Lamborghini currently produces the Urus SUV, perhaps the weirdest car in the company’s lineup. Purely because the idea of Lamborghini producing an SUV, for many years, was a far-fetched idea, but it’s very much a reality. The Urus has been quite the success for them. But what if we told you Lamborghini once made a pickup truck and SUV crossover?
This wasn’t just a random, one-off concept that never made it into production. This was a genuine, production vehicle that at the time didn’t sell as Lamborghini had hoped. But over the years, it has become much more appreciated and is now considered a classic.
This is, of course, the Lamborghini LM002. An off-roader that had a pickup bed but was closer to an SUV, that stemmed from a project to create a military vehicle for the United States military. The LM002 was produced from 1986 to 1993, and it was certainly a wild machine.
It had a massive V12 under the hood and looked nothing like anything the company had produced up to that point. But it was a real Lamborghini, and for many, it might be the perfect car to rediscover your youth in.
How Lamborghini Developed the LM002
The LM002 can trace its roots back to the Cheetah of 1977. This was a vehicle that the Italian company hoped would be sold to the U.S. military; however, a multitude of problems led to the Humvee being selected instead. It would develop this into the 001, a prototype off-road vehicle first shown off at the 1981 Geneva Auto Show.
That car never went beyond the prototype stage, thanks to poor handling characteristics brought on by its rear-engine placement. So the company went back to the drawing board, and then came up with the LM002. This shifted the placement of the engine to the front of the car, and the LM002 was produced on an entirely new chassis, rather than reuse the one from the LM001.
The company took the 5.2-liter L503 V12 from the Countach supercar, and the production model was revealed at the Brussels Auto Show of 1986, where it was dubbed the ‘Rambo-Lambo.’ Unsurprisingly, it caused quite a stir, and eventually production versions began being delivered to customers. It was very different from the Cheetah, as it featured luxury inside, such as its full leather trim, tinted power windows, air-conditioning, and a stereo system.
How Did the Lamborghini LM002 Fare Once on the Market?
The LM002 never sold in great numbers. In fact, the Raging Bull produced just 301 of the cars, with the last sixty a special edition, the LM/American, sold exclusively in the United States. Lamborghini also offered the LM002 with a 7.2-liter Marine V12 engine, which you would normally find in Class 1 offshore powerboats. The Italian company had hoped to produce 800 of the LM002s, as it claimed it had orders for that many.
But it was a complicated car to produce, and it was an expensive endeavour as well. The idea also didn’t quite catch on as Lamborghini had hoped, as there was little demand for a Lamborghini with a pickup bed and off-road credentials. People just wanted more supercars instead. However, as time has gone on, the LM002 has become a desirable classic, and they are an incredibly rare sight in Europe and America. Plus, it did ultimately lead Lamborghini to the Urus, so it wasn’t a total waste of time. So if you want to rekindle your youthful magic of the 1980s or the 1990s, then perhaps the LM002 is the car for you.