About 20 years ago I bought my first 1/18 scale, Kyosho-made Lamborghini Countach LP400 model, the red one (08321R), it took me a few more years to add the yellow one (08321Yà to my collection too, and while the red one came with a nice tan interior, the original yellow one had a rather boring black interior, and more importantly, the hue of yellow was a very cool one, not like Giallo Orion at all, and when I bought the AUTOart Countach LP400 in yellow (47646), it became obvious the Kyosho one was just the wrong shade of yellow.
So when I learned about the fact that Kyosho was set to do a re-release of the Lamborghini Countach LP400 in 2025, in red and in yellow, I couldn’t be happier when I found out the interior for this new release, item 08321YT, was brown, which should provide a much nicer contrast interior compared to the plain black one from the old release.
The Lamborghini Countach LP400 was built between 1974 and 1978 with a total production of just 150 units built, and keep in mind several were later converted into Countach S wide body models when the S was introduced in 1978, in fact, rumor has it that the Countach S you see with the famous ‘Periscope’ roof were in fact converted LP400, straight from the factory.
Despite rolling on rather small 14-inch wheels with ‘only’ 205mm wide tires, the Countach came with 375 hp from the famous 4-Liter V12 engine with a top speed of 316 km/h (198 Mph) ... back in 1974, add the futuristic styling of the Countach and you understand this was a very impressive car in the Seventies, and while I’ve always prefered the QV with the wider wheels, wheelarches and rear wing, I have to admit the original Countach LP400 was a force to be reckoned with back in the days.
When I compare the old release with this new release, it becomes obvious Kyosho didn’t just use the original moulds to produce this one; there are a number of subtle differences between the two models, most importantly for me, the shade of yellow. It is difficult to show this one in a photo, but in real life, the new release is a warmer shade of yellow, more like the AUTOart one, and I think it’s closer to the hue found on the actual Lamborghini Countach LP400 from the Seventies.
On the outside, I also notice the different side turn indicator on the front fender, the old release has a rather large, round unit fitted there, on this new release, we get a smaller, square one, it looks better in my opinion, furthermore, the air vents on the roof, next to the famous periscope are painted now, on the old release these were also painted black, but they were actual indents in the casting, that’s a pity Kyosho didn’t keep that feature.
Also, the interior is different compared to the old release, this new 2025 version has a brown plastic dashboard top, smooth plastic, while on the old release, it looked like the dashboard had some flocking, which is actually closer to the real cars as the dashboard in the 1974 Countach wasn’t upholstered in smooth leather, but featured some kind of suede (reversed leather) to avoid reflection when driving in direct sunlight, remember that massive windshield sat very flat on the Countach.
Under the front hatch, there is also a minor difference between the two releases, this new version has a black cover on the spare tire, which wasn’t fitted on the original release, and here comes a possible issue with both releases. Kyosho fits what looks like a front wheel underneath this hatch, effectively making it a spare tire, but here’s the kicker, the real Lamborghini Countach LP400 (and later models too) came with a thin space saver spare tire, especially on the later models, you wouldn’t be able to fit that massive rear tire anywhere else than on the passenger seat anyway, so why bother with a large spare tire.
But I have seen actual Lamborghini Countach models that did have a full-size, front spare tire and rim fitted underneath that hatch, so it does fit, snugly, but it fits, so it isn’t really wrong what Kyosho did with these scale models, so I’m not going to complain about it, it does exist in real life.
So is this new 2025 release, item number 08321YT, a must-have for your collection? In my case it is, this one, with the brown interior and updated, warmer hue of yellow, is a serious must-have for my collection, I love the Countach, so adding another 1/18 scale model is a given for me, and while it surely isn’t a cheap model, it is a lot less expensive than the AUTOart release of this exact model, and it looks very, very close in terms of quality and overall design ... the AUTOart one is slightly better I would say, but chances are it’s about twice as expensive to find nowadays too, so if you don’t have a yellow Lamborghini Countach LP400 in your collection yet, this new Kyosho is the one for you.
Originally released in September 2025.
| Exterior | 9/10 | |
| Interior | 8/10 | |
| Engine | 8/10 | |
| Accuracy | 8/10 | |
| Overall rating | 8/10 |