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The Italian Wedge: The Supercar Shape That Shocked the World
Paperback
Publisher: Publishdrive
Published: Jun 25 2026
Pages: 204
Weight: 0.62
Height: 0.43 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The Lamborghini Countach did not merely join the supercar world. It redrew it. When Marcello Gandini's sharp yellow LP 500 prototype appeared at the Geneva Motor Show in 1971, it looked unlike anything around it: low, angular, dramatic, and almost impossibly futuristic. Its wedge shape, scissor doors, rear-mounted V12, and uncompromising stance turned a motor car into a cultural image.
The Italian Wedge: The Supercar Shape That Shocked the World tells the fact-based story of the Countach from its roots in Lamborghini's early ambition and the Miura's legacy to Bertone's design culture, Gandini's radical styling, the LP 400 Periscopio, the wide-body LP 400 S, the 5000 S, the Quattrovalvole, and the 25th Anniversary edition. It follows the car through engineering challenges, hand-built production at Sant'Agata Bolognese, American-market adaptation, poster culture, film appearances, and its lasting influence on the definition of the modern supercar.
Written in a polished narrative style, this book explores how one Italian V12 machine became the bedroom-wall dream car of a generation. It is a story of design, noise, rarity, excess, craftsmanship, and cultural memory-the story of a shape that shocked the world and never fully faded.
Disclaimer: This is an independent, unauthorised historical work. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, approved by, or endorsed by Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., Bertone, or any related company, brand, estate, or rights holder. Lamborghini, Countach, Miura, Diablo, and other model names, marques, logos, and related identifiers are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners and are used only for factual, historical, and descriptive purposes.
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