Wild new Lamborghini Countach leaked

Leaked images have given us our first look at the reborn Lamborghini Countach ahead of its reveal this weekend at the Monterey Car Week in the US.

Thought to be genuine rather than computer-generated images, the pictures suggest the reclothed Aventador will be inspired by the earliest LP400 Countach and not the later versions that got wide flared wheel-arches and big wings.

Mimicking the original car's wide triangular door air intakes, slatted rear engine cover and trapezoidal rear tail-light surrounds, the only thing that's missing on the 2022 Lamborghini Countach is a pair of pop-up quad headlights. It's thought they were not incorporated due to pedestrian safety concerns.

Following on from yesterday's teasers and earlier leaks that it will carry LPI 800-4 badging, it's almost certain the wedged-shaped supercar will come powered by a development of the same supercapacitor-assisted, 48-volt 6.5-litre V12 engine that's under the rear boot lid of the Sian coupe and roadster.

That's because LPI stands for ‘Longitudinale Posteriore Ibrido’ which translates to rear longitudinally-mounted hybrid.

The '800', meanwhile, refers to metric 800hp which converts to around 602kW, while the final '-4' part of the name reveals it will come with all-wheel drive.

With a kerb weight set to match the Sian, the Countach should easily match its 0-100km/h sprint of less than 2.8 seconds, while top speed is expected to exceed 350km/h.

The reason engineers chose supercapacitors over traditional batteries is their ability to charge and deploy far quicker than lithium-ion cells. They also offer a significant weight advantage.

Providing enough power for an extra 25kW boost, the system adds only 34kg of mass and allows the Sian to travel up to 130km/h for 10km on pure-electric power alone.

The advantage of the system is the hybrid tech is capable of 'torque filling' during upshifts, making up for the dated ISR single-clutch automated manual gearshift and allowing Lamborghini to claim seamless acceleration.

That said, Lamborghini has already confirmed that the lightweight capacitors will not be used for the next-generation Aventador as the technology is not clean enough to meet future emission regulations.

Instead, it will develop an all-new naturally-aspirated V12 that will be combined with plug-in hybrid tech.

Stay tuned, as clearer pictures of the Countach, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the famous Lamborghini supercar, will be released over the weekend.