Pirelli reproduces CN12 for Lamborghini prototype redux

Not only is Pirelli supplying its P Zero to the limited-edition Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4, the tyre maker has now re-released the tyre fitted to the prototype Countach LP500 half a century ago. It is doing so to shod a recreation of the 1971 prototype that Lamborghini’s heritage division has built for a wealthy collector.

The prototype LP500 displayed at the Geneva Motor Show 50 years ago was equipped with a different specification Pirelli Cinturato CN12 to the Countach that finally entered production in 1974. It wore this first-ever low-profile tyre in size 245/60 R14 size at the front and 265/60 R14 size at the rear. The new, reconstructed car uses exactly the same dimensions and an identical tread pattern; however, the compound and structure use the latest modern technology to offer more safety than was available at the time.

Drawing upon Pirelli’s archive

To create the revival of the Countach LP500 that is making its debut at Villa d’Este Concours, Lamborghini’s heritage division put in more than 25,000 hours of work. While Pirelli wasn’t occupied for such a length of time, when reproducing the Cinturato CN12 and other tyres in the Pirelli Collezione it is vital to have access to all the materials used in their development when they were brand new, from design to production. Documents relating to every Pirelli tyre are carefully stored at the Pirelli Foundation, the group’s historical archive. The Pirelli Foundation houses tens of thousands of documents relating to the development of every tyre throughout the last century, as well as the specification of the machinery used to make them, not to mention technical files specifying the size of the moulds for vulcanisation, the design of the tread pattern, and the original markings – with size, type of tyre and company logo – on the sidewall.

The Collezione range includes some truly legendary names, from the 1927-launched Stella Bianca to the Stelvio and the more recent Cinturato P7 (1974), P5 (1977), P Zero (1984) and P700-Z (1988). Pirelli Collezione tyres are available from specialist classic car dealers, as well as from Longstone Tyres and Pirelli’s P Zero World flagship stores in Los Angeles, Munich, Monaco, Dubai and Melbourne.