Photo: Abimelec Arellano on Instagram for Hagerty
The Raging Bull of Sant’Agata Bolognese was very successful in the latter part of the 1960s, but as it’s often the case with boutique automakers, financial problems loomed on the horizon. The 1973 oil crisis forced the one and only Ferruccio to sell his company, and by the time Lambo went bankrupt in 1978, the Cheetah project was in full swing.
Built on contract from Mobility Technology International and the U.S. Department of Defense, the Chrysler V8-powered Cheetah never saw the light of series production. However, a few years after the failed prototype, Lamborghini wowed the world by rolling out the LM001 at the 1981 Geneva Motor Show. On this occasion, the Italian automaker switched to a rear-mounted AMC V8 with 5.9 liters of displacement and just 180 anemic ponies.
Despite the lukewarm reception, Lamborghini didn’t give up on the off-road project. The LM002 started production in 1986 with the almighty 5.2-liter V12 of the wedge-shaped Countach mounted up front, and the rest is history. Excluding the one-off estate modified for the Sultan of Brunei, the Rambo Lambo was exclusively offered as a dual-cab sport utility truck.
Although work truck and Lamborghini are words that seldom go together, Abimelec Arellano imagined the LM002 as a single-cab pickup just for the hell of it. Commissioned by Hagerty, the rendering doesn’t look half bad, although this particular specification would’ve sold worse than the dual cab.
Through 1993, the manufacturer couldn’t sell more than 328 units of the LM002 because the world wasn’t ready for super utility vehicles. They’re all too common today, and of course, I’m also referring to the Urus that shares its platform and twin-turbo V8 mill with the Porsche Cayenne.
Not even Ferrari could resist the temptation of rolling out an SUV, which goes to show that consumer demand ultimately dictates a carmaker’s lineup.
Despite the lukewarm reception, Lamborghini didn’t give up on the off-road project. The LM002 started production in 1986 with the almighty 5.2-liter V12 of the wedge-shaped Countach mounted up front, and the rest is history. Excluding the one-off estate modified for the Sultan of Brunei, the Rambo Lambo was exclusively offered as a dual-cab sport utility truck.
Although work truck and Lamborghini are words that seldom go together, Abimelec Arellano imagined the LM002 as a single-cab pickup just for the hell of it. Commissioned by Hagerty, the rendering doesn’t look half bad, although this particular specification would’ve sold worse than the dual cab.
Through 1993, the manufacturer couldn’t sell more than 328 units of the LM002 because the world wasn’t ready for super utility vehicles. They’re all too common today, and of course, I’m also referring to the Urus that shares its platform and twin-turbo V8 mill with the Porsche Cayenne.
Not even Ferrari could resist the temptation of rolling out an SUV, which goes to show that consumer demand ultimately dictates a carmaker’s lineup.
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