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Lamborghini LM002
1988 Lamborghini LM002
Overview
Manufacturer	Lamborghini
Also called	Lamborghini LM/American
Production	1986–1993
Assembly	Italy: Sant'Agata Bolognese
Designer	Giulio Alfieri
Body and chassis
Class	Light commercial vehicle
Body style	4-door SUV 4-door sport utility truck
Layout	Front-engine, four-wheel-drive
Platform	tubular steel frame riveted aluminium body panels
Related	Lamborghini Countach
Powertrain
Engine	5.2 L (5167 cc) L503 V12 7.2 L L804 marine V12
Transmission	5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,950 mm (116.1 in)
Length	4,790 mm (188.6 in)
Width	2,000 mm (78.7 in)
Height	1,850 mm (72.8 in)
Curb weight	2,700 kg (5,952 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor	Lamborghini Cheetah Lamborghini LM001 Lamborghini LMA002
Successor	Lamborghini Urus (spiritual)

The Lamborghini LM002 is an off-road vehicle manufactured by Lamborghini between 1986 and 1993. The LM002 was an unusual departure for Lamborghini which, at the time, was primarily known for high-performance, hand-built, super/sports cars. The LM002 was not the first of its kind to be built by Lamborghini. Two prototype vehicles, the Cheetah and the LM001, paved the way for LM002. Both vehicles used rear-mounted American power plants and were intended for military use, but were not well received. With the idea of using a front mounted Countach V12 to power the LM001 came the next model, the "LM002", which was the first of the three to see actual production by Lamborghini. The LM002 is part of the Lamborghini Militaria series of vehicles.

History

Lamborghini built its first military vehicle, a prototype vehicle codenamed "Cheetah", in 1977. Lamborghini had designed the vehicle with hopes of selling it to companies in the oil exploration and production industry. The original Cheetah prototype had a rear-mounted Chrysler V8 engine. The only finished prototype was never tested by the U.S. military, only demonstrated to them by its designer, Rodney Pharis. It was later sold to Teledyne Continental Motors by MTI and is apparently still in the U.S. This led Lamborghini to develop the LM001, which was very similar to the Cheetah, but had an AMC V8 engine.

It was finally determined that the engine being mounted in the rear caused too many unfavourable handling characteristics in an offroad vehicle, and the LMA002 was built with an entirely new chassis, moving the engine (now the V12 out of the Lamborghini Countach) to the front. After much testing and altering of the prototype, it was finally given a serial number and became the first LM002. The production model was unveiled at the Brussels Auto Show in 1986. It was dubbed the "Rambo-Lambo". Civilian models were outfitted with a full luxury package, including full leather trim, tinted power windows, air conditioning, and a premium stereo mounted in a roof console. In order to meet the vehicle's tire needs, Lamborghini commissioned Pirelli to create the Pirelli Scorpion tires with custom, run-flat tread designs. These were made specifically for the LM and were offered in two different tread designs, one for mixed use and the other for sand use only. These tires could be run virtually flat without risk and could handle the desert heat, the loading, and the speeds of the LM. The LM002 was fitted with a 169-litre (45 US gal) fuel tank.

In the market

A total of 301 examples were built. The last sixty were a special edition called LM/American, only sold in the United States. First shown at the 1992 Detroit Auto Show, these have OZ alloy wheels, chromed bumpers, a special interior, and various badging and trim additions. For those requiring even more power, the Lamborghini L804 type 7.2 litre marine V12, more commonly found in class 1 offshore powerboats, could be ordered. The end of production was announced in 1991; while Lamborghini claimed to have received orders for around 800 cars, the complicated manufacturing process made them discontinue the car in order to focus on more profitable models.

Near the end of the LM002's production, Turin-based autoshop owner Salvatore Diomante created a one-off "estate" version for the Sultan of Brunei by enclosing the back area and raising the roof. This added significant interior capacity.

Uday Hussein owned a LM002; it was blown up in 2004 by US military for an ostensible car bomb test. After the fall of Ba'athist Syria, footage emerged of a massive car collection belonging to former dictator Bashar al-Assad, stored within the Presidential Palace in Damascus; a red LM002 was briefly shown in the recording, in addition to other luxury cars such as the Ferrari F50.

An LM002 was featured in the films No Holds Barred (1989), Toys (1992) and Fast & Furious (2009), as well as the 1990 video game Stunts.

Motorsport

LM002 Evoluzione (alias: LM002 Paris Dakar, 1988)

• Two special LM002 cars were built with the intention of making them capable of participating in the Paris Dakar Rally; one is painted white and the other is painted orange. The white one was built in 1988. Lamborghini stripped it of all unnecessary weight and gave it an upgraded suspension, engine modifications which brought it to 600 PS (441 kW), full roll cage, plexiglas windows, and GPS equipment. Funding ran out before it could officially be entered in competition, although one of them did participate in the Rallye des Pharaons in Egypt and another in Greece, both times driven by Sandro Munari. The orange car was developed by the Swiss-based World LM Racing Team.

See also

• Lamborghini Urus, the successor vehicle to the LM002
• Mercedes-AMG G 65, another V-12 SUV

References

1. ^ "Lamborghini Registry LM002 Index". 2001-05-23. Archived from the original on October 30, 2007.
2. Lieberman, Jonny (May 2013). "King in the North". Motor Trend. 65 (5): 126.
3. Branch, Jon (4 December 2022). "For Sale: A Lamborghini LM002 – The "Rambo Lambo"". Silodrome. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
4. Osborne, Donald (January 2014). "1991 Lamborghini LM002". Sports Car Market. 26 (1): 60–61.
5. "RE: PH Zeroes: Rambo Lambo". Pistonheads.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
6. "1991 Lamborghini LM002 specifications". www.carfolio.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
7. Dackevall, Gunnar (1991-03-07). "Ökenskeppet" [The Desert Ship]. Teknikens Värld (in Swedish). Vol. 43, no. 5. Stockholm, Sweden: Specialtidningsförlaget AB. p. 8.
8. Smeyers, Mark (26 April 2019). "Lamborghini LM002 Estate". www.lambocars.com. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
9. "The 50 Worst Cars of All Time: 1986 Lamborghini LM002". Time. 2007.
10. Stilwell, Blake (4 April 2021). "Why US Troops Blew Up Uday Hussein's Rare Lamborghini SUV in Iraq". Military.com.
11. "Luxury cars and high-end labels: shocked Syrians roam Assad family residences". The Guardian. 2024-12-09. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
12. "LM002 Evoluzione". JLOC (in Japanese). Japan Lamborghini Owner's Club. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
13. "Lamborghini LM002 Paris-Dakar". Retrieved 2019-01-05.

External links

• Internet Movie Cars Database: 1986 Lamborghini LM-002 in No Holds Barred

v t e Lamborghini road car timeline, 1963–1989 – next »
1960s 1970s 1980s 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Owner Ferruccio Lamborghini Georges-Henri Rossetti (51%) / René Leimer (49%) Receivership Jean Claude Mimran / Patrick Mimran Chrysler Grand Tourer V12 350 GT 400 GT Islero Jarama Espada Sports car V8 Silhouette Jalpa Urraco V12 Miura Countach SUV V12 LM002

v t e « previous – Lamborghini road car timeline, 1990 to date
1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 Owner Chrysler Megatech V'Power Audi AG Sports car V10 Gallardo Huracán Temerario Limited Production Sesto Elemento Sports car V12 Diablo Murciélago Aventador Revuelto Limited Production Reventón Veneno Centenario Sián Countach Essenza CUV V8 Urus SUV V12 LM002

• 1990s cars
• Cars discontinued in 1993
• Cars introduced in 1986
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• Luxury sport utility vehicles
• Military light utility vehicles
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