This Ultra-Rare ‘Rambo Lambo’ Can Be Yours
The “street-legal Tiger Tank” is currently up for auction at Bring a Trailer.
No reasonable person would fault you for thinking that the Lamborghini Urus was first SUV emblazoned the Raging Bull badge, but technically, you’d be mistaken.
With the launch the unveiling of the absolutely brutish LM002 at the Brussels Auto Show in 1986, Lamborghini entered the “luxury SUV” market—well over a decade before the phrase even entered the public’s lexicon.
The so-called “Rambo Lambo”—Rambo star Sylvester Stallone was reportedly an early adopter—was likened to a “street-legal Tiger Tank” in a Car and Driver review of the 1987 model year.
While it certainly has no historical link to Nazi Germany’s dominating battle tank, the LM002’s roots can be traced back to 1977, when Lamborghini began developing a large, rear-engined all-terrain vehicle dubbed the Cheetah LM001 with the hopes of winning a U.S. Army contract.
The engine’s placement detracted from handling and interior space, so the LM001 never amounted to more than a prototype. But ex-Maserati designer Giulio Alfieri saw potential when he was was assigned to revise the design.
He moved the Countach-sourced 5.2-liter V12 to the front, which improved handling and weight distribution while opening up the interior to accommodate six passengers in a luxurious style becoming of energy executives and sheikhs. As such, it was appointed with cutting-edge proprietary Pirelli Scorpion run-flat tires and a precursor of today’s GPS navigation systems.
According to C&D, the LM002 weighed a whopping 6,780 pounds, making it nearly 2500 pounds heavier than the day’s Range Rover. Even so, it hit 60 mph more quickly than the Brit and boasted a higher top speed of 118 mph.
That dominant performance didn’t wasn’t enough to carry sales—only around 300 were made between 1986 and 1992. The world may not have been ready for the Rambo Lambo in the 80s and 90s, but today’s today’s booming collector car market has been favorable to the OG luxury SUV.
Hagerty’s values for the LM002 range from $227,000 in “Fair” condition to $480,000 in pristine “Concours” condition. That makes this 1991 example, with a top bid of $235,000 on Bring a Trailer, a lot to watch.
Finished in a recently repainted white paint coat over a brilliant red-upholstered interior, the odometer shows 15,000 miles, approximately 9,000 of which were added under current ownership. Other features include a cargo bed with jump seats and checker-plate panels, tubular chrome bumpers, a bull bar, fog lamps, dual black-finished side mirrors, and a fold-down tailgate.
Head to Bring a Trailer’s website to monitor this 1991 Lamborghini LM002’s auction progress.
