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Lamborghini Countach Is Back As A Hybrid, And Nobody Can Buy It Anymore
All 112 units that Lamborghini will produce are sold out, and their owners will receive them in the first quarter of 2022.
There’s a handful of cars that virtually all people can recognize, and the original Lamborghini Countach, which was manufactured from 1974 to 1990 is among them. Now, the Italian automobile manufacturer is bringing the ‘80s icon back as a hybrid.
The new version is called the Countach LPI 800-4, and it’s supposed to honor the 50th anniversary of the original release. LPI stands for Longitudinale Posteriore Ibrido, or Longitudinal Posterior Hybrid in English. The number 800 is the total output of the hybrid powertrain (804 brake horsepower to be precise), and the number 4 indicates that the car uses a permanent four-wheel drive transmission.
Just like the original Countach, the hybrid successor has a naturally aspirated V12 engine, but the engine is assisted by a 48 V electric motor powered by the same supercapacitor technology used in Lamborghini’s Sián. Because the car is made out of carbon fiber and weighs just 1,595 kilograms (3,516 pounds), it can produce a 0–100km/h time of 2.8 seconds, a 0–200km/h time of 8.6 seconds, and a top speed of 355km/h.
But performance isn’t what the original Countach is remembered for — the distinctive angular and geometric styling is.
“The first Countach has been present in our Centro Stile as a model for some years now,” said Lamborghini’s design boss Mitja Borkert. “Whenever I look at it, it gives me goosebumps, and it serves as the perfect reminder for me and the entire design team to design every future Lamborghini in a visionary and futuristic way.”
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While the hybrid isn’t quite as angular as the original one (blame years of aerodynamic research), Lamborghini has successfully captured the essence of Countach and produced a car that every cyberpunk megacorp CEO would love to own.
But even if you’re actually are a CEO with over €2 million to spare, you can’t buy your own Countach LPI 800-4 because all 112 units (that’s how many Lamborghini is making) are sold out, and their owners will receive them in the first quarter of 2022.
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Joby To Establish All-Electric Air Taxi Ecosystem Across The UAE
The comprehensive agreement with Abu Dhabi’s government includes a training program, infrastructure development, and a manufacturing presence.
All-electric aircraft company Joby Aviation has secured three separate agreements with departments of Abu Dhabi’s government that lay the groundwork to develop and scale air taxi services in the Emirate and beyond.
The deal was signed at the recent DRIFTx thought-leadership and exhibition platform and gave Joby exclusive rights to not only operate air taxi services in Dubai but also unlock inter-emirate services between Abu Dhabi.
Joe Ben Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation, said: “Today’s agreement demonstrates the incredible momentum behind the adoption of clean flight across the UAE. We’re looking forward to delivering a fantastic experience for our future customers in Abu Dhabi and we’re excited to be unlocking the potential for zero-emissions flight between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. We’re grateful for the support and collaboration of our governmental partners and the entire ecosystem in Abu Dhabi and we remain deeply impressed by their commitment to building out a world-class aviation ecosystem in the Emirate”.
Joby’s all-electric aircraft went on display for the first time in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina at the DRIFTx event. The air taxi is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers and can reach speeds of 200 miles per hour (321 km/h). The zero-emission craft is said to have an extremely low acoustic footprint and can travel a maximum of 100 miles (161 km) on a single charge.
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Once operational, Joby’s air taxi fleet would enable fast, clean travel across the UAE, with journeys between Abu Dhabi to Dubai taking just 30 minutes compared with two hours by car during peak times.
Joby continues to work closely with the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to help the Emirates become a world leader in the introduction of air taxis. Additional testing and analysis will be required before inter-emirate travel becomes a reality, but the cutting-edge technology already appears to have great potential.