This Could Be The Nicest Lamborghini LM002 In The World

And it took 11 months of restoration.

You may think that the 2020 Lamborghini Urus is the first SUV from the Italian supercar maker but back in the 1980s and 1990s, the company built a much different SUV called the LM002. Originally designed to be an off-road military vehicle called the Cheetah, Lamborghini built just 301 examples of the LM002 from 1986 to 1993. This particular 1987 example is number 40 of the 301 was just painstaking restored by Bell Sport & Classic.

Whereas the Urus is powered by an Audi-sourced twin-turbo V8, the LM002 featured a 5.2-liter V12 under the hood from the mighty Countach. Its 450 horsepower was sent out through an old-school five-speed manual transmission with a massive 76-gallon fuel tank to keep the thirsty beast going for more than just a few feet. Due to its imposing style, the LM002 gained the affectionate nickname of the "Rambo Lambo."

This particular example was purchased in 2003 by the current owner, who enjoyed it both on-road and off-road for many before putting it into storage in 2009. The exterior is finished in Blu Acupulco Metallizato paired with a Light Grey leather. You could even call this particular example a celebrity, having appeared on a 2003 episode of Top Gear being driven around the Dunsfold Aerodrome by The Stig.

Bell Sport & Classic received the car in 2019 after a failed restoration from another company, which left the LM002 components scattered in multiple boxes. The company's master technician, Attilio Romano, former Ferrari factory tech, was the perfect many to bring it back to life.

"The engine block was still in place," Attilio said. "But most of the ancillaries had been stripped off. All the separated components were supplied in boxes. It was a bit of a detective job, so the first thing we did was a thorough inventory."

Most of the LM002's components and tools are no longer manufactured by Lamborghini so Bell Sport and Classic had to outsource to trusted suppliers or manufacturer their own parts. The restoration was so complex, there was no service tool in existence to disassemble the front suspension unit. Attilio had to create his own rig to remove the two front suspension springs and dampers per wheel. All of the other engine components were checked and overhauled while the aftermarket exhaust was replaced with an original system.

The interior was carefully cleaned and minor tears and scuffs were replaced but the exterior needed to be repainted in its original color. It is impressive to see such a complex restoration completed in less than one year. This could now be the nicest Lamborghini LM002 in existence.