For the uninitiated, Lamborghini's first SUV was called the LM002. The exotic SUV was originally developed in the late 1970s to be a high-speed off-road military vehicle called the Cheetah, but AM General's Humvee won the contract instead. A few years later, in 1981, engineer Giulio Alfieri brought back the project as a consumer vehicle. After five years of development, it made its official debut in 1986 at the Brussels Auto Show.

Lamborghini Cheetah and Lamborghini LM002

But while the Cheetah used a rear-mounted Chrysler V-8, the LM002 used a front-mounted V-12. And oh, what a V-12 it was. Borrowed from the Countach Quattrovalvole, the LM002's 5.2-liter engine made 450 hp. For comparison, the Corvette at the time used a 5.7-liter V-8 that only made 230 hp. Despite having the aerodynamic properties of a brick, the LM002 had a top speed of about 125 mph.

Lamborghini used a mix of fiberglass and aluminum for the body, adding a four-wheel-drive system and three self-locking differentials, as well as a full luxury interior. Especially for 1986, that combination of luxury, off-road capability, and supercar power was essentially unheard of. Over the next six years, around 300 were sold.

The production Urus will probably be more road-focused than its predecessor, and Lamborghini hopes to sell way more of them per year. But hopefully, the Urus inherits a little bit of what made the LM002 so awesome.

Source: Lamborghini

Lamborghini LM002 front three quarter in motion 04