Three tons of fun! When a person is spending over $100,000 for a huge, 12-mpg SUV, they don’t care about the mileage or the maintenance costs, that’s just part of the game. When they’re paying over $200,000 for one that gets six mpg, all bets are off. Not that gas prices matter in this league anyway. This 1991 Lamborghini LM002 will be auctioned here at RM/Sotheby’s in Miami Beach, Florida on December 10, 2022, and they’re expecting it to bring between $200,000 and $250,000. Does anyone want a side bet that it’ll go for more than $300,000? Thanks to Araknid78 for sending in this tip!
Some of you know that I have a hulking, two-and-a-half-ton, 14-mpg, 500-horsepower SUV (Cayenne Turbo) as my winter vehicle – a used one, of course. Hey, I’m a car guy, I have to have something fun and unusual to offset my boring 40-mpg daily-driver summer road trip car that I drive 30,000 miles a year. This Lamborghini would be way too much for me, but if I had $200,000 burning a hole in my pocket, I’d love to have one. I think my SUV is way too big, this thing is a monster. Although mine is worth a tiny fraction of the value of this beast and has even less of the cachet, it’s much faster, more luxurious, and gets better mileage. Nothing says I don’t care about money like driving a Lamborghini SUV. They were developed not only for movie stars and “regular” millionaires, but for oil sheiks to speed between their oil wells in the deserts of the Middle East, so they had to be tough and luxurious at the same time.
I remember seeing a CBS 60-Minutes story a few decades ago about one of the Hunt brothers, billionaires who tried to corner the silver market, and the interviewer asked them if they knew how much they spent per day to run their daily affairs, the various estates that they owned, staff salaries, insurance, etc. Mr. Hunt didn’t have a clue, he said (to paraphrase) something like “I don’t have any idea, a million a day? I don’t have any idea.” That’s how little I will have in common with the next owner of this LM002, and that’s ok.
Enough philosophizing, I’m depressed enough normally anyway. The LM002 was made between 1986 and 1993 and one of its nicknames is the Rambo Lambo. It was an offshoot of a rear-engine military-type vehicle that Lamborghini developed called the Cheetah. The interior is as beautiful as the underside is rugged, and yes, that’s a five-speed manual. This example was last owned by a collector in Kuwait and was repainted in 2020, along with receiving a new clutch and flywheel. The description also says that the spark plugs were cleaned, which is confusing because they’re $2.50 each, so why not replace them? A Lamborghini technician at $300 an hour cleaning $36 worth of spark plugs? Clearly, I’m missing something there, I’d better stick to motorcycles.
The engine would make Godzilla wince, it’s a Lamborghini 316-cu.in. DOHC V12 which would have had 444 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, not as much as I would have guessed. It’s enough to pull this 6,500-pound red brick to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds, or 0.1-seconds slower than an AWD V6 Toyota Sienna minivan. I know, that’s comparing apples to oranges and you may think that I clearly “don’t get it” when it comes to the Lamborghini LM002. Sadly, I do get it, I’m just depressed that I can’t afford one! I know that some of you have owned one, what was that experience like, or what is it like if you still have it?
awesome find, can’t wait to read the comments on this one. Looks like Countach tail lights.
Good eye, sir! That’s a Countach engine, too, for the most part.
Uracco tailights, actually
Neither Countach (early Alfetta sedan) nor Uracco (Fiat 124 Sport Coupe BC) tail lights; those are late Alfetta sedan tails on the LM002.
Thanks, SubGothius!
I had forgotten about these. It’s quite the machine, I’m glad Lamborghini had the guts to produce it. Only 328 produced?
I remember seeing one of these on display at a car dealer in
Honolulu in ’89.Only one that I’ve ever seen in person.
These things are HUGE!
Yep
Michigan Sports Cars Exchange in Dearborn (34 years ago) had one in the parking lot, the only thing I could say is
THIS THING IS HUGE!!!
I remember that dealership, and car!
I had one of these in my shop. Drives and feels similar to an H-1, except with a V-12, and lots of leather.
Leather EVERYWHERE
There were a few different models of this truck (LM001, LM002, ?). I saw one at an exotic car dealership back in 1994. The salesman started it up and it sounded surprisingly tinny, not heavy duty and macho sounding… I always wanted one since I saw one on Miami Vice when I was a kid…
One of many sad stories is that a bunch of US military guys not realizing what the LM002 (that supposedly belonged to Saddam Hussein) was loaded one up with explosives to show what am IED can do to a vehicle and destroyed it. Of 328 made there’s now no more than 327!
https://www.military.com/off-duty/why-us-troops-blew-uday-husseins-rare-lamborghini-suv-iraq.html
Stick shift to boot. Awesome, too cool 😎
But I don’t see any cup holders!
Was this the one with the automatic coke dispenser built into the dash?
I had an opportunity to see on in person in a parking lot at the American unv iearly 90s. It had diplomatic plate. I looked at it for an hour when the kid that drives it came out of class saw me drooling 😄😄 over it he graciously offered me a look inside, he was middle eastern, I can’t remember his country. It had a machine gun turret in the back bed , he told me it was built intended for military use.
If I remember correctly, the ones specifically kitted for the desert, did carry, an on board, water supply,complete with faucet.
Firefox!!!
Awesome looking vehicle. It’s way out of my price range. There’s no way in hell I’d be able to afford the LM002 asking price. Nevertheless, I hope whoever does buy it enjoy it and takes care of it.
I have seen a few of these, but it has been awhile, i will guess closer to $500k.
I remember seeing TireRack ads in magazine with those Pirelli Scorpions going for $1k each!
One of these was parked in front of my business some years ago so I had a good look. What a heavy duty undercarriage it had.
My neighbor in California had one and had gotten a ride before he sold it it was awesome- years later I bought a hummer h1 which is way more durable for serious off roading and just plain bad ass taking up the whole road!!
$368,000 USD | Sold
United States | Miami Beach, Florida
$368,000 USD | Sold
United States | Miami Beach, Florida