Lamborghini has been breaking all sorts of sales records lately, with a seemingly insatiable appetite from buyers for various models from the brand that “brings out the Italian” in us.

The super sports manufacturer recorded its best quarterly sales result ever from January to March 2021 during which it delivered 2,422 cars globally. The increase was up 25% over the same period of 2020, with the “super SUV” Urus continuing to drive most sales, followed by the Huracán and Aventador.

But what all three of these modern Lamborghinis have in common is that so many of their design cues come from a legendary model which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary, the Lamborghini Countach.

That fact demonstrates just how ahead of its time the Countach really was, and how its futuristic styling has shaped all subsequent Lamborghinis.

The Lamborghini Countach’s contemporary lines were designed during a significant moment in history in the 1970s when changes brought by social achievements were spawning an era of explosive creativity.

Lamborghini

Lamborghini

Lamborghini

Lamborghini

Artists and designers around the world, including the Countach’s designer, Marcello Gandini, couldn’t help but be inspired by the space race, the development of modern computers, fashion trends shifting to geometric patterns, extravagant choices, and bright colors, along with the advent of individualism and the Jet Age.

Since then, the Countach has always been identifiable from the distance due to its low and wide front profile, which is characterized by diagonal lines on the hood, repeated on the engine compartment. These shapes, along with the low and squared passenger compartment and the typical slope of the windscreen, have remained unchanged in subsequent Lamborghinis. Add to that the characteristic cut of the side windows, and you can understand why it’s so easy to identify a Lamborghini at first glance.