Feature
Iconic Ferraris Under the Hammer at RM Sotheby's Cavallino Palm Beach Auction
Another week, another fascinating RM Sotheby's auction to ponder the results of.
February 18, 2026
Two cars, iconic in their own right, NA V12s, and a surprising shared DNA.
There are certain eras in motoring that just feel right. The late ’80s and early ’90s sit high on that list — big aero, manual ’boxes, naturally aspirated V12s and liveries you could spot from the other side of the circuit.
This pairing, dubbed “The Camel Collection”, leans hard into those times, with a Formula 1 car wearing an iconic livery, and a car from the brand that supplied its engine in full matching glory. The pair is currently up for sale with our friends at Furlonger Specialist Cars, waiting for a serious motorsport enthusiast to give them a new home, so let’s take a look at them in more detail.
The Type 102 represents a fascinating crossroads in Formula 1 history. It was the only Lotus F1 car ever powered by a V12 — a 3.5-litre, naturally aspirated unit producing around 640 bhp. Better still, that V12 was supplied by none other than Lamborghini in what would be a brief foray into Formula 1. In an era freshly moved on from turbocharging, Lamborghini’s experience with high-revving V12 road engines translated into something altogether more feral for the grid.
Chassis #02 competed during the 1990 season, driven by Derek Warwick, Martin Donnelly and Johnny Herbert. It lined up for six Grands Prix that year, with a best finish of eighth at Imola and an appearance in Monaco when F1 cars were far more about commitment than software.
Visually, it’s peak period F1. The relatively simple sculpted bodywork, humongous rear slicks, manual transmission and that unmistakable Camel yellow livery place it firmly in what many consider the last truly analogue chapter of the sport when legends like Senna, Prost and Mansell were in their prime.
After its racing life, #02 spent decades in long-term storage before returning to Sant’Agata for a comprehensive mechanical restoration and recommissioning by Lamborghini Polo Storico. It remains accompanied by its period documentation and is fully running today — maintained and exercised as intended.
There’s also a neat cultural footnote. In the 2025 F1 film starring Brad Pitt, the 102 appears as the hero car in the opening scene, depicting protagonist’s Sonny Hayes’ fictional 1990 campaign. Whatever your thoughts on Hollywood’s interpretation of the sport, the car itself is very much the real thing.
With historic F1 grids continuing to evolve, cars from this late-’80s and early-’90s window occupy an interesting sweet spot: modern enough to be serious machinery, old-school enough to be run without a factory-sized crew.
If the 102 is theatre at 12,000rpm, the Countach 5000 QV is the road-going equivalent. This particular car is a rare thing — the only right-hand-drive 5000 QV finished in Giallo from the factory. Supplied new in 1985 via Portman Lamborghini, it was specified in Giallo over Naturale with the optional rear wing — because if you’re doing a Countach, you may as well do it bold.
It also carries some period intrigue. In 1987 it featured in Autocar’s famous “Countach vs Superbike — how fast is fast?” cover story, posting 0–60 mph in 4.9 seconds and stretching to 179 mph flat out. It later appeared in Chris Bennett’s 1993 book Lamborghini Countach, adding another layer to its documented life.
After nearly three decades with one owner — and a spell in storage — the car was recommissioned and refinished in its original Giallo. In its current form it wears a visual nod to the Camel-liveried F1 car, complete with matching decals and black wheels, though it can be returned to factory specification with its original wheels retained.
Well-documented, correctly restored Countach QVs continue to stand apart from the noise of the market. They remain one of the purest expressions of Lamborghini excess: a longitudinal V12, a gated manual and styling that still looks like it arrived from another planet 40 years on.
For anyone who grew up with Camel-liveried grids and bedroom walls covered in Countach posters, this is less about investment logic and more about owning a slice of peak V12 theatre — one for the circuit, one for the road.
