As far as Italian car companies go, few possess the proud past and heritage of Lamborghini. It is because of this great past and the brand’s experience in making go-fast machines (and tractors) that we have gotten some of the most bonkers high-performance sports cars in the industry. Lamborghini’s decision to resurrect the Countach name was one that excited many, but was ultimately highly controversial. By the sound of it, the 2021 Lamborghini Countach will be the last time the supercar maker dabbles in retro-inspired models.

While there’s no denying that the 2021 Lamborghini Countach is a stunning tribute to "The Countach is a unique experiment, but because we are a small brand we have to look forward. We cannot rely on the past and think that the past is creating the future." , it really is nothing more than a retro-inspired homage based on the aging Aventador platform. With only 112 units of the 2021 Lamborghini Countach being sold for $2.64 million each, the company, once again, managed to capitalize on “the Miura was a celebration of our history, but Lamborghini is about the future. Retro design is not what we are here for. So we won’t do the Miura”..

Despite the easy sales, Lamborghini CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, said that "The Countach is a unique experiment, but because we are a small brand we have to look forward. We cannot rely on the past and think that the past is creating the future." Winkelmann said similar words back in 2006 when Lamborghini unveiled the Lamborghini Miura Concept. The retro-inspired study was based on the Murcielago LP640 and commemorated the 40th anniversary of the original Miura from 1966.

It was there and then that Winkelmann said that “the Miura was a celebration of our history, but Lamborghini is about the future. Retro design is not what we are here for. So we won’t do the Miura”. An interesting choice of words given that, 15 years later, we got an Aventador-based, retro-styled homage to the Countach. With that said, the rush for mass-electrification has spawned a market niche that is steadily growing, which is capitalizing on the nostalgia aspect of cars.

Ferrari’s Special Projects division is doing quite well, churning out the occasional retro-inspired model in highly limited production numbers, and those are selling out like hot cakes. Among them are the Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2, Ferrari 488 SP38, Ferrari Daytona SP3, and many other iconic tributes to classic Ferraris. Not to mention the one-offs, built specifically for special customers like Eric Clapton’s 512BB-inspired Ferrari SP13 EC and many others. Lamborghini may have taken a page from Ferrari’s book with the 2021 Countach, but it may have been too little too late. With the new generation of hybrid and electric models, the Italian brand has officially failed to capitalize on the nostalgic aspect of the Italian supercar.