Of all the overfender-equipped creations to have come out of the mind of Liberty Walk’s Wataru Kato, the car you are looking at is probably the most sedate.
That’s not to say the LBW Lamborghini Countach didn’t make an impact when it was first shown to the world at the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon. Quite the contrary. As much love as hate followed the unveiling – as it always does for any custom-widened collectable classic.
The Liberty Walk Countach could never have hit as hard as Kato-san’s fattened-up Ferrari F40 did last year. If you think about it, that would be an impossible feat. What the LBW Countach did do, however, is prove that wide-body conversions can be tasteful.
It’s all because of the starting point, as the 25th Anniversary Countach came fitted with overfenders from Lamborghini’s Sant’Agata Bolognese factory.
Penned by Horacio Pagani during his design stint at Lamborghini, the 25th Anniversary model took the late Marcello Gandini’s iconic Countach silhouette and put it through an intensive gym session. The result was pumped front and rear fenders, and protruding vents, spoilers and lips, which combined, turned the car into an almost caricature-like evolution of the base model.
Liberty Walk did the same – on top of the 25th Anniversary Countach redesign.
By emphasizing the overfender treatment, the LBW Countach is not only fatter, but it also has a Japanese bosozoku feel about it.
The wider, redefined and reprofiled fender flares join a squarer, more protruding bumper topped with a flat lip spoiler and a pair of canards.
But it’s out the back where things get really wild.
The massive rear wing is mounted on stays that sprout from underneath the car where the dramatic-looking diffuser attaches. An intricate exhaust system also hides there, shouting a V12 symphony through the four upturned tips.
Despite all this complexity, I think the rear end looks cleaner than that of the stock 25th Anniversary Countach. This is because the bumper section has been removed – much like the body-colored grille panel – and replaced by carbon fiber and the Toyo Tire branding.
The LBW kit is enhanced by air suspension, allowing the car to be dumped right to the ground for maximum effect.
Tagging along for the shoot was something familiar.
For 2024, Liberty Walk has wrapped its 2023 TAS show-stopper blue and slapped on a new set of wheels. The new coloring helps it stay relevant. Not that an F40 with rear overfenders could ever fade into the background.
It was the perfect car to accompany the new 2024 project.
The question must be asked: Which one does it for you? The F40?
…or the Countach?
It is a tough choice. Both cars hit hard and for different reasons. The F40 for upsetting the purists, and the Countach for doing the LBW overfender look so well.
Having the most talked about car of TAS 2024 at my disposal, I had to make use of Tokyo’s many iconic automotive backdrops for the shoot.
So before the LBW guys returned to Nagoya, we hit Ginza’s main shopping street.
The Countach looked right at home here. The perfect accessory to be showing off in one of Tokyo’s wealthiest districts.
Sitting a centimeter from the ground, it looked like aggression personified.
You have to hand it to Kato-san – he never fails at this game.
He does it year after year, show after show, to the point that you have to wonder what his next move will be.
If the rumor mill is correct, he could be going crazy on a genuine Lamborghini Miura next. If you recall, he previously modified a Miura kitcar, but perhaps the replica just didn’t cut it in his eyes. I wonder what Marcello Gandini would think about that…
Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: dino_dalle_carbonare
dino@speedhunters.com