Lamborghini Takes a Look Back at its First SUV

As Lamborghini gets ready to debut its new Urus SUV, the Italian automaker is looking back at its LM002.

Set to debut on December 4, the Lamborghini Urus SUV isn’t the company’s first utility vehicle. In fact, the Urus arrives 25 years after the Lamborghini LM002 ceased production. Widely considered the “father of luxury SUVs,” Lamborghini Polo Storico restored LM002 chassis-number 12231 from the Lamborghini museum so everyone can appreciate a bit of its history.

According to the Italian automaker, the Lamborghini LM002’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. The project was then restored in 1981 with the LM001 with Lamborghini engineer Giulio Alfieri at the helm. The LM001 was an innovative concept with a rear-mounted engine, and was followed by the LMA prototype with a front-mounted powertrain.

SEE ALSO: The Lamborghini Urus SUV Will Debut December 4

The production LM002 first made its debut at the 1986 Brussels Auto Show, which consolidated the final design featuring a V12 engine from the Countach Quattrovalvole, a 5.2-liter engine with 450 horsepower. Lamborghini’s first SUV featured an aluminum and fiberglass body, a four-wheel-drive transmission, transfer case, and three self-locking differentials. It was capable of exceeding gradients of 120 percent while reaching speeds of over 124 mph (200 km/h). It also wore specially-developed Pirelli Scorpion tires, giving it “floating” capabilities across soft surfaces like sand, while remaining highly durable in hot conditions.

A total of 300 units were produced from 1986 to 1992 and now, 25 years later, Lamborghini is ready to introduce a new Super SUV class of its own with the Urus.

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