Oh wow…
For many reasons, Chip Foose seems to be a polarizing figure among enthusiasts. Some think he’s an absolute genius and his designs are beautiful works of art. Others find him to be an unoriginal hack who regularly butchers classic cars. Depending on which camp your land in, you’re either here to confirm that you love or hate Foose and his work. The fact he’s tweaking the legendary Lamborghini Countach just makes the stakes so much higher.
After all, some believe the Lamborghini Countach to be about as close to automotive perfection as possible. Non-enthusiasts regularly believe the Italian masterpiece was released in the 80s, even though it launched in the 70s. That, enthusiasts argue, is proof the Countach was a car ahead of its time. Plus, how many of us grew up with its beautiful image on a poster gracing our wall or emblazoned on a prized Trapper Keeper?
Anyway, we’ve seen Chip Foose take pencils and markers to some of the most iconic cars out there, including the first-generation Ford Bronco, BMW M3 E30, and AMC Pacer. Some admittedly have turned out pretty good, while others…
Right off the bat, Foose admits he finds the Countach concept car, called the LP400, to be beautiful. However, in his opinion Lamborghini fuglified (our word, not his) it over the years by bolting more and more things to the body, in part to get a wider tire on the chassis. The man isn’t a fan of busy designs, so you know he absolutely hates the Millennium Falcon.
Back to the Countach, Foose’s whole approach is to get the car looking more like the Lamborghini LP400. You can watch the video to see how he does it and form your own opinion. The question we have is if Lamborghini had stuck with a design like this would the Countach have had the huge fan following it enjoyed? Would rambunctious little boys in the 80s have gotten as excited over it as they did GI Joe and Transformers? Would the Italian been featured in all kinds of movies and TV shows? Or was the busy design assaulting enough to get it noticed at a time when that’s what people wanted? You tell us!
