This coming December Lamborghini will finally revealed their Urus SUV in production form. So as a sort of warm up for the public to get reacclimated to the idea of a Lamborghini SUV, they are taking us on a journey back in time. It’s the 1980s and Lambo has just come out a crazy SUV called the LM002.
To all intents and purposes, Lamborghini LM002 was a disaster when it was released. Even by the standards of the 80s the thing didn’t make much sense. The notoriously unreliable V12 engine from a Countach in a baldy made off road vehicle was a recipe for disaster. There are famous stories of motoring journalists never being able to finish a test drive in the LM SUV because it either broke down or ran out of fuel. The LM 002’s development started as a project to develop a high performance off-road vehicle for military use at the end of the 1970s. But that would have been even more ridiculous.
But all of those faults, all that insanity, is what today makes the LM002 one of the most iconic cars of all times. We think it’s because nobody makes really crazy cars anymore just to test the boundaries of reason and see what’s possible. That is why this monster is the ideal vehicle to create some buzz for the new Lamborghini SUV, the Urus. Don’t be alarmed. The new model is not going to be anything like the LM. If anything it’s just going to be more like a Q7 in a tracksuit. But the message Lambo is trying to convey here is that the spirit of the ubatz LM002 lives on in the new Urus. It will have “exceptional power and torque, distinctive design and a very significant presence.”
The black LM002 (chassis #12231) from the Lamborghini museum, entirely-restored by the classic department Lamborghini Polo Storico represents Lamborghini’s original SUV creation. In an aluminum and fiberglass body, with four-wheel drive transmission, transfer case and three self-locking differentials, the SUV could exceed gradients of 120%. Reaching speeds of more than 200 km/h, the LM002 was equipped with specially-developed Pirelli Scorpion tyres, allowing ‘floating’ capabilities across soft surfaces such as sand, and highly durable in hot conditions. The production of the bodies started in a company near Bilbao (Spain). Then the semi- assembled parts were shipped to Sant’Agata Bolognese for completion with the powertrain, mechanical parts, finishing, testing and delivery. A luxurious interior matching the individual needs of the customer completed the LM 002.
