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I was fortunate enough to pick up the 1/18 scale Looksmart model for the legendary 1971 Lamborghini Countach prototype, the car that would succeed the beautiful Lamborghini Miura and introduce the famous 'Lamborghini doors' to the automotive world.

That was back in 2018, and the Looksmart model is very rare nowadays it seems, when I learned about IDEA releasing this Countach prototype in 2022 as item IM058A, I didn't hesitate to put an order in, but unfortunately, IDEA never shipped out the order to my dealer, so I ended up without this model, then I saw Eidolon announced it as item EML131A, but also as item EML131B which comes with a windshield wiper, one that was added to the actual prototype back in the early Seventies.

The 1971 Lamborghini Countach was finished in a custom hue of yellow, later called Giallo Countach, and it was the prototype created by Bertone for the next-generation Lamborghini V12 flagship, at that time the Miura SV was in production, but when Ferruccio saw the response to the Countach he actually decided to not order additional bodyshells from Bertone and focus on putting the Countach into production ... which ended up taking three years, the first customer cars were only delivered in 1974, and it looked rather different from this ultra-clean Countach LP500, also called the LP5000 because of the 5-liter V12 engine.

Remember the fact that Automobili Lamborghini SpA was only founded 8 years before this Countach prototype was unveiled to the public, and it would become an automotive hallmark that put Lamborghini firmly into supercar history, and it was this prototype that also introduced the 'Periscopio', or the interior rearview mirror that looked through a tunnel in the roof, this would be retained on the Countach LP400 production model and on the first series of the LP400 S evolution.

This specific Eidolon model is the version of the Lamborghini Countach prototype as she was unveiled in March 1971 at the Geneva Motor Show, so with the clean, untouched body lines, no exterior rearview mirrors, and no windshield wiper, which is the version I prefer over the one with the wiper added, I could only find one single photo of this model with the flat wiper fitted.

One other version of the Lamborghini Countach LP500 I would love to add to the collection would be the one with the added air intakes that were required to keep the engine cool, problems were found during road testing, not only did the 5-Liter engine couldn't be made reliable, but it required more cooling than the stylish fins behind the side window, and the vents on the engine cover could supply, so the now famous NACA ducts were cut into the doors and side panel, and the 'boxy' air intakes were added on top of the rear fenders, just like we would see on the actual production model, it would be amazing to have this final evolution of the prototype as a 1/18 scale model too.

So how does this new Eidolon scale model of the Lamborghini Countach LP500 compare to the now 6-year-old Looksmart version? In one word: amazing. The Eidolon is just on another level of detail altogether, granted, we are talking about €250 in 2018 vs nearly €450 in 2024, but the Eidolon model looks so much better, and comes with a lot more fine detail.

Like the cockpit, sure it's a black affair, but it is so nicely detailed, you can even read the 'Jeager' script on the odometer, while the dials in front of the passenger are visible, it looks amazing, and while this is a sealed model, nothing opens, you can clearly see a lot of engine detail through the silver grilles of the engine cover, it would be so nice to be able to open the cover and admire this 1971 V12 beauty.

So yes, I now have two 1/18 scale models of the 1971 Lamborghini Countach, but they are so different I just had to add this Eidolon to the collection, and I already have a few IDEA/MakeUp/Eidolon models in the collection, and every single one of them is a masterpiece, sure, they are expensive, but they are so nicely detailed and just beautiful ... I'm sure this one will not be my last model from them.

Originally released in April 2024.

our RATING

Exterior		9/10
Interior		8/10
Engine	Not visible
Accuracy		9/10
Overall rating		9/10

Original price on May 2, 2024 : € 445