Description
COUNTACH
1990 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary
The Sole 25th Anniversary Delivered in Arancio Miura
Chassis No. ZA9C005A0KLA12958 | Engine No. 12958
A desirable European-specification car with the ‘full fat’ 4-valve, 455bhp carburettor V12
THE LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH 25TH ANNIVERSARY
Launched at the height of the late-1980s supercar frenzy, the Countach 25th Anniversary proved to be an instant sell-out. Although the intention was only ever to build 200, to July 1990, over 650 cars turned out to be the final evolution of an outrageous line that started in 1974 with the LP400 Periscopica.
In the UK, Lamborghini GB after-sales manager Del Hopkins recalls: “With the 25th Anniversary, we just couldn’t get enough…”
This RHD Countach 25th Anniversary was commissioned directly from the factory in special-order Arancio Miura to match his LP400 Periscopica.
Lamborghini scored another celebrated Geneva Show coup in March 1971 when it revealed Marcello Gandini’s space-age Countach. It took another three years for it to make it to production, by which time Ferruccio Lamborghini was no longer a shareholder in the business. The new LP400 was best known for its origami styling, boxy vents and scoops and an over-the-roof rear mirror; hence the soubriquet Periscopica (‘Periscope’). ‘LP’ stood for Longitudinale Posteriore: the engine and gearbox were mounted lengthways in the car, rather than transversely like the Miura. The big gearbox was ahead of the equally large – growing over time from 3, 293cc to 5, 167cc – V12 engine, so the driver was engaging directly with the box via the stubby lever.
A quartet of ever-more-sophisticated models followed the original LP400: LP400 S, 5000, 5000 S and 5000 S QV. All were quick cars, very often the fastest in the world, mad and bad, with many owners definitely ‘dangerous to know’. It was the poster car for a generation.
The final version was announced by the then Chrysler-backed company at the 1988 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Named ‘Countach 25th Anniversary’ to recognise Lamborghini’s quarter of a century as a car-maker, the new Countach was mechanically identical to the 190+mph, 455bhp 5000 S QV. Chrysler was acutely aware that, for reasons of comfort and fashion, in the 5000 S QV it was perceived to be offering a car inferior to the Ferrari Testarossa.
So, small refinements were made here and there, principally to make life in the cabin more enjoyable. Improved air conditioning and better heat management of the engine bay via the slots, slats and ducts that covered the Anniversary, led to it running cooler. It probably produced a few more horsepower, too. The distinctive split-rim alloys were from Italian company O. Z. and the tyres were all-new Pirelli P-Zeros. Cars were available with downdraught carburettors (Europe excl. Switzerland) and fuel-injection (North America).
In 1988, the year of Ayrton Senna’s first World Championship, when the B-2 stealth bomber was unveiled and Billboard’s list of Hot 100 Singles was topped by George Michael’s ‘Faith’, the Countach 25th Anniversary went down a storm.
Two hundred were planned but, such was the demand, 657 were built, the last coming off the line being ‘12085’ on 4 July 1990, the 1997th example built of the world’s most famous supercar.
“If you drive hard, the Anniversary is definitely quicker out of a corner. You don’t have to wait so long before going on the power. And through the corner there is more grip and a much nicer balance. In Italy, we have a word for it: ‘Sincera’. It doesn’t hide anything from you anymore. It is fair and honest.”
Sandro Munari, World Champion rally driver and Lamborghini development driver
THIS MOTOR CAR
Richard Earl bought RHD Countach LP400 Periscopica chassis 1120106 in 1986. The car was already well known in UK Lamborghini circles for its distinctive colour and status as one of the very first right-hand-drive Countachs. When the final evolution of the model – the 25th Anniversary – was announced, Earl ordered one, dealing directly with the Sant’Agata factory on the understanding it would be supplied via UK concessionaire Portman Lamborghini.
There was only one colour combination he would consider: Arancio Miura to mirror the LP400, though this time he chose a Champagne, rather than Senape (mustard brown) leather interior. After some negotiation – and with assistance from Valentino Balboni – the factory agreed. Internally, the shade became known as ‘Arancio 1120106’, a direct reference to its origins. Earl visited the factory during production, and a rare period photograph shows the car in this unmistakable specification behind a red 25th Anniversary (chassis 12952) in the final run of deliveries. It left the production line on 27 February 1990 and was ready for collection a month later, one of just 67 right-hand-drive examples.
Earl picked the car up from the factory and drove it back to the UK on EE (export) plates, where it was registered G612 VYT – the registration it carries today. It was later re-registered A3 DUU during his ownership. Over five years he covered some 5, 500km before placing it into long-term storage. During this period it was maintained by Portman Lamborghini, with service stamps recorded on 4 June 1990, 6 April 1991, 8 June 1993 and 28 April 1995.
In 2017, the car was taken out of storage and entrusted to leading UK Lamborghini specialist Colin Clarke for recommissioning. The work totalled over £17, 500 and in addition to a thorough service and replacement of all fluids and a check of safety items, included replacement of door, bonnet and boot struts. By 2020 the odometer showed 6, 390km.
The car was sold to its second British owner in 2021 and acquired by our London-based client the following year. Of all Countach variants, he had long favoured the 25th Anniversary, recalling in a 2024 interview: “Most of my childhood was in the 1980s and 1990s, so the 25th Anniversary – being wider, more powerful and more aggressive – spoke more to me.”
During his ownership the car was awarded full Polo Storico Certification in 2024 and appeared at that year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. It has since been enjoyed on a number of memorable road trips, including The Countach Rally from London to Sant’Agata. The car has performed faultlessly throughout and was serviced by Lamborghini Milano on 19 July 2025.
Today, the car remains in excellent driving order with notably original, ‘time-warp’ cosmetics. Richard Earl – who still owns the LP400 – inspected it in 2026, confirming original paint aside from minor work to the passenger-side door mirror housing. The interior is also original. The car retains its original registration G612 VYT, has a current MOT and is fitted with a factory correct Ansa exhaust. At the time of recent photography in London, the odometer read 25, 862km.
A true one-off, this 1990 Arancio Miura Countach 25th Anniversary occupies a unique place in Lamborghini history. One of the final Countachs delivered to the UK, it’s a desirable European-specification car with the ‘full fat’ 4-valve, 455bhp carburettor V12. Opportunities to acquire such an example are exceptionally rare, marking the closing chapter of a dramatic story of fashion, power and money that began almost two decades earlier with the LP500 prototype in March 1971.
KEY FACTS
• With original paint and interior, a rare, European-specification 25th Anniversary with downdraught carburettors
• Three owners and ca. 25, 900km from new, with Polo Storico Certification dated 2024
• Presented in special-order Arancio Miura – the only 25th Anniversary – with Champagne leather
• Supplied with its original invoice, service invoices, original Lamborghini driver’s pack complete with all books and tools, manuals, both sets of keys, a pair of Lamborghini driving gloves and a bespoke tailored Goodwool Lamborghini car cover
• UK registered with its original plate ‘G612 VYT’, current MOT and taxes paid
