Lamborghini’s First SUV Was Made 25 Years Ago

Twenty-five years after the legendary LM002 ceased production, Automobili Lamborghini will launch the Urus on 4 December 2017 in Sant’Agata Bolognese, again creating a new class of Super SUVs. In advance of the Urus world premier Automobili Lamborghini looks back on its SUV legacy in order to recall an extraordinary automobile.

The black LM002 (chassis #12231) from the Lamborghini museum, entirely-restored by the classic department Lamborghini Polo Storico represents Lamborghini’s original SUV creation: the LM002 is widely considered as the father of luxury SUVs. Turning heads in sophisticated city streets, the LM002 was equally at home in dirt, gravel and snow.

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, with the name of Cheetah. Lamborghini engineer Giulio Alfieri resurrected the project in 1981 with the LM 001: an innovative concept with a rear-mounted engine, followed by the LMA prototype with a front-mounted powertrain.

The final production model of the LM002 was first presented at the Brussels Auto Show in 1986, consolidating the final design: the V12 engine from the Countach Quattrovalvole provided a 5,167 cc capacity and 450 hp at 6,800 rpm.

In an aluminium and fibreglass 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.