The Lamborghini LM002 is a pick-up SUV, one of those company cars that isn't sporty. The model certainly does not have the beautiful design for which the Italian automobile factories are so famous.
The company's goal was to create a vehicle for the US Army. The first version appeared in 1977, but it was rejected by the American army, the engineers did not stop working and as a result, a civilian car appeared.
The production of this model was discontinued in 1992, and in the entire history of this model, only 301 cars were produced.
Exterior
The appearance of the car is frightening, it can be seen from it that it was developed for the army, since only square shapes are used everywhere. The model visually corresponds to the off-road style, these are round headlights, large wheels and a high ground clearance of 295 mm.
The Lamborghini LM002 model was offered not only in the body of an SUV, but also in a pickup truck. It was from this car that the style of all modern SUVs was taken. The platform of the model was originally made with a motor in the back, but since this had a bad effect on handling, it had to be moved forward.
In fact, the model will not go unnoticed even in the modern world. It is very difficult to describe the appearance of such a car, just look at the photo or video, and you yourself will understand everything.
SUV dimensions:
- length - 4900 mm;
- width - 2000 mm;
- height - 1815 mm;
- ground clearance - 295 mm;
- wheelbase - 3000 mm.
Specifications
The car was offered with one of 2 types of gasoline engines.
- The first unit was a carbureted naturally aspirated V12, which, with a volume of 4.8 liters, produced 332 horsepower. This engine allowed the SUV to gain speed of 100 km / h in 7.8 seconds, and the maximum speed of the Lamborghini LM002 was at around 188 km / h.
- The second type of engine was also gasoline and atmospheric. It also had 12 cylinders with a V-shaped distribution, but now its volume has increased to 5.2 liters. As a result, the power increased to 455 forces, and the acceleration to hundreds was reduced by 0.3 seconds. The top speed has increased by only 2 km / h.
- There was also a racing version released for the Paris-Dakar competition. In this version, the gearbox was slightly improved and the power increased to 600 forces, and the volume to 7.2 liters.
The units worked in tandem with a 4-speed manual transmission, and a 4-speed automatic transmission was also offered. The fully independent suspension did an excellent job off-roading, and the disc brakes did their job well.
Salon
Looking inside, you realize that everything inside is done far from the same as in military vehicles. There is a lot of leather, wood, air conditioning and a good audio system for that time. Agree that there is no such thing in military vehicles.
The driver's seat of the Lamborghini LM002 has a 3-spoke conventional steering wheel, behind which is a dashboard with 6 analog sensors. On the center console there is a huge number of buttons that are responsible for adjusting the climate control equipment.
The leather-lined tunnel houses the manual transmission selector, cigarette lighter, ashtray and power window buttons. Behind the tunnel, on the driver's side, there are levers for engaging and disengaging all-wheel drive.
There are two rows of sports seats, the first row has really comfortable seats with excellent lateral support. The back row is designed for two passengers, they will also receive seats with good lateral support, two displays, a tunnel and power window buttons.
Outcome
The cost of this car in our time starts from 3 million rubles. By the way, this model participated in the filming of the Brigade series, where it had to be blown up according to the script. The model is really good for its year of production, it has a powerful engine, which, unfortunately, uses a lot of fuel. Also Lamborghini LM002 shows just excellent off-road qualities, which is definitely a plus.
Video
Interest in the Lamborghini LM002 SUV is associated with the recent premiere of the Lamborghini Urus hybrid crossover, with which the company will enter the premium SUV segment.
At one time, this car was undeservedly (or deservedly) forgotten and there were several reasons for this. In fact, under better circumstances, the LM002 jeep could well replace the famous Hummer and would claim the title of the most brutal SUV. But alas - it was HMMWV that became the style icon for all fans of the military style, and the Lamborghini SUV, released in a small batch, can now be found only among the most ardent fans.
This is Lamborghini today - a thriving brand with a turnover of about 500 million euros per year. But there were times when the company only miraculously stayed afloat, desperately fighting for its own survival. The 1973 oil crisis, which paralyzed the world auto industry, could not but affect Lamborghini - in Europe, the USA and Japan, the most severe fuel quotas were introduced, and supercars did not fall into the category of "economical" cars. Therefore, despite the success of the Lamborghini Countach supercar, the company's economic situation was so precarious that it was sold in 1974.
In 1977, the US Department of Defense announced a competition for a new vehicle for the US Army. The prospects were very tempting - not only did the winner automatically receive a tender for $ 60 million (a lot of money at that time, a barrel of oil after the rise in price cost $ 12), the victory meant joining the "club" of Pentagon suppliers and promised big profits in the future, so how the US military machine was absorbing the budget at a tremendous speed. Unsurprisingly, all the contingency funds were allocated to participate in the project, including a recent loan from the Italian government to keep Lamborghini from going bankrupt.
As a result, the company presented a prototype Lamborghini Cheetah for testing - an all-wheel drive SUV weighing almost 2 tons and an extremely controversial design. The development of the SUV took place with the participation of specialists from Chrysler, so it received a powerful Chrysler V8 engine with a volume of 5.9 liters and 183 hp. and a 4-speed automatic transmission. But the design was, as mentioned above, very controversial.
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Lamborghini Cheetah prototype
At firstThe car was designed under the influence of past experience in sports car production and the lack of this experience in the design of military vehicles. Therefore, instead of the traditional ladder frame, a complex spatial one was used, and carbon fiber panels were used as the material for the body skin.
Secondly, to protect the car, its engine and transmission were placed at the back - according to engineers, this arrangement increased survival and nullified the possibility of critical damage in the frontal projection. But as a result, the entire load fell on the rear axle, the car turned out to be very unstable and crashed to smithereens on the very first test.
Attempts to bring the SUV did not bring the desired result - the commission even refused to admit the Lamborghini LM001 to trials, despite all the efforts of the Chrysler lobbyists.
But the Arab sheikhs, who received fabulous profits from the oil trade, became interested in the SUV. Therefore, he underwent another modernization and called Lamborghini LM002 goes into production for $ 60,000as one of the very first premium SUVs, well ahead of its time.
Exterior
Jeep Lamborghini was produced in two body styles: pickup and five-door body. In fact, the five-door version was the same pickup with a slightly modified rear, covered with a rigid metal roof.
In many ways, the SUV borrowed features from its predecessor, developed for military purposes. The straight angular shapes of the body panels, the front power kit, the unusual shape of the rear, allowing, if necessary, to transport several people there - all this is from there.
But a number of elements are still borrowed from a different "weight" category. This applies to the body panels - they are made of composite materials, which reduced the weight of the car to 2,700 kg - for example, the mass of the modern F-150 Raptor, which has approximately the same dimensions, is approaching 3,000 kg. And this despite the fact that lightweight alloys are widely used in the design of the F-150, including in the frame, while the space frame LM002 is made entirely of steel.
The radiator grille is slightly pushed into the body and protected by a powerful metal tube. The bonnet has a prominent air intake to improve air circulation in the tight engine compartment. Thanks to the high ground clearance of 295 mm, enhanced underbody protection is visible, capable of protecting it from colliding with an obstacle.
Interior
Inside, the interior strikes the eye with the richness of the finish - it is immediately clear that the spartan appearance of the Lamborghini LM002 is deceiving.
There are only four seats in the cabin - a significant part of the space is occupied by the transmission tunnel. The decoration uses genuine leather and precious woods.
Although the design itself will seem too archaic for a modern person, do not forget that the car was released in 1986 and for its time it was simply luxurious - like the Bentley Bentayga salon is now. It even had air conditioning and an expensive stereo system.
Specifications Lamborghini LM002
Unlike the prototype, which failed in tests, the designers took into account the shortcomings and installed the engine in the front. Under the hood is a real monster - an upgraded engine from the supercar Lamborghini Countach. The displacement of this carbureted 12-cylinder V-engine was increased to 5.2 liters, resulting in an increase in power to 444 hp. and almost 600 Nm of torque.
That's not all - some LM002 models were equipped with a V12 engine called the L804, which had a displacement of 7200 cc and is capable of developing over 550 hp. Both versions used a five-speed manual transmission with a two-speed transfer case designed to increase the cross-country ability of this all-wheel drive SUV.
But even with a "standard" engine, the dynamics of this SUV is simply amazing - an almost three-ton car accelerates up to 100 km / h in 7.8 s - this is a very high figure for that time, although the maximum speed is far from the speed of serial supercars - "only" 188 km / h.
Since the SUV had a very high fuel consumption - up to 30 liters, the fuel tank had a capacity of 290 liters. This was enough for almost 1000 km - an irreplaceable advantage in desert conditions.
Outcome
In just seven years of production, just over 300 cars, of which only 160 were made in the civilian version. Another 120 were produced in military modification. Muammar Gaddafi bought 100 SUVs for the Libyan army, and 40 more - the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense for its border service.
The Italian premium corporation Lamborghini specializes in the production of very expensive supercars. Few people know that the corporation has a small-scale full-fledged jeep called Lamborghini LM002. A full-fledged SUV with a brutal appearance and incredible performance became an interesting proposal of the company, which was produced from 1988 to 1993.
For all these five years, Lamborghini has produced a little more than three hundred of these jeeps, in Russia today there are only a couple of collectible copies of LM 002.
Lamborghini's only SUV - looks and personality
The LM002 looks really menacing and has the brutal features of a true SUV. But it should be said that the Lamborghinis did not attempt to break into the SUV market with the aim of gaining a share in this difficult segment. The corporation sent the LM002 exclusively to develop its own image, as evidenced by 301 copies released over five years.
An SUV that is built for profit would be built in much larger numbers. Nevertheless, the exterior of the LM 002 is unique and deserves detailed consideration:
The traditional round headlights became the prototype for many subsequent models from other manufacturers;
huge jeep wheels create excellent cross-country ability;
high ground clearance and brutal features make the LM002 look like a military SUV;
Lamborghini LM 002 is found in the back of a pickup truck and a full-fledged jeep;
design versatility would still be relevant today.
Considering numerous photos of LM002, we can conclude that this particular car became the initial embodiment of military design in modern jeeps. After all, if you compare some of the current developments with the design of an old Lamborghini SUV, you can find a lot in common.
In the interior, Italian designers also made many interesting differences between the Lamborghini LM002 and other jeeps of that time. The premium materials of the interior, unusual color solutions and the arrangement of the controls came as a surprise to buyers in the late 80s.
Specifications and other interesting facts about the SUV
A unique SUV that truly provides a comfortable and unusual ride for its driver has become small-scale and individual in nature. Therefore, the technical characteristics of the LM002 jeep are difficult to describe in one list. One of the advantages of Lamborghini corporation lies in the fact that you can always order certain additional features of your car if the serial offers are not enough for you.
It is these values \u200b\u200bthat were present in the Lamborghini LM 002. Lamborghini even took part in the Paris-Dakar rally in 1988, developing a special powerful version of its LM002 for this competition. The basic characteristics of the car presented the following advantages to the buyer:
V12 engine, which developed an unprecedented 455 horsepower;
a more powerful 7.2-liter power unit is possible (which was often used for first-class boats);
unique suspension solutions that have been developed specifically for the new jeep;
Lamborghini's signature sporty steering.
To participate in the Paris-Dakar rally, the LM002 has been significantly modified. Lamborghini engineers increased the engine power to 600 horsepower, changed the gearbox and ordered custom tire designs from Pirelli. By the way, on the basis of the tires developed for the Lamborghini SUV, almost all sand tires are produced today.
The price of the project for the rally was at that time a record amount, which the corporation hid from the public. But the car did not have much success in the competition. But the Libyan army and the armed forces of Saudi Arabia at one time ordered for armament almost half of all production cars that were present in the world.
Summing up
In different photos you can see interesting options for the visual tuning of the car, but today the Lamborghini corporation jeep has become a rare and rare vehicle, because its price in the world market is huge and starts, on average, from 3 million rubles. An interesting fact - on the set of the popular last decade TV series "Brigade" in Russia, such a car was blown up to please the script. Today, Sasha Bely's jeep would cost at least half the budget of the entire series.
So, if you have a Lamborghini LM 002 in your garage in some town in Russia, restore it and put it up for auction.
This car is no longer a luxury or even a means of transportation, but a monument to the complete and unconditional victory of ambition over common sense. The Lamborghini company produced only 110 SUVs, and almost all of them were LM002. Only a fraction of it came from the LM American, an even more powerful version.
The history of the creation of the LM began in the 70s, when the Americans wanted to get a light tactical vehicle for the army. The army was no longer satisfied with the heir of Willis - too small, cramped and flawed in appearance. Automobile corporations were offered a tasty military order worth about $ 60 million, for which several firms began to fight at once.
In the early 80s, clear Pentagon requirements for the car were outlined - its basis was to be a chassis with central and rear cargo-passenger platforms, independent wishbone suspension, wide track, powerful frame, short front overhang, huge tires and disc brakes. The contract in March 1983 went to AM General with its model HMMWV - now the well-known Hammer.
Lamborghini's company did not participate in the tender because it adored military SUVs. It was just that a big deal fell through at that time, and the owners fell for the big American dollars. However, after losing the contract, Lamborghini did not give up. The LM001, produced in 1981, was the second attempt at a rear-engined four-wheel drive SUV. A year later, the LM002, with a front engine, was on display. Production began only in 1986, with some changes. The LM002 was powered by a 5.2-liter Lamborghini 12-cylinder V-type petrol engine. Six vertically positioned Weber carburetors supplied the fuel mixture to this voracious beast, capable of developing 450 hp. at 6800 rpm (the company produced these engines for racing marine boats). It would seem, what else? But no, when in 1987 Lamborghini was sold to Chrysler, not without the help of the Americans, the company shoved a 6.8-liter 12-cylinder V-shaped injection engine under the hood - also from a boat. And that's how LM American came about. If the LM002 picks up a hundred in nine seconds, the Lambo American does the same in eight. The frame dear to the heart of every jepper here is not a banal staircase, but a spatial one, made of round pipes. True, without spacers mounted in the cabin, and in the roof - mighty arched beams, like the Hammer. Apparently, the Italians relied on the strength of the frame, wide track and elasticity of carbon fiber, from which the body is made.
The body of the Lambo is the most jeep - straight lines, flat edges, sharp corners. The Italian elegance of appearance, in contrast to the Hammer's American clumsy, is achieved by the front and B-pillars piled back. The rear box, however, is quite small, but the plump benches installed along the sides can accommodate four passengers. The LM American differs from its less powerful military brother in several notable things. If a chain-link mesh from the nearest fence can easily serve as a spare part for the front grille, headlight edging and engine compartment ventilation grilles for the LM002, then the LM American has a completely civilian facade. The grille is made of horizontal blinds, ending at the bottom with petals of a convex chrome lip, around the headlights there are plugs with stamped, also horizontal ribs, and the ventilation windows on the hood and in the fenders are completely designed in a sporty spirit, with the use of inclined planes extending into the depths.
LM American will certainly delight those who like to storm curbs head-on and more serious obstacles. He performs similar procedures completely imperceptibly and in passing - his suspension is decent, and front and rear - independent, on double wishbones. However, its design is much more sophisticated than the Hammer's. The front and rear levers are not the same, so are the shock absorbers. Moreover, the shock absorbers are not simple, but of the type of struts - with springs coiled over them. Also, by the way, different. Such a suspension, in contrast to an oak Hammer, works out pits, cracks and bumps extremely gently, but it is not easy to repair it in conditions close to combat.
In many respects, the softness of the Lambo-American's ride is also achieved due to the wide tires Pirelli-Scorpio 345/60 VR17, capable of holding a heavy car on any loose soil. The drivetrain is conservative and front-wheel drive is manually engaged. First you need to get out of the cab and turn the hub locks on the front wheel hubs. To do this, a special key is taken from under the driver's seat, consisting of a metal handle and a leather crimp strap. From the inside, the front axle is connected by a lever firmly pressed against the driver's right elbow. The same lever in the 4x4 Lock position simultaneously engages the locks of both cross-axle differentials. The adjacent lever in front, at the level of the driver's right knee, engages the range-change gear, which downshifts four times!
The handout is Lamborghini's own design, while the five-speed manual transmission and cross-axle differentials are from the well-known German company ZF. With a demultiplier, a Lambo-American easily climbs a snow-covered slope with a steepness of twenty degrees. The driver can walk next to the car, taxiing through the window - and this despite the fact that the Lambo American weighs three tons. By the way, this is its dry mass - without gasoline in the tank, oils in the engine and transmission, fluid in the hydraulic system, antifreeze in the cooling system and the washer tank. And the engine requires 16 liters of one oil!
Considering the car's exorbitant weight, the brakes are difficult. The front ones are ventilated discs, and each disc has two calipers. The lower left and upper right calipers are connected to the rear brakes, while the lower right and upper left calipers are connected in a separate circuit. The rear brakes, as on any self-respecting SUV, are drum brakes. And the engine of the LM American is simply frantic: high-revving and rumbling brutally even at idle, which makes this Lambo look like a running giant scooter or sport bike. Due to the simplified exhaust system - without resonators and catalysts - the engine roars like 500 angry bulls, and you can clearly hear it in the cabin. The only remedy is to turn on the music louder.
The Lamborghini's square cabin, like the Hammer's rival, is not very spacious. The cyclopean-sized gimbal divides it in half, and it is not easy to climb, say, from the driver's seat to the passenger seat. Only the front seats are manually moved forward and backward, and only at their backs the tilt is adjusted, but not much.
Reportedly, Muammar al-Gaddafi, the head of Libya, bought 100 copies of the LM002 for use in the Libyan armed forces.
The single LM003 prototype was powered by a 3-liter turbo-diesel 6-cylinder engine. Several Lamborghini LM004s have also been produced using a four-chamber, 12-cylinder engine. In 1992, production of Lamborghini SUVs ceased.
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Lamborghini made a name for itself exclusively in the production of expensive supercars, but few people know that once the Italians seriously thought about entering the SUV market and even released the LM002 model, which will be discussed below.
In the 70s, things were not going well for Lamborghini. The company fell through a major deal, and the Italians were forced to consider all possible options. Around the same time, the US Army needed a new SUV, and the Americans announced a tender for about $ 60 million.
Naturally, Lamborghini expressed a desire to take part in the tender. For this, a prototype of the Lamborghini Cheetah SUV (1977) was even created, which went out of order right during the army tests ...
At that time, AM General won the tender with its model (the same legendary "Hammer"), but the failure did not affect Lamborghini's intentions to release its first SUV. So, already in 1981, the Italians presented the LM001 prototype. It was an angular rear-engined four-wheel drive SUV. A year later, the public was presented with its updated version - LM002, where the engine was already located in the front.
Production of the first Lamborghini SUV began only in 1986. The serial LM 002 is equipped with a 12-cylinder V-shaped carburetor engine with a displacement of 5.2 liters and a power of 450 hp. Interestingly, this engine was borrowed directly from the racing model of the marine boat, produced by Lamborghini at the time. The miracle unit works in tandem with a five-speed manual transmission from the German company ZF.
From 0 to 100 km / h, the SUV accelerates in just 9.0 seconds, while the 2.7-ton car can accelerate to 201 km / h. The fuel consumption is impressive, however, which averages 27.4 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers.
Design Lamborghini LM 002 - SUV, that is, its body is characterized by straight lines, sharp corners and flat edges. However, the Italians brought a touch of elegance to their brainchild, so the SUV turned out to be not as clumsy as the same Hummer H1.
The LM002's cross-country ability is at a very high level. The Italian SUV is equally good at storming both city curbs and steep slopes off-road, while in the car there is no shaking or extraneous noise. This was achieved thanks to solid independent suspension and wide Pirelli Scorpion 345/60 VR17 tires, which securely hold a heavy car even on the most loose soils.
In length, the Lamborghini LM 002 SUV reaches 4,790 mm, in width - 2,000 mm, in height - 1,850 mm. Despite its solid dimensions, the interior of the car is not that spacious. In addition, it is conventionally divided into two parts by a cardan tunnel, which makes it difficult to move around the cabin. In civilian versions of the model, it has an air conditioning system and is trimmed with high quality leather. But the interior of the army version is simple in Spartan style.
Apart from the original model, Lamborghini has also released several SUV modifications. So, in 1987, the LM American appeared with a 6.8-liter power unit, which was again taken from the boat. Up to a hundred LM American accelerates in exactly 8.0 seconds.
For particularly demanding clients (sheikhs from Saudi Arabia), the LM002 was also offered with a 7.2-liter engine, which at that time was exclusively equipped with premium marine boats.
Production of Lamborghini's first and last production SUV to date ended in 1993. In less than 8 years, 328 cars were produced. about half of this number are military versions. So, exactly 100 LM002 vehicles were purchased by the Libyan army, another 40 - by the Saudi Arabian army.
Today, buying a Lamborghini LM002 is very problematic. Sometimes SUVs are sold through auctions, while the average price for a car is stable in the region of $ 90,000 - $ 110,000.
Lamborghini LM 002 photo
