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LM002 - the STORY

The four-wheel drive Lamborghini was carefully perfected and became available in 1986, the first production model was unveiled on an early 1986 Brussels Auto Show. The base of the LM-004 was used, but the engine became the new Quattrovalvole, now used in the Countach, but with a lower compression ratio to allow the use of 94 R.O.N. fuel.

Orders began coming in for this new and strange looking vehicle, and the first went to H.R.H. King Hassan of Morocco. Soon others followed, with every possible option installed on them, from 'basic' factory models to heavily armored ones. Even the 7.0-Litre marine engine was installed in some of them, at one time even a station wagon-type was constructed as a prototype, but never entered production.

The LM002 became an immediate success, wherever you went with it, you would be admired, in the United States it even became known as the 'Rambo-Lambo', probably because its military looks and huge power. With its 1.89 m height, the LM002 was a very impressive vehicle to appear in your rear view mirror, when you did see it, it was time to make way for it, because the LM002 would surely pass you by in a cloud of dust.

The LM002 standard equipment included every luxury item available, leather seats, thick color-matched carpeting everywhere, air-conditioning, tinted power-windows, a stereo system mounted in a roof console and much more, but still some were sold each year to various armies around the world.

The Saudi army ordered 40 of them for their own use, all equipped with machine guns.

This military version of the LM was finished less fancy, the roof had a panel built into it with two trap doors, which opened above the rear seats.

But the biggest market for the LM002 were the wealthy people who wanted to drive a Countach but lived in places without 'real' roads.

The large center bulge on the hood accommodated an equally huge air-cleaner casing, mounted directly over the six Weber carburetors. The fuel supply system was equipped with two filters, in-line and in-series, and the carburetors were set to burn far less than perfect fuel. An over sized radiator with two high-speed fans kept the 'hot' engine cool.

The LM002 was mounted on massive Pirelli Scorpion tires which offered unmatched road holding capabilities on both tarmac and sand, but which were also very expensive. These tires were exotic, Automobili Lamborghini SpA had Pirelli made them especially for the LM and offered them in two different tread designs, one for 'mixed' use and the other for 'sand' use only. These tires could be run virtually flat without risk and were the only rubbers available to compete with the desert heat, the loading and the speeds that the LM could inflict on them.

Lamborghini did not make the LM body shells, in fact, they came fully assembled from Spain, but most of them needed to be upgraded because their build quality was too low for Automobili Lamborghini SpA standards.

Production of this one-of-a-kind all-terrain vehicle was halted in 1992, the last 60 LM002's were special equipped LM/American types, with special chromed bumpers, unique striping on both sides, upgraded leather interior and special side moldings underneath the doors, also special alloy OZ/MSW wheels were mounted.

The total production was estimated at 328 units. Today a second-hand LM will cost around $100,000 and if you can afford one, buy it, because the Diablo has some competition, but nothing even comes close to the LM002.

After Automobili Lamborghini SpA went into Far Eastern ownership, some studies were made to create a successor for the massive LM002, but none of these designs ever made it into production, some early designs and more information can be found at the LM003 Borneo / Galileo page on this site.

An LM002 was used in the sixth Rally of the Pharaohs, which ran in Egypt from October 18 to October 28 in 1987, as a lead car. Another was entered in this race by Sandro Munari, but he decided not to start after the organiser had a deadly accident behind the wheel of an offshore powerboat. But in the 1987 off-road Rally of Greece, Sandro Munari did enter a rally-prepared LM002, co-driving with Mario Mannucci, but this rally had its share of problems and a high speed track was removed from the rally, a track the LM002 would surely win, therefore Sandro decided to withdraw from the race. Before he withdrew from this race although, the Lamborghini LM002 did obtain very good results in the sessions it did compete in.

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