The high-pitched wail of an Italian V12 echoes off of the buildings in downtown Monterey, California, not an uncommon occurrence during Monterey Car Week. I look down the road, expecting to see a low, brightly-colored supercar, but instead I am greeted by a monstrous black Humvee-looking thing with massive tires… this is a Lamborghini LM002. He accelerates again and barrels past me with that Bizzarrini V12 howling.
It is difficult to place that sort of supercar-esque sound into the context of an off-road behemoth. Most such vehicles have huge thundering V8s or loud, clattering diesel engines, but the LM002 has a V12 that just screams. This was the first time I’d ever seen one in traffic, and heard its engine opened up. Despite being a different sort of Lamborghini, the LM002 definitely still has the same sort of shocking impact as a Countach or a Diablo. It is huge, it is menacing, and it will gladly feast on your children, so best move your Prius to the side.
-Nick Walker
Mind Over Motor 
Reblogged this on Abdulkadirisa.
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I would not like to think what kind of m.p.g. you would get out of one of these things. Ugly looking brute, in a good way.
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I’ve seen a video of one from an owner and they said it gets like 4mpg or something ridiculous like that haha
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To quote the Hummer at the end of the movies Cars…”Aw, man. Now I’ve got dirt in my rims”. I would be surprised if that Lambo ever gets mud on it.
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Probably not. But wouldn’t that make a sick video, to see one do some mudding and proper off-roading? We can hope.
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As you mentioned in your post, a thumping V8 or rattling diesel would sound natural off-road not a screaming V12. I wonder if it really specs out as an off-road vehicle? Locking front and rear diff, two speed transfer case, 4.1 or lower diff ratio, and most important, a manual transmission. That reminds me. I once pulled a Range Rover out of a snow bank with my 86 Bronco II on a road with packed snow and ice….no chains. Chalk one up the the U.S.A.
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That story just made my day haha. Especially since I just drove the new Range Rover Sport (review up in a few weeks). It’s got offroad ability, but it’s such a road car at this point. Few owners ever take them off road, and Land Rover knows it.
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What makes the story even more interesting is he provided the tow strap. I hooked my end to my hitch and I turned around and he was just standing there staring at the front of his Land Rover trying to figure out where to attach his end. I took it out of his hand and hooked it on the tow ring that was sticking out very prominently. After all was said and done he replied with, “I can’t believe a Bronco II just pulled my Land Rover out of a ditch”. I replied with “try buying American next time”. I love this story.
Moral of this story: Just because you have the tool, it does not make you an expert.
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Fun Fact on the Lamborghini LM002: On 18 July 2004, at a US military base near Baqubah, members of the American military used an LM002 that had belonged to Uday Hussein to simulate the effects of a car bomb.
http://www.carscoops.com/2007/10/war-crimes-soldiers-destroy-rare.html
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Yea I’d heard about that. Too bad they didn’t know what it was because they could’ve brought it back stateside and sold it for quite a lot of money.
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