with the help of two gigantic bulges
that completely obscure the fro
seat passenger’s view out of t
windscreen. Rev it, and the hiss
roars and fireballs keep on comi
Lamborghini definitely understo
that, when it comes to soundproofing,
less sometimes really is more. It is
thrilling to hear.
Once you’re rolling, you’re immediately aware of the
weight of the thing – all 2700kg of it. Every movement
i t e s s e sion is accompanied by a rebound
caused by the near-three-tonnes of
mass shifting about. You’ll soon stop
noticing it, though, partly because
there are more things to get used to
- including a gearlever that’s a good
stretch away for those of us without
freakishly long arms. And the Pirelli-
designed bespoke Scorpions – in the
outrageous size of 345/60 R17 – tramline noticeably.
However, the steering has a good feel to it, making it
surprisingly easy to place the LM002 on the road.
Indeed, once you’ve summoned up the confidence
to take the Lambo by the scruff of the neck, lead it to a
favourite stretch of road and drive it like you would a
hot hatch, it’s very satisfying – the gearchange is sweet
and the brakes do a fine job of slowing this behemoth.
And that addictive V12 howl is accompanied by
enjoyably rapid progress when you use its 331kW,
combined with impressive roadholding for such an
enormous car. It even makes a decent job of cornering
at speed, albeit with a healthy dollop of body roll
thrown in. When you become tired of driving it like a
hooligan – and driving an LM002 does take quite some
effort, as we established earlier – you can switch into
‘cruise’ mode, which gives you some time to take in
your surroundings. You sit up really high, in a cabin
that reeks of luxury.
There’s leather everywhere and the carpets are
almost deep enough to hide in. The stereo system
(Alpine originally but replaced in this one by a more
modern JVC unit with satnav) is mounted on the roof,
just in case you feel the need to listen to something
other than the V12.
Mind you, you may feel the need to listen to
some calming, chill-out sounds after the trauma of
filling up. In recognition of the LM002’s catastrophic
31.4L/100km thirst, Lamborghini fitted a 169-litre fuel
tank. Brim that, and you’re looking at hundreds of
dollars per fill-up, based on pump prices as we go to
press. And that may not even make
it on to the list of really big bills:
regular servicing costs will make all
but the super-rich wince, and a set
of tyres costs a small fortune. The
price of repairing any damage to
the aluminium and glassfibre body
doesn’t really bear thinking about –
which is why we didn’t venture off the tarmac. We did
try out its transfer box, though, and in low-ratio it feels
like it could pull the very foundations from under your
garage. What an experience. Shame the GIs never got
these – it would have been worth joining up just to
drive an LM002.M
Originally released with
carburettors, the LM002switched to fuel injection later
in its life cycle, which also
increased power. Interestingly,
the Sultan of Brunei ordered a
one-off wagon versionLAMBORGHINI LM002
BODY 4-door, 4-seat SUV
DRIVEfour-wheel
ENGINE5167cc V12, DOHC, 48v
BORE/STROKE 85.5 x 75mm
COMPRESSION 9.5:1
POWER 331kW @ 6800rpm
TORQUE 500Nm @ 4500rpm
POWER/WEIGHT 123kW/tonne
TRANSMISSION 5-speed manual
WEIGHT 2700kg
SUSPENSION Independent, front and rear oscillating
arms, coil springs and telescopic shock
absorbers
L/W/H4950/2040/1850mm
WHEELBASE 3000mm
TRACKS1615/1615mm (f/r)
STEERING Hydraulically assisted rack-and-pinion
BRAKES (F) Ventilated discs, 4-piston calipers
BRAKES (R) Servo-assisted drums
WHEELS17.0 x 11.0-inch (f/r)
TYRE SIZES 345/60 R17 (f/r)
TYRE Pirelli Scorpion
PRICE AS NEW USD$134,500 (AUD$178,000)
PROS It’s pretty bloody cool; Countach engine
CONS Anything but dynamic; clutch is like
doing the leg press; only 301 made
STAR RATING 11133Supercar heart for army SUV
The Specs
LM002
2Past Blast
d motorofficial f motor_mag^91