello Gandini who was working at Bertone, the Countach followed the Alfa Romeo Carabo and the Lancia Stratos Zero, both of which were wedge-shaped but neither of which made it into production. For the Lamborghini to go into production three years later, then, was a bold move, but one that proved fruitful.

As Lamborghini puts it, “The Countach introduced a futuristic style ahead of its time during the 1970s, an era of explosive creativity and one of the most significant moments for design.”

Indeed, the Countach’s legacy is likely to extend even further as Lamborghini is rumored to be working on a special version of the Sian that will pay tribute to the legendary supercar, powered by a V12. All I can say is that I hope I’m still that cool and influential as it is when I turn 50.