Maybe you have already heard of the 2017 Lamborghini Urus, which is a SUV model going to compete with rivals such as the Bentley Bentayga and also the upcoming Rolls-Royce SUV. However, do you recognize the below SUV?
This SUV is made by Lamborghini almost 20 years ago, and it is called the Lamborghini LM002. It was produced between 1986 and 1993, and a total of 328 units were produced.
In many people’s impression, Lamborghini is an exotic brand which makes sports cars, so you may wonder why Lamborghini build this SUV model? This is the story:
Initially, Lamborghini wanted to bid for a military vehicle project from the US army back in 1977. A prototype named “LM001” was built. However, US military did not like the design, and they even did not test the LM001 at all (by the way, the winner who finally got the military project is the famous HMMWV – military version of the Hummer H1).
Lamborghini did not waste their efforts in the project, therefore it decided to develop a civilian version and sell it to the public. In LM001, the V8 engine is placed in the rear. After testing Lamborghini determined this engine layout is not suitable for off-road usage, therefore they fully revised the design (new chassis, suspension etc.), putting the engine (a 5.2L V12) in front. The new design got another name, called the “LM002”.
A 5-speed manual transmission is the only choice on the LM002. The LM002 has a wheelbase of 116.1in and weights at around 2.7 ton (close to 6,000 lbs).
The LM002 is a serious off-road SUV. For example its front wheels have Free Wheeling Hubs (a.k.a Locking Hubs), which you can manually twist it to set the status between 4X4 and 4X2 (see the below photo).
Please do not confuse this with the 2WD <=> 4WD switch control inside the cabin. You can set the driving mode to be RWD by using the switch inside the cabin, but this only disconnects the center differential from the engine output; the front wheel half shafts are still spinning with the front wheels together. If you also manually twist the front wheel hub to the 4X2 setting, this will also disconnect the front wheels from the half shafts, therefore in this case, the front half shafts and also the center differential, transfer case are all stationary. The benefits are: less power loss, less wear and better fuel efficiency.
Please enjoy the below gallery of this collectable vehicle.
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