The car world has some major anniversaries to celebrate in 2023, including 70 years of the Chevrolet Corvette, the Caterham Seven’s half century and two decades of Bentley renaissance on the back of the Continental GT launched on 2003.
And to no one’s surprise all three of those cars have been celebrated with a commemorative limited edition model because automakers know that an anniversary is a great opportunity to drum up some interest in your car and brand.
Many of those special editions are just cynical attempts to cash-in by overcharging customers for a car that’s barely different to the stock model, but others are distinct enough to be worth the effort to track down. What do you think are the best anniversary special editions and which automakers do you think phoned it in?
Here are a few good and bad ones to help jog your memory.
Mazda MX-5 30th Anniversary
Related: Mazda MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition Is Pure, Unadulterated Fun
Mazda has made so many forgettable ‘special’ MX-5s over the years that we knew not to expect any kind of serious tuning job on the 30th Anniversary Miata. The birthday versions did get an eye-catching orange paint job, orange interior details plus a set of Rays wheels and Brembo brakes, but it would have been nice if Mazda had teamed up with an aftermarket output to deliver a post-registration power upgrade for the 181 hp (184 PS) 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G engine.
Mini 1100 Special
Austin Rover churned out countless special edition Minis throughout the 1980s, and most of them, like special edition Miatas, weren’t very special at all. But the Mini built to celebrate the car’s 20th birthday in 1979 was. Available in either silver or a dusky metallic paint, it featured a vinyl top, tinted glass, and arch extensions covering the first alloy wheels fitted as standard to a Mini.
It also got a rev counter and a center console with a clock and space for the radio (no more reaching across to the passenger side to change stations), and best of all, an engine upgrade. Sadly, not to the 1.3-liter motor from the 1275GT (the Cooper was long dead at this point), but it did get the torquey 1,100 cc A-series that was only available in the square-fronted Clubman, which made the Special feel much punchier than a stock round-nose Mini 1000.
Images: Charterhouse Auctioneers
Chevrolet Corvette 70th Anniversary Edition
Not many cars make it to their 70th season so you’d think Chevy would pull out all the stops to celebrate the Corvette’s big birthday. But it didn’t. Sure, the Anniversary Edition package brought some special wheels, new badges, red trim and two different paint options – White Pearl Metallic Tri-Coat and Carbon Flash Metallic – but it wasn’t radically more desirable than an ordinary production Stingray or Z06, both of which could be ordered with the kit.
Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary
This 1988 special was built to celebrate Lamborghini’s 25 years in the automotive game and brought some major visual upgrades to the Countach. The basic body structure was retained but composites expert Horacio Pagani (yes, that Pagani) came up with new front and rear bumpers, plus an aggressive set of straked side skirts and redesigned air intakes on the top of the rear fenders.
The 25th Countach was highly desirable when new, but seems less popular now. According to Hagerty’s valuation guide, a 1988 Anniversary Countach in good condition is worth $417,000, whereas a regular 1988 Countach LP5000 QV without the heavy-handed Pagani mods commands $569,000.
Images: RM Sotheby’s
Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4
From one polarizing Countach anniversary car to another. Lambo considered making a retro version of the Miura back in the mid-2000s but decided it was a bad idea and shelved the plan. It didn’t show the same restraint when the Countach’s 50th birthday rolled around and produced 112 Aventador-based lookalikes at $2.6 million a pop.
Not everyone liked the result, but no one can accuse Lamborghini of not making an effort to mark its most famous car’s half century.
Let us know your best and worst anniversary edition cars by dropping a comment below.