Lamborghini LM002 – Luxury Cars of the 20th Century
Prior to the Lamborghini LM002’s 1986 debut, the idea of a large off-road vehicle offering sumptuous luxury was almost completely unknown. The LM002 pioneered the concept of a luxury 4×4, leading the way for performance car makers such as Porsche to produce off-road cars offering the extravagant features of their saloon counterparts. Targeting Middle Eastern oil companies, Lamborghini originally debuted a mid-engine off-road concept, the Cheetah. This slowly evolved into the much more civilised LM002, of which only 348 were produced.
The vast 3-ton LM002 was powered by a front mounted 5-litre V12 lifted from the Countach, or if even more power was required, Lamborghini’s huge 7.2L V12, the engine connected to a 5-speed manual gearbox. Despite the LM002’s rather utilitarian appearance, it is absolutely a luxury car; just one capable of running over any surface imaginable. Swathed in thick leather and oak panelling, the LM002’s interior offered comforts sparsely found on 4×4’s of its time, such as air conditioning, a heated rear window and even an optional Bruguet dashboard clock available at the time for $15,000. Naturally, the absurdity of combining outstanding off-road prowess and exquisite luxury attracted the attention of buyers such as Malcom Forbes, Van Halen, Mike Tyson, Pablo Escobar, Colonel Gaddafi, Sylvester Stallone, who’s ownership coined the cars nickname, ‘Rambo Lambo’ and the Sultan of Brunei who’s LM002 was converted into an estate, the only estate car to wear a Lamborghini badge.
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