TWO SOON
Car and Driver|September 2023
IN THE 1980S, THE LAMBORGHINI LM002 ACCURATELY FORETOLD THE RISE OF EXOTIC SUVS, FOUR-DOOR PICKUP TRUCKS, AND LAMBORGHINI'S OWN BESTSELLING MODEL, THE URUS.
EZRA DYER
TWO SOON

WAS ANY CAR MORE AHEAD OF ITS TIME THAN THE LAMBORGHINI LM002?

In its day, the LM002 was a freak, an epic miscalculation by a brand that really couldn't afford a dud. Now it looks like clairvoyance: the original exotic luxury SUV, two or three decades too early. Today almost every sports-car company builds a six-figure overpowered utility vehicle, and even the LM002's odd-for-its-day form-four-door, short-bed pickup truck-is the default body style for America's most popular mode of transportation. The LM002 didn't just predict the Bentley Bentayga and the Ferrari Purosangue; it was a harbinger of the fleet of 400-plus-horsepower crew-cab pickups that are now considered practical family transportation across the land. It should have been an instant hit, the LM002. To try to find out why it wasn't, we traveled to Lamborghini's headquarters in Sant'Agata Bolognese to drive a 1989 LM002 alongside its spiritual successor, the 2023 Urus Performante.

This story is from the September 2023 edition of Car and Driver.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 2023 edition of Car and Driver.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM CAR AND DRIVERView All
Great Aspirations
Car and Driver

Great Aspirations

Highs: Excellent fuel economy, good controls, quiet on the highway. Lows: Bigger outside than inside, just-average dynamics, premium pricing.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2023
Treading Water
Car and Driver

Treading Water

Highs: Sharper styling, big new touchscreen, solid electric range. Lows: No all-wheel drive, steep pricing, rivals are quicker.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2023
Higher-Purpose Hybrid
Car and Driver

Higher-Purpose Hybrid

Forget electric range. This plug-in hybrid delivers 791 horsepower.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2023
1979-93 - WHAT TO BUY: SAAB 900
Car and Driver

1979-93 - WHAT TO BUY: SAAB 900

Echoing the design of the long-running 99 that preceded it, the updated and modernized Saab 900 was the car that brought the fringe Swedish brand into its closest proximity to the mainstream, which honestly wasn't that close.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2023
12-Cylinder Salute
Car and Driver

12-Cylinder Salute

Bentley makes 18 Continental GT-based Baturs as a send-off for its W-12.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2023
How to Winch in a Pinch
Car and Driver

How to Winch in a Pinch

We head out into the Utah wilderness with the Cameron Advanced Mobility team to learn to off-road like military special forces.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2023
Time Machines
Car and Driver

Time Machines

A trip to Duncan Imports prompts an unexpected rendezvous with cars from my past. And want them all back. Well, except maybe the Ram.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2023
Now Hear This
Car and Driver

Now Hear This

Automakers are going to new lengths to create the sounds of modern cars.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2023
Getting Hammered
Car and Driver

Getting Hammered

Jonathan Hodgman isn't afraid of a challenge, and his shop, Blue Ridge Mercedes, specializes in the difficult task of repairing early AMGS.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2023
2022 GENESIS GV70
Car and Driver

2022 GENESIS GV70

Long-Term Test AFTER TRACKING EVERY FILL-UP, SERVICE, PROBLEM, COMPLAINT, DENT, AND DOG HAIR, CAR AND DRIVER PRESENTS THE 40,000-MILE EVALUATION.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2023