Video: A Lamborghini Countach replica with the V8 heart of a Lexus… and a Hyundai chassis

It’s probably not going to fool anyone who knows anything about Lamborghinis, but this Thai-built Countach replica borders on being... actually pretty cool.

Owned and built by Thai singer and actor Kawee Tanjararak, who works under the name of Beam, the Lambo replica is powered by Lexus’s 4.0-litre V8, internal code UZ, boosted by the addition of two turbochargers.

This is the same engine – without turbos – once found under the bonnets of a variety of Lexus models from the 1990s including the LS400, SC400 and GS 400. (Along with a host of big Toyotas, including the luxurious Crown.)

Power is sent to the rear wheels through a manual transmission sourced from Subaru, while the chassis itself is from a front-wheel-drive Hyundai which has then been Frankensteined into a rear-wheel drive platform.

Suspension components have been pilfered from perhaps the coolest piece of the whole project: a Nissan Skyline R32.

Still, while it might look like a passable replica, and while that stonking V8 sounds the business, there were a few teething problems during the filming of a short video – with the front-right suspension breaking not once, but twice.

Luckily, Beam’s replica Porsche 550 Spyder was made of sterner stuff.

Check out the full video from YouTuber CB Media below.

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