Before the Urus, there was the LM002

Lamborghini is set to unveil the Urus SUV on December 4, but the vehicle is by no means the supercar marque’s first off-roader.

Lamborghini was a pioneer when it comes to high-performance SUVs, though it never enjoyed the success of Porsche with the Cayenne.

Lamborghini’s first SUV was the LM002 which was in production between 1986 and 1992. The vehicle garnered the nickname the “Rambo Lambo,” not only because of its macho styling and go-anywhere capability, but also because it was born out of the need for a military SUV, much like the more famous Hummer H1.

Almost a decade before the LM002 entered production, Lamborghini produced an SUV called the Cheetah in an attempt to get a contract from the United States military. It was underpowered and suffered from poor handling, later determined to be because of its rear-mounted engine, in this case a 190-horsepower Chrysler V-8. Understandably the military wasn’t interested; they instead went with the superior Humvee.

Lamborghini never gave up on the concept of a high-performance SUV and instead looked to build a civilian version of the Cheetah. In 1981, Lamborghini presented the LM001 prototype at the Geneva Motor Show. It still suffered the shortcomings of the Cheetah, such as the poor handling and performance, so, under the guidance of engineer Giulio Alfieri, the engine positioning was moved to the front and a more powerful V-12 borrowed from the Countach supercar was installed.

The resulting vehicle, dubbed the LMA002, showed the changes had worked, so after an extensive testing period, it was put into production as the LM002. Upon its debut at the 1986 Brussels Motor Show, the vehicle attracted significant attention. After all, there was nothing else like it on the market, an off-roader with the performance to match a supercar.