74
Tracing a line from
failed military project
to production truck
LAMBO SUV
CONCEPTS
1977
C
H
EETAH
1982
LM
A
0021981
LM001
Looking at the
LM002’s lineage,
it’s a miracle
anything escaped
that development
hell at all. After
the 1977 Cheetah
turned out to
be a disaster,
the rear-engine
LM001 improved
refinement with
a closed cabin,
but handling and
performance were
still a nightmare.
The front-engine
LMA002 concept
was the final
evolution of the
concept stage.Chevrolet Tahoe. Parked next to a regular-cab 1986 Ford
F-150, the LM002 is 8.5 inches shorter but just as wide.
The Urus is more than a foot longer and almost an inch
wider, though the LM’s roof sits some 9 inches higher.
Inside, every inch of the smallish cabin is covered in
either plush leather or glossy wood paneling, including the
massive center tunnel. Ergonomics were never Sant’Agata’s
strong suit, and things are especially dire in the LM.
Rubber-sealed buttons bearing descriptors like “Winch”
and “Stop” are shotgunned across the dash, while a panel
of NASA-style warning lights stands ready to inform the
hapless driver of any catastrophic mechanical failures.
The V-12 isn’t particularly pleased about being roused
from its sleep, taking a few turgid turnover attempts before
it catches. This is chassis No. 12231, one of 157 fuel-injected
examples and the first to receive a factory restoration from
Lambo’s Polo Storico heritage restoration workshop. It’s
likely the cleanest and most well-maintained LM in the
world; everything works as it would have when it left the
factory floor more than 30 years ago.out when the Cheetah project ran into substantial legal is-
sues levied by FMC, a competing contractor whose XR311
military prototype was noticeably similar to the Lambo,
both mechanically and aesthetically.
In 1980, Lamborghini—by then descended into bank-
ruptcy after founder Ferruccio Lamborghini relinquished
control of the company—was sold to Swiss brothers Jean-
Claude and Patrick Mimran, who set about diversifying
and modernizing the lineup. The Cheetah was reimagined
as a cushy dune slayer for sheikhs. Engineering grand
master Giulio Alfieri reworked a stripped-out, bare-bones
Cheetah into the 1981 LM001 concept. Although its closed
cabin vastly improved livability, the rear-engine architec-
ture continued to prove problematic.
The clouds cleared with the finalized LM002. The rear-
mounted AMC V-8 was out, replaced by a front-mounted
5.2-liter V-12 pulled from the Countach LP 5000 Quattroval-
vole, nestled in an all-new tubular space frame chassis. Com-
pared with the V-8 prototypes, power was way, way up to 455
hp and 368 lb-ft of torque, managed by a dogleg five-speed
manual transmission. Four-wheel drive and the mil-spec
styling remained, softened only by a nice leather interior.
Nearly a decade after the Cheetah, the LM002 began to
prowl public streets. It predictably attracted a star-studded
docket of buyers capable of swallowing the price tag. Aside
from owners such as Keke Rosberg, Mike Tyson, Eddie
Van Halen, and Sylvester Stallone, Tina Turner famously
replaced her LM002’s 5.2-liter V-12 with a Mercedes V-8
and an automatic transmission for better livability in Los
Angeles traffic.
Often shot side by side with the Countach, the LM002
appears preposterously large, glowering at its doorstop-
shaped sibling over its square fenders and chromed bull
bar. However, when it’s parked next to its modern progeny
in Livigno, you realize how times and proportions have
changed. It’s not petite by any means, but it would be help-
lessly outclassed in a bodybuilding contest against today’s