In 1986, at the Brussels Motor Show, the Lamborghini LM002 SUV was introduced to the whole world, which was another attempt by the brand to demonstrate its own strength in the market for cars of this class.
The model was completely redesigned by the company's engineers, who developed a completely new chassis with front engine placement for the SUV. After the tests, the mass production of the Lamborghini LM002, a real SUV with excellent technical characteristics and an aggressive appearance, began.
The history of the creation of an SUV
Lamborghini is today a thriving brand with a multi-million dollar turnover, but the oil crisis that struck in 1973 not only paralyzed the global auto industry, but also led to an almost complete collapse of the concern itself: its supercars did not belong to the category of economical cars, and the fuel quotas introduced led to a drop in demand for such cars. As a result, in 1974 the company was sold, despite the incredible success of the Lamborghini Countach supercar.
The US Department of Defense in 1977 announced a competition for a new car for the army. The winner not only received a tender for $ 60 million, but also joined the Pentagon’s suppliers association, which guaranteed large profits in the future, since a significant part of the US state budget went to the military machine. It is not surprising that Lamborghini threw all the funds it had to participate in the project, including the loan received, which kept the company afloat and did not allow it to go bankrupt.
Lamborghini Prototype LM002
As a result, the Lamborghini Cheetah was ready for testing - a prototype all-wheel drive SUV with a total mass of 2 tons and with a very controversial design. Chrysler experts worked on the development of the car, thanks to which he acquired a powerful 5.9-liter V8 engine with 183 horsepower and a four-speed automatic transmission. Despite all the advantages, the SUV caused a lot of controversy with its design.
Design features
During the design of this model, engineers relied on many years of experience in the production of sports cars, coupled with an acute shortage of the same experience in the design of military SUVs. This combination has led to the fact that the traditional staircase frame was replaced with a complex spatial one, and carbon fiber panels were used to cover the body.
The transmission and engine were located behind in order to protect the car - the engineers were of the opinion that such an arrangement would increase survival and reduce to zero the risk of critical damage in the frontal projection. As a result, most of the load fell on the rear axle, which reduced the stability of the car and led to the fact that on the first test it crashed to smithereens.
Subsequent attempts to modify the SUV failed: the commission refused to allow the first version to be tested, despite the fact that lobbyists from Chrysler made considerable efforts to do this.
However, a completely different side became interested in the SUV: the Arab sheikhs drew attention to the new product, so the car went through modernization and got a new name - Lamborghini LM002. The Wiki, the world-famous online encyclopedia, states that the SUV was put into mass production, becoming the first premium model to be sold in many countries at a price of $ 60 thousand.
Exterior
Lamborghini LM002 has the brutal and aggressive features of a true SUV. It is worth noting the fact that the company initially engaged in the production of this class of cars in order to develop its own image, as evidenced by the fact that in just five years, only 301 cars were produced.
The exterior of the SUV stands out with its classic round headlights, which in the future quite often were borrowed by other vehicle manufacturers. Large wheels provide the car with excellent cross-country ability on any sections of the road.
Among other SUVs, the Lamborghini LM002 stands out for its somewhat rude exterior features and high ground clearance, which makes it similar to military jeeps. LM002 is available in two body styles - a full-fledged SUV and a pickup truck. The advantages of the car include the relevance of the design: it does not lose its attractiveness after decades after its inception.
According to the photo of the Lamborghini LM002, we can say with confidence that the design of this car has become the personification of the militarized exterior of modern SUVs, as modern jeep models have a large number of elements similar to the appearance of the Italian company's brainchild.
Interior
Salon Lamborghini LM002 attracts attention primarily for its luxury, uncharacteristic for military vehicles. High quality genuine leather is used for decoration. The basic equipment of the SUV includes a premium audio system and air conditioning. The dashboard consists of six analog instruments. Due to the large central tunnel, the center console as such is practically absent.
The space allocated for the main console is occupied by the main deflectors of the climate system and its controls. On the central tunnel there is a gear knob and electric window drive buttons. On the driver’s side there is a four-wheel drive shift knob outside the central tunnel.
Specifications
Lamborghini LM002 is equipped with a twelve-cylinder V-engine of 7.2 liters and a capacity of 455 horsepower and a five-speed manual gearbox. It is worth noting that such a power unit was subsequently often installed on first-class boats. The Italian automaker went a little further and equipped the SUV with special developments for steering in order to give it a sporty look.
The participation of the Lamborghini LM002 in the Paris - Dakar races required the designers of the Italian company to make significant changes to the equipment of the car. The power of the power unit was increased to 600 horsepower, the SUV got a new gearbox and custom-made Pirelli tires.
Cost and configuration
In Russia, the Lamborghini LM002 was never sold, unfortunately, and at the moment it can only be purchased at English auctions for a rather large amount - about three million rubles. However, an SUV appears extremely rarely on such trading floors.
Summary
Launched by the Italian company Lamborghini, the SUV LM002 is today one of the rarest and rarest vehicles. To find such a car is quite difficult, and if it is, then its minimum cost will be about three million rubles.
The advantages of this car include high ground clearance, large wheels, an incredibly powerful engine that can give odds to most modern SUVs from eminent automakers, excellent cross-country ability even on the most inaccessible tracks and four-wheel drive. Of course, the Lamborghini LM002 has considerable appetites, and therefore not every ordinary motorist can afford it. Given the incredible history of its creation, numerous refineries and the title of one of the best SUVs, the LM002 will become a real gem in the vehicle collection, fully justifying not only its value, but also the title of a rare off-road car created for military needs.