1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition

A rare red 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary, one of around 660 examples built, arriving at and leaving Cars and Chronos at Hing Wa Lee Plaza. Named to celebrate Lamborghini's 25th anniversary, the Anniversary Countach was the final iteration of the Countach before it was replaced by the Diablo in 1990. Based on the Countach LP5000 Quattrovalvole (5000 QV), it is powered by the same 5.2-liter V12 engine and features revised styling by Horacio Pagani, retuned suspension, and an improved interior with redesigned seats and electric windows. This example is a U.S.-market model, which is equipped with Bosch fuel injection and a larger front bumper.

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only car enthusiast that was at one point confused by the 25th Anniversary Countach. Unlike Lamborghini's later anniversary cars based on the Diablo, Murcielago, and Aventador, this Countach was not a limited edition. It was simply the latest iteration of the existing Countach that happened to receive a special name since its introduction coincided with the brand's anniversary. In fact, more Anniversary cars were actually built than any previous Countach variant!

That's not to say that this isn't a special car though. It's more refined and mechanically improved compared to its predecessors. And it received the most radical (and controversial) Countach styling update since flared wheel arches were first introduced a decade earlier. To be honest, I'm not sure if I really like the updated look. It's certainly wild and cool like all the previous Countach variants, but there's simply too much going on visually. If I didn't know better, I may have assumed this was a replica complete with exaggerated design cues characteristic of replicas of this era. And that huge U.S.-spec front bumper doesn't help, either. The car's visual busyness is only accentuated when parked next to an earlier Countach (which itself had been criticized for deviating from the clean lines of the original LP400). But while I think the earlier cars have aged better, I won't deny the 25th Anniversary is the one that most loudly screams 1980s styling. Combine all those straked vents with the car's huge wing, scissor doors, and unmistakable supercar shape, and you get what is undoubtedly one of the most iconic poster cars of its time.

Would you choose this 25th Anniversary Countach over earlier Countach variants? Leave a comment on YouTube and let me know!