Rumorville: Is Lamborghini Really Going to Revive the Rambo Lambo?

Here we go again; according to unconfirmed reports from the UK, Lamborghini is working on a spiritual successor to the LM002 aka Rambo Lambo – you know, the monstrous Italian SUV of the late 1980s, which used the Countach's 5.2-liter V12 and had a special place in the hearts of obscenely rich sheiks.

"Industry insiders" say that the new model will be based on the same platform as the Audi Q5 and Porsche's upcoming Cajun. Let me deviate right here, as this sounds more than a bit off.

The original LM002 measured 4.9 meters (192 inches) in length, but its bulky design made it seem a lot bigger. The Audi Q5 is 4.62 meters (182 inches) long and it shows, as it doesn't come anywhere near the Q7's presence. It really looks like a small SUV. No, a true successor has to be as off the charts as the original or even more. A bigger platform is a must. Strike one.

The same secret sources say that the new SUV – dubbed LM00X – will get a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, rated at around 550 hp. First of all, it would be awfully cramped under the bonnet. It also sounds like it would become the new entry-level Lamborghini, and seeing that even the Gallardo has a V10 engine, let me ask, why?

The LM002 was outrageous, partly due to the exotic engine choice – a noble V12. And if some sheik thought that it still wasn't the real deal, he could ask for a bigger, 7.0-liter marine V12, sourced from a Class 1 powerboat. So, hell no, a measly V8 won't do it. Strike two.

Last but not least, the magazine says that the LM00X will cost £100,000 or $160,690, when it will presumably hit the market in 2012. Again, let me get this straight. You once had a preposterous SUV, which cost and arm and a leg, and now you want to make its successor downright cheap (at least by Lamborghini standards). Why? Some of the previous clients might be still around, I say make them remember the good old days by giving them a worthy new LM002 and take their money. See, everybody is happy. That's a strike three in my opinion, but feel free to agree or disagree in the comments section below.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Auto Express

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One-of-a-kind Lamborghini LM002 Estate up for Sale

Quite possibly, the most exclusive Lamborghini LM002 ever made, a seven-passenger (two up front, plus five at the back) estate version with an extended rear end that was originally built for the Sultan of Brunei, is up for sale - again. Aside from the rear-end modifications, the unique LM002 Estate also features an upgraded interior with electric front seats, roof-mounted CD and DVD players, LCD monitors, electric sunroof, unique wood trims and more.

There's no list price for the Lamborghini, which has covered a mere 5,600 km or about 3,480 miles since it left the factory, but as the saying goes, if you have to ask... If it makes any difference to you, the seller of the 1986 LM002 Estate claims that the second owner of the muscular off-roader was former BMW and Volkswagen CEO, Bernd Pischetsrieder.

Hat tip to Franziska! Link: Classicrallies

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War Crimes: Soldiers Destroy Rare Lamborghini LM002 SUV In Iraq

Here’s a story that will make all you octane-lovers sob like a kid who dropped his ice cream. On July 18, 2004, American soldiers at a USA military base near Baqubah, Iraq used this navy-blue Lamborghini LM002 (powered by a Countach V12 engine) once owned by Uday Hussein, one of Saddam Hussein's sons, to simulate the effects of a V.B.IE.D. (Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device).

In plain English, the unaware soldiers took one of the rarest cars of our time (only 300 Lamborghini LM002s were ever built), packed it with explosives, parked it next to a concrete barrier similar in construction to those surrounding the base and blew it up to pieces. We’re aware that these guys were just doing their work and that the LM002 is a relatively unknown quantity, but nevertheless, it’s a pretty shame that no one knew what they had in their hands. -Image gallery after the jump

Via: Motorpasion , Source: Lamborghini Registry

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Lamborghini LM400 Concept: Proposition For LM 002 Successor

Penned by Rene Harrigan, a BA of Automotive Design at Coventry University, the LM 400 is a concept vehicle inspired by the Lamborghini LM 002. Before Hummer’s stormed off the Kuwait war to the parking lots of the rich and famous, the LM 002 aka, "Rambo-Lambo" was THE ultimate 4x4. Powered by the Countach’s 444Hp 5.5-litre V12, the LM 002 was produced from 1986 to 1993 in just 301 units. Basically, it was the final evolution of a project dubbed Cheetah that started in 1977 and aimed at supplying 4x4 vehicles to the US Army.

Harrigan’s proposition for a spiritual successor to the LM 002 cuts all military connections though, as the LM 400 is nothing more, nothing less than a modern SUV projected to spend most, or rather, all of its time on and not off, road. Its designer says that it would be based on the Audi Q7 / Porsche Cayenne ? VW Touareg platform using V8, V10 and V12 units. What do you think about it? (Images: Rene Harrigan) Continued: Click “Read More…” for the image gallery

Via: carbodydesign

Technorati: Lamborghini, Lamborghini+LM002, SUV, Carscoop, cars, autos, vehicles

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