
Design legend Marcello Gandini distances himself from “so-called new Countach”
Italian design legend behind the original Countach Marcello Gandini blasts the limited run Countach LPI 800-4 as a “so-called Countach” and not reflective of his spirit and vision
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Marcello Gandini, the legendary designer who created the Lamborghini Countach in 1971, has distanced himself from the Countach LPI 800-4 – a limited run production car that revives the Countach name plate.
In a statement, Gandini said he was never made aware of the project by Automobili Lamborghini and was in no way involved. Furthermore, the designer was scathing of the Countach LPI 800-4 stating it “does not reflect his spirit and vision.”
“I have built my identity as a designer, especially when working on supercars for Lamborghini, on a unique concept: each new model I would work on would be an innovation, a breaker, something completely different from the previous one. Courage, the ability to create a break without sticking to the success of the previous car, the confidence in not wanting to give in to habit were the very essence of my work”, explains Marcello Gandini. “It is clear that markets and marketing itself has changed a lot since then, but as far as I am concerned, to repeat a model of the past, represents in my opinion the negation of the founding principles of my DNA,” he adds.
In August 2021, Car Design News interviewed Lamborghini’s design head Mitja Borkert about the project in which he discussed the challenges of reinventing an iconic nameplate from the past.
The Gandini press statement in full: