Lamborghini
Lamborghini Automobile Company was founded in 1963 by businessman Ferruccio Lamborghini, who owned a successful tractor factory, Lamborghini Trattori S.p.A..
Lamborghini as automaker of high-performance grand tourers and supercars, had then its origins as a tractor manufacturer.
The first Lamborghini off-road vehicle, that wasn’t a tractor, was the Cheetah, it was built on contract for the American firm Mobility Technology International, which were contacted by the U.S. military to design and built an all-terrain vehicle.
The Cheetah had a rear-mounted Chrysler V8 engine and was presented at the Geneva Auto Show in 1977.
Between 1986 and 1993 Lamborghini built approximately 300 SUVs with the name LM002 , with a similar design of the Cheetah but powered by the V12 from the Lamborghini Countach mounted in the front with first 375 bhp and later on 455 bhp, its aggressive styling and powerful engine made it a success for Lamborghini.
Civilian models were outfitted with a full luxury package, including full leather trim, tinted power windows, air conditioning, and a premium stereo mounted in a roof console.
In 1988 an LM002 was prepared for the Paris-Dakar rally with an upgraded suspension, engine modifications which brought it to 600 hp (450 kW), full roll cage, plexiglas windows, and GPS equipment, but for it didn’t entered in this competition, although it did participate in the Rallye des Pharaons in Egypt and another in Greece, both times driven by Sandro Munari.
THE SUCCESSOR
With the success that Porsche is having with the Cayenne, plans for a Lamborghini SUV are growing again, there’s a rumor that Lamborghini will make a successor of the LM002 and return to its off-roads origins.
Future Lamborghini SUV will be probably unveiled sometime in 2009, based on a modified Cayenne platform and, under the bonnet a version of the 5.0 liter V10 engine used in the Gallardo and Audi S6 and S8, but also a 4.5 liter V8 from the Cayenne could be available. Maximum output will be around 500 hp. There is a also the possibility for European market to get the 5.9 litre V12 diesel engine used in the Audi Q7.