Lamborghini LM002 SUV: photo, specifications

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:41

In 1986, at the Brussels Motor Show, the Lamborghini LM002 SUV was introduced to the world, which was another attempt by the brand to demonstrate its own strength in the car market of this class.

The model was completely redesigned by the company's engineers, who developed a completely new chassis with a front engine for the SUV. After the tests, mass production of the Lamborghini LM002 began - a real SUV with excellent technical characteristics and aggressive appearance.

The history of the SUV

Today, Lamborghini is a thriving brand with a multi-million dollar turnover, but the oil crisis that erupted in 1973 not only paralyzed the global auto industry, but also led to the almost complete collapse of the concern itself: the supercars it produced were not classified as economical cars, and the introduced fuel quotas led to a drop in demand for such cars. As a result, the company was sold in 1974, despite the incredible success of the supercar. Lamborghini Countach.

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 Suppliers Association, which guaranteed big profits in the future, since a significant part of the US state budget went to the military machine. Not surprisingly, Lamborghini threw all the funds it had into participating in the project, including the loan it received, which kept the concern afloat and prevented it from going bankrupt.

Lamborghini LM002 Prototype

As a result, the Lamborghini Cheetah, a prototype of an all-wheel drive SUV with a total weight of 2 tons and with a very controversial design, was ready for testing. Specialists from Chrysler worked on the development of the car, thanks to which he got a powerful 5.9-liter V8 engine with 183 horsepower and a four-speed automatic transmission. Despite all the advantages, the SUV has caused a lot of controversy with its design.

Design Features

During the design of this model, engineers drew on 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 ladder frame was replaced with a complex spatial one, and carbon fiber panels were used for body cladding.

The transmission and engine were placed at the rear to protect the car - the engineers were of the opinionthat such an arrangement would increase survivability and reduce the risk of receiving 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 was smashed to smithereens.

Subsequent attempts to finalize 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 so.

However, a completely different side became interested in the SUV: the Arab sheiks drew attention to the novelty, thanks to which the car was modernized and received 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 dollars.

Exterior

Lamborghini LM002 has 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 only 301 cars were produced in five years.

The exterior of the SUV is distinguished by classic round headlights, which in the future were quite often borrowed by other vehicle manufacturers. Large wheels provide the car with excellent cross-country ability on any stretch of the road.

Among other SUVsThe Lamborghini LM002 stands out for its somewhat rugged exterior and high ground clearance, which makes it look like a military jeep. The LM002 is produced in two body styles - a full-fledged SUV and a pickup truck. The advantages of the car include the relevance of design: it does not lose its attractiveness after decades since its creation.

From the photo of the Lamborghini LM002, it is safe to say that the design of this car has become the embodiment of the militarized exterior of modern SUVs, since modern jeep models have a large number of elements similar to the appearance of the offspring of the Italian company.

Interior

The interior of the Lamborghini LM002 attracts attention primarily with its luxury, uncharacteristic for military vehicles. For decoration, high-quality genuine leather is used. The basic equipment of the SUV includes a premium audio system and air conditioning. The dashboard consists of six analog gauges. Due to the large central tunnel, there is practically no center console as such.

The places allocated for the main console are occupied by the main deflectors of the climate system and its controls. On the central tunnel is the gearshift knob and the electric window drive buttons. On the driver's side, there is an all-wheel drive shift knob that is located outside the central tunnel.

Specifications

Lamborghini LM002 is equipped with a twelve-cylinder V-engine of 7.2 liters and 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 step further and equipped the SUV with special steering tweaks to give it a sporty look.

The participation of the Lamborghini LM002 in the Paris-Dakar race required the designers of the Italian company to make significant changes to the equipment of the car. The powertrain has been upgraded to 600 horsepower, the SUV has a new gearbox and custom Pirelli tires.

Cost and equipment

The Lamborghini LM002 has never been sold in Russia, 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.

Results

The LM002 SUV, produced by the Italian company Lamborghini, is one of the rarest and most rare vehicles today. Finding 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 capable ofgive odds to most modern off-road vehicles from eminent automakers, excellent cross-country ability even on the most inaccessible routes and all-wheel drive. Of course, Lamborghini LM002 has considerable appetites, and therefore not every ordinary car enthusiast will be able to afford it. Given the incredible history of its creation, numerous revisions and the title of one of the best off-road vehicles - the LM002 will become a real gem in the collection of vehicles, fully justifying not only its cost, but also the title of a rare off-road vehicle created for military needs.