Lamborghini Celebrates Motorsport at Lake Como with Countach Pace Car

When Lamborghini unveiled the Countach LP400 S in 1981, it wasn’t just introducing another supercar. It was releasing an icon, a wedge-shaped vision from the future that would come to define the look and attitude of high-performance automobiles for decades. That year, the Countach went beyond the showroom and into racing history as the official Safety Car at the 1981 Monaco Grand Prix. More than forty years later, the very same car has roared back into the public eye—restored, certified, and honored in fittingly opulent surroundings at Lake Como.

The occasion? A dual celebration of design and speed, held at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and Fuoriconcorso, two of the most prestigious automotive events in the world. In the land of lakeside villas, espresso-slicked mornings, and impossibly beautiful scenery, Lamborghini’s Countach Pace Car reemerged as a perfectly preserved relic of raw horsepower and ‘80s glamour.

The Countach Legacy: More Than a Supercar

To understand the cultural and mechanical significance of this specific Countach, we need to rewind to its genesis. The LP400 S represented an evolution of the original LP400—a car that had already shocked the automotive world with its flat wedge profile, vertical scissor doors, and ground-hugging stance. The LP400 S added flared wheel arches, Pirelli P7 tires, and an optional rear wing that made it even more menacing.

But the Countach wasn’t just about style. Beneath its fiberglass-reinforced plastic and aluminum skin beat the heart of a 4.0-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine, mid-mounted to keep the weight centered and the performance blistering. Producing approximately 350 horsepower, it could catapult the car from 0 to 60 mph in under six seconds—a ferocious feat in its day. Its gearbox was mounted in front of the engine, and power was delivered to the rear wheels via a driveshaft that ran through the oil sump. Wild, complicated, and entirely Lamborghini.

The car chosen to serve as Safety Car at Monaco in 1981 was painted in pearl white, fitted with rooftop warning lights, and stripped of all ambiguity: this was Lamborghini flexing its engineering chops in front of Formula One’s global audience.

The 1981 Monaco Grand Prix: Countach Takes Command

Monaco. The jewel of the F1 crown. A track more akin to a high-speed chess match through medieval alleyways than a traditional race circuit. This is where Lamborghini chose to plant its flag.

That weekend, the Countach LP400 S stole nearly as much attention as the cars competing in the race. Before the screaming engines of the F1 cars echoed through the narrow streets, the Countach rolled ahead of the grid—serving as the Pace Car tasked with leading them out safely.

In the era before the Safety Car was a common sight, Lamborghini’s appearance was audacious. It signaled that the Italian marque wasn’t just making exotic cars for the ultra-rich—it was inserting itself into the sacred ecosystem of motorsport.

That Monaco Grand Prix was won by Gilles Villeneuve in his Ferrari, but the Countach secured its own legacy that day, immortalized in photos and footage that would become automotive lore.

Polo Storico and the Power of Provenance

Fast forward to 2025. Lamborghini’s Polo Storico division—the arm of the company dedicated to preserving and restoring its classic models—has completed a full documentation and certification of the 1981 Countach Pace Car. The Certificate of Authenticity confirms this is the very car that paced the Monaco Grand Prix. No replica. No tribute.

This kind of provenance is rare in the automotive world. Cars from that era were often driven, modified, or lost to time. The fact that this specific Countach has survived, intact and uncorrupted, is testament not just to the durability of its build, but to the reverence it commands.

The certification process involved extensive cross-referencing of historical documents, photographs, chassis records, and forensic mechanical inspection. Every detail—from the location of factory welds to the original dashboard switches—was evaluated.

And once confirmed, the Countach was ready to return to glory.

Lake Como: The Unique Stage for a Legend

There are few venues on Earth that can do justice to a car like the Countach Pace Car. Lake Como, with its mirror-still waters and backdrop of alpine serenity, is one of them. During the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, the car took center stage among coach-built classics, futuristic concepts, and million-dollar collectibles.

Not far away at Fuoriconcorso, Lamborghini brought even more firepower: a 1972 Miura SV, widely considered the world’s first true supercar, and a Diablo SVR, one of the rarest and most brutal track-bred Lamborghinis ever made. But even among these legends, the Countach held its ground—not just because of its rarity, but because of its story.

Event attendees didn’t just see a well-restored exotic. They saw a piece of motorsport history. A pace car that led F1 royalty. A machine that once roared through the same narrow streets as Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet. This wasn’t nostalgia—it was resurrection.

The Aesthetic That Refused to Age

The brilliance of the Countach isn’t just in its speed or scarcity. It’s in the fact that it still looks like it came from tomorrow. Marcello Gandini, the legendary designer behind the Countach (and earlier the Miura), created a shape that defied convention and prediction.

In an age of wind-tunnel blandness and pedestrian-friendly design regulations, the Countach remains aggressively impractical and stunningly beautiful. Its vertical scissor doors, angular body, and deep air scoops don’t conform—they dominate.

Even when parked silently under the shade of Lake Como’s cypress trees, the Countach looks like it’s daring the future to catch up.

Flow

The Countach Pace Car isn’t just famous among petrolheads. It’s a cultural icon. It appeared on posters in teenage bedrooms across the world. It’s been featured in movies, video games, and music videos. It was the dream made metal, the rebel’s supercar, the antidote to boring.

The word “Countach” itself is a Piedmontese exclamation roughly translated as “Holy f*!”—a fitting reaction from anyone who sees it in person. And now, with Lamborghini giving it the white-glove treatment at Lake Como, that legacy isn’t just preserved—it’s amplified.

Lamborghini Today: Building on a Wild Legacy

Today’s Lamborghinis—like the Aventador, Huracán, and the new Revuelto—are born from the DNA of the Countach. They’re loud, fast, and unapologetically bold. But none of them would exist without the blueprint laid down by the LP400 S.

By restoring and celebrating the Countach Pace Car, Lamborghini isn’t just honoring its past—it’s reinforcing its brand philosophy: performance, drama, and unrelenting individuality.

And in an automotive industry increasingly obsessed with electrification, minimalism, and AI-assisted autonomy, Lamborghini’s tribute to its motorsport roots is a clarion call to passion.

Impression

The 1981 Countach LP400 S Pace Car is more than a collectible. It’s a symbol—of what Lamborghini was, is, and refuses to stop being. It’s a flag in the ground that says: style matters, drama matters, speed matters.

By returning it to public view at one of the most luxurious automotive gatherings in the world, Lamborghini has pulled off something rare: they’ve made the past look more exciting than the future. And in doing so, they’ve reminded us that some machines aren’t just driven—they’re lived.

 

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