Focused, striking hard tone
Even though car designers look years into the future for their work, Niels van Roij will look back in the coming weeks. Today we travel to Italy, where one of the most important Lamborghini models ever was designed. But not by Lamborghini.
In the past, it was very normal for a car manufacturer to use the services of external styling houses for the development of a new model. The DMC Delorean is an example of this. The first Volkswagen Golf was also signed by Giugiaro.
And even Lamborghini’s Countach was styled according to this modus operandi. Now that the days of the Italian styling houses are numbered – almost without exception every car is designed by internal automotive design teams – we can no longer expect that a Pininfarina-designed Ferrari or Bertone-signed Lamborghini will ever appear again. Naturally, certain other studios are always available for one-offs…
The Countach, a revolution in automotive design in every way, was shown more than fifty years ago at the Geneva Motor Show as the LP500 Concept.
This yellow prototype makes its first public appearance at the Carrozzeria Bertone stand. The decision to unveil the Countach LP500 in Bertone’s space was prompted by the fact that the Miura SV was being shown on Lamborghini’s stand. A beautiful car. But also one that is in no way still seen as important enough to filter down – even subtly – into modern production models! The Countach is so important, so strongly marked.
The design was so radical that it immediately determined the future of Lamborghini on a stylistic level. For current designers it is both a great source of inspiration and headaches. After all, how much may the new design deviate from this 1970s monovolume? The latest Lambo member, the Revuelto, is clearly the grandson of the radical supercar once shown in 1971.
The design of the Countach cannot be compared to any other production car of its time. It is a sculpture of which one can only be impressed. Regardless of personal views on the distinct design. This review is not about taste, but about design facts. And the Countach has been thoroughly developed and fully developed from a technical point of view. Powerful proportions, muscular volumes and not to mention the energetic surfacing. Perhaps the car is a bit hard and clumsy in today’s world, but that can be forgiven – especially in the spirit of the 1970s. The design is extremely charismatic, due to its extreme proportions and design language.
Bertone understood better than anyone that for a new, major statement, a dramatic design must be created, which has been reduced to the extreme. The Countach, especially in its purest early form, is a clean design.
The folds and signature lines that the design work has all serve a clear stylistic purpose. This results in a supercar that, due to its relative simplicity, is very dramatic. And a supercar that can therefore get away with very intense paint colors.
Too much shouting within design only results in noise, a cacophony of sound. An issue that currently affects the designs of many supercars (hello Pagani!). The Countach consists of focused, striking hard tones that are therefore all the more effective – they live in an environment of silence.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl