- Lamborghini has no plans to capitalize on the strong demand for its classic cars by building new ones
- Lamborghini is committed to respecting its heritage and doesn’t want to modify the past
- Lamborghini also won’t give its classic cars modern upgrades, a practice known as restomodding
Lamborghini’s classic car department, Polo Storico, has the capability to build any of the brand’s iconic cars from the past entirely from scratch, as it demonstrated in 2021 with the recreation of the long-lost original Countach prototype. The car was built for a loyal customer and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the prototype’s debut at the 1971 Geneva motor show.
However, don’t expect Polo Storico to repeat this feat, as Lamborghini has no interest in building continuation cars, Giuliano Cassataro, Polo Storico’s chief, told The Drive in an interview published on Jan. 20.
“Everything that we do will one day be history,” Cassataro said. “We don’t want to modify the past.”
In the case of the Countach prototype, Cassataro explained that it shouldn’t be considered a continuation car, as it uses the VIN of the original lost example and was built to be identical to the original—right down to details like the non-functional intakes and pop-up headlights. The original prototype was used for crash testing in 1974, and its remains went missing afterward.
Lamborghini Countach LP500 prototype recreation
Cassataro also told The Drive that Lamborghini isn’t interested in creating restomods. However, Polo Storico is open to making modifications to classic cars, provided the changes are period-correct.
Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann has previously stated that the company isn’t interested in launching cars with retro designs. However, that stance didn’t stop Lamborghini from introducing a modern Countach in 2021, based on the Aventador platform.
Ferrari is another brand that has no plans to offer restomods or continuation cars, though it is open to retro designs. In 2018, Ferrari announced the Icona series, a lineup of low-volume, special-edition cars featuring retro-inspired designs. The most recent Icona car was 2021’s Daytona SP3, whose design drew inspiration from Ferrari’s sport prototype endurance racers of the 1960s. The next Icona car is rumored to take inspiration from the F40.