Soon after completion, chassis 1120144 was exported to Japan. At the time, the Japanese economy was red hot and many high end European cars were being acquired by wealthy customers from the country.

Almost immediately after landing in Japan, the now black and white Countach was reputedly stolen from the dealership where it was on display, Seaside Motor in Yokohama. Fortunately, 1120144 was quickly recovered and subsequently sold to a local Yakuza boss who went on to display the striking machine, dubbed the Countach LP500R, at many of Japan’s popular late 1970s supercar shows.

At some point, chassis 1120144 was sold to a second owner who had it repainted red. The car later passed to its third and current owner, Yoshihiro Takayama of Nagoya, who subsequently reverted this most famous of Japanese Lamborghinis (which has been immortalised in almost countless models) to its black and white-striped configuration.