Designing a successor to the delicious Lamborghini Miura was something of a challenge for Marcello Gandini, however with the arrival of the Countach in 1971, he demonstrated to the world that his ability to create automotive drama was alive and well.

In fact, the word 'Countach' is Piedmontese slang for something that visually shocks, and has no direct translation but 'Wow' is probably the most polite.

The first Countach appeared at the Geneva Show in 1971, and big, bright and brash like the rest of the 70s, the Countach was to remain in production, through various iterations for many years.

With hindsight, it's clear that the car's 'flying wedge' design, sloping snout that appeared to descend directly from the windscreen and innovative scissor doors became a template for every supercar that followed.

Over its 17-year production run, the Countach evolved continuously in response to both technical demands and increasing competition, not least from rivals such as the Ferrari Testaro...