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Inspired by this concept and using the excellent mechanical basis of the now-perfected Urraco P300, Lamborghini decided to work alongside Bertone to develop a Urraco model with a removable roof panel. Presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1976, the Silhouette was an aggressive model with an unmistakable appearance due above all to the widened front and rear wheel housings featuring an unusual ‘squared’ configuration rather than the more traditional one seen on the first prototypes, which followed the curve of the tyre. The Silhouette had the 3-litre 260 hp V8 engine of the Urraco P300, mid-mounted transversally behind the cockpit, and the body and chassis were made completely of steel. Although this made the car rather heavy, its overall quality was very high – as was its price. The Silhouette was presented in Italy on 26 February 1976 at a list price of nearly 15 million lire, not much lower than the cost of the far more powerful and extravagant Countach, which sold for less than 18 million lire. Obviously, this steep price tag ended up sharply limiting its circulation. The overall production of this rare model came to just 54 units over a three-year period, making it one of the rarest and most exclusive Lamborghinis.
These commercial and production difficulties were complicating the life of the company, leading the head of Lamborghini to seek outside collaboration in order to make better use of the equipment that, due to dropping sales, largely remained idle. The most significant cooperative effort came in 1976 with BMW Motorsport, which was headed by Jochen Neerpasch at the time. The contract envisaged the design and subsequent production of a super sports car with the engine mounted behind the cockpit, based on concepts for which Lamborghini had more experience and a better image than anyone in the world. Its engine was to be the straight-six made by the Munich company. The contract was extremely lucrative and would ensure the peaceful survival of the Bologna company for a few years, and this made it a worthwhile opportunity in those difficult years.
Unfortunately, another event intervened, further complicating things. Following contacts made with military suppliers of off-road vehicles, and particularly with ‘MTI’ (Mobility Technologies International), the company owners decided to design and construct a vehicle that was completely different from the ones that had been designed at Sant’Agata until then: a full-fledged high-performance off-road vehicle offering maximum mobility on the roughest terrain. The Cheetah, whose technical specifications were dictated by the American company down to the smallest details, was designed with a very distinctive configuration. Since it was intended strictly for military use in extremely tough environments with little possibility for maintenance servicing, a large American engine had to be mounted instead of an engine made by Lamborghini, as usually done.
Unfortunately, various technical and legal problems ultimately made it impossible to produce the Cheetah, as it required too much of an investment for the small Italian company. The project never got off the ground and, at the same time, the collaboration with BMW evaporated. The combination created confusion, enormous complications and a period of stagnation that paralysed the company. Fortunately, Lamborghini’s customers were more farsighted than the parties managing it at the time, as demonstrated by the superb reinterpretation of the Countach by a flamboyant and very wealthy customer who was one of the leaders on the automotive scene of the late Seventies, Walter Wolf. In fact, he was the first one to realise that the Countach, which had already become the definitive symbol of the ‘exotic’ sports car around the world, could be restyled, developed and, above all, made even more aggressive and brazen from an aesthetic standpoint. Whereas Gandini had attempted to maintain a generally sleek line and the company hesitantly added just the bare minimum in terms of aerodynamic features and air intakes, Wolf went overboard, following the stylistic configuration of the Silhouette: he mounted ultra-wide Pirelli P7 tyres on special five-hole alloy wheels and also widened the wheel housings. In a sensational coup, he also invented the enormous rear wing, an addition that was more theatrical than functional. Nevertheless, combined with particularly aggressive colour schemes, this made the Countach a veritable cultural icon because of its spectacular appearance and visual impact, making it the dream of sports car aficionados.
This did not stave off tougher years, however, and the company went into temporary receivership. Production of the Espada ended in 1978, followed by the Urraco and, lastly, also the Silhouette in 1979. Thus, only the S version of the Countach – the one invented by Wolf – was still in production. There was nothing left to be done except to continue with this extraordinary model, which allowed the company to survive despite the fact that business was shrinking. In fact, between 1978 and 1982, a total of 237 units were delivered. For the purposes of comparison, 158 ‘normal’ Countach LP400s were produced between 1973 and 1977.
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