Lamborghini LM003 Borneo

During the ownership of Automobili Lamborghini SpA by the Indonesian group, a study was made to put a LM002 replacement into production.

The LM002 obviously had flaws but it still was a steady low volume seller, therefore a United Kingdom based company was contacted to design a successor to the LM002, but later this job was handed over to SZ Design, a company based on the remains of the Zagato Design Studio.
This was to become the LM003, named Borneo or Galileo, depending on what market it was sold in. The LM003 name was actually confusing because an LM003 did already exist in the past, it was in fact an LM002 with a Turbocharged Diesel engine installed into it instead of the massive V12, but because the complete car was very underpowered with this engine configuration only one prototype was ever made and never left the factory.

A preliminary drawing was made for the new LM003 project, but an in depth market research study revealed only a small interest would exist in the new LM003. Most Lamborghini customers or future customers were not exactly waiting for a new off roader, a much more wanted car would have been an Espada successor like the L149 project or a new Diablo successor. For that reason the Borneo/Galileo never even made it into the prototype stage. A few drawings by Zagato exist, together with some technical proposals, with which a full scale mock up was created.

The new LM003 Borneo would become a joint venture between Timor, and Indonesian based automaker and Lamborghini. The body shell would not be made in Italy but in the Far East. The LM002 bodywork was in fact made in Spain when it was still in production.


The rumors persist that a new Lamborghini SUV will be produced, and if its anything like the concept that was show it will look amazing! I guess we will have to wait and see...

Lamborghini LM002 Paris Dakar

It was made quite clear right from the start Ferruccio Lamborghini had absolutely no intention in taking any of his cars racing, he didn't want to spend money on preparing a competition model. There were some private teams that used cars like the Islero and Miura on the track, but with no official factory support.

When Ferruccio had left the car company and after several owners stepped in it was time for a new, young approach … and under the Mimran ownership period the first official attempt at using a Lamborghini as a race car … or more exactly a rally car. In the mid-Eighties it was deemed the right time had come to enter the notorious Paris Dakar rally using the four-wheel drive LM002.

Work began on chassis number HLA12047 to convert this regular 455hp V12 Lamborghini into a rally specs edition pumping out over 600hp so an open race exhaust was installed and a lot of excess weight was removed from the standard LM002 by the usual rally car methods of stripping the interior of any needless luxury, replacing the glass with lighter Plexiglas, and adding a full roll cage. Naturally the suspension was also upgraded to cope with high-speed desert driving.

Lamborghini managed to get none other than rally legend Sandro Munari to drive this factory prepared LM002 Rally edition. Unfortunately it was never actually driven in a Paris Dakar Rally, it was entered in the Rally of the Pharaohs in 1987 (October 18-28) but didn't start the race after the sponsor had a deadly accident in an offshore powerboat.

The LM002 Rally re-appeared in the 1988 off-road rally in Greece, when Mario Mannucci was the driver with Sandro Munari as the co-pilot, sadly the Lamborghini didn't finish the rally, but it did manage to hold the third position at first. After this short life in competition it is believed the engine was replaced by a more 'standard' V-12 and the car was sold to a collector … however recent information mentions LM002 number HLA12047 is back to full factory rally specs … and still part of a Lamborghini collection.

Even though the factory original LM002 Rally didn't make it into the Paris Dakar in 1988 a LM002 WAS entered by a privateer. The Swiss based World LM Racing Team entered a bright red LM002 in the grueling Paris Dakar competition, and while some sources state they had to retire the race, other sources list this car with starting number 519 did actually finish in 10th position in the Marathon category. This red LM002 was driven by Concet and Kurzen, P.A. Burnier was the owner of the World LM Racing Team while Maregrande from the Lamborghini factory was appointed as the designated mechanic and none other than Sandra Munari was a technical advisor on this car … so while not an official factory entry into the Paris Dakar it still had some direct linkage to Sant'Agata.
Some specs on this 1988 LM002 Rallye (they called it Rallye instead of Rally): 5200cc V12 engine, 475hp, 3200kg in full rally load, 600 lite fuel tank with a fuel consumption of 68 Liter/100km … resulting in about 900km on a full tank while reaching speeds of up to 200km/h on the street and an impressive 180km/h in the sand.

Another LM002 was prepared for the Paris Dakar rally by a private party. This orange finished LM002 was once again factory build, finished in bright orange over black. It was later sold to a Japanese collector who, according to the Lamborghini Registry, still drives it with the original open exhaust system today.

In 1996 another heavily modified LM002 with chassis number HMA12046 was entered in the Prototype category. Rumor has it Garage Burnier in Switzerland took on the work of converting this LM002, the engine was taken out of the car and received a custom fuel injection system, the factory standard catalyst were removed and both cooling and lubrication were modified and reinforced so the car would be able to withstand desert racing. The front brakes were replaced by AP units and a massive 800 liter fuel tank was mounted to increase the range. when completed chassis number HLA12046 was officially entered into the 1996 Dakar race and received number 246. At first it kept up with the competition very nicely, but unfortunately the weight of the LM002 and the use of using shock absorbers that were not heavy duty enough together with the high speed desert driving took their toll on the suspension. In a matter of days the team went through no less than 24 shock absorbers … and had to forfeit the race due to a lack of spare parts.

Would have been interesting to see what proper desert racing shocks would have allowed this LM to accomplish...

Lamborghini LM002 1982

So after the LM001 project was rejected by the army Lamborghini went back to the drawing board.
The LMA002 was built with an entirely new chassis, moving the engine (now the V12 out of the Lamborghini Countach) to the front. After much testing and altering of the prototype, it was finally given a serial number and became the first LM002. The production model was unveiled at the Brussels Auto Show in 1986. The LM002 was offered with carburetors and later on a fuel injected version of the V12.

Nick named the "Rambo-Lambo" (in an article by Brock Yates I believe) it carried a completely outlandish styling, not to mention having a V12 in an SUV...unheard of! The LM002s 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 order to meet the vehicle's tire needs, Lamborghini commissioned Pirelli to create the Pirelli Scorpion tires with custom tread which had a small lip on the sides to be able to run on deep sand more easily. These were made specifically for the LM and no other car/SUV used them. These tires could be run flat without risk. The LM002 was also fitted with a 290 liter fuel tank.

For those requiring even more power there was a rumor that the Lamborghini L804 type 7.2 liter marine V12, more commonly found in Class 1 offshore powerboats, could be specified. This however was never officially on the options list.

Also contrary to many rumors the military version of the LM002 was never built nor were there any orders from the Libyan and Saudi Arabian military, no military versions of the LM002 exist and none were sold to foreign governments or military forces.

In 1988, Lamborghini sent an LM002 to a team of special engineers with the intention of making it capable of participating in the Paris Dakar rally, but that's another story for the following post.



 LMA002 Prototype

LM002 series version with fuel injection (notice the low hood compared to the following taller hood)

Lamborghini LM001 1981

The Lamborghini LM001 had quite a long gestation starting with the Lamborghini Cheetah which was Lamborghini's first attempt at an off-road vehicle. The Cheetah was built on contract from Mobility Technology International (MTI), which in turn was contracted by the US military to design and build a new all-terrain vehicle. The basis of the design came from MTI, and was largely a copy of FMC's XR311 prototype developed for the military in 1970. This resulted in legal action from FMC against MTI and Lamborghini in 1977 when the Cheetah was presented at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Cheetah was built in San Jose, California,  after which the prototype was sent to Sant'Agata so Lamborghini could put on the finishing touches. They decided to go with a waterproofed 180 hp 5.9L Chrysler engine mounted in the rear with a 3 speed automatic transmission. The body was fiberglass, and inside there was enough room for four fully equipped soldiers as well as the driver.
The mounting of the engine in the rear gave the Cheetah very poor handling characteristics, and the engine choice was not powerful enough for a vehicle that weighed 2,042 kilograms (4,502 lb) and so the overall performance was poor. The only finished prototype was never tested by the US military^.
In the end, the military contract was awarded to AM General and their similar looking Humvee.

After the Cheetah was sent back to the United States in late 1977 the option of adding an off-road model to the lineup at Lamborghini kept lurking in the back of their heads, and three years later, in 1981 the Geneva Auto Show was the scene for an evolution of the idea in the shape of the LM001 or Lamborghini Militare number 1 according to some sources, while other sources mentioned Lamborghini Mimram as the meaning of the abbreviation as the Swiss based Mimran family had just bought into the company.

The injection of fresh funds from the Mimrans came at just the right timing, and an expansion of the lineup was desperately needed in the early Eighties, the Countach was still around, and in the same year the V8 Jalpa was shown in Geneva, next to the big LM001.

This first LM001 prototype had a 5896cc AMC engine installed, but later on the option of putting in a Countach sourced V12, 4754cc unit was taken into consideration … the latter would put 375 hp to all four wheels. The LM001 did however suffer from the same issue that plagued the Cheetah three years earlier, with the engine in this position the front to rear weight balance was less than perfect. The AMC V8 engine offered ‘only’ 180hp, but this still allowed the LM001 to reach a top speed of 160 Km/h.

But straight line speed wouldn’t be the issue on the LM001, cornering and outright maneuverability were negatively influenced from being tail heavy, some further development and testing was put into the LM001 before Lamborghini decided to turn around the entire concept and put the engine in the front … which lead to the LM002 prototype.

Up front a pair of rectangular headlights replaced the quartet of round units seen on the Cheetah, while the four doors on the LM001 were meant to stay in place, unlike on the Cheetah which was seen without doors in most photos, still the roof was able to open up, a large canvas section could be moved backwards allowing a machine gun turret to be used.

It would take a radical change to the initial design of the LM001 to make it viable for sale, and the third attempt was a giant leap forward, the LM002 was developed with the massive V12 engine between the front wheels … this concept would eventually lead to the actual production version LM002 that would impress the world as a real Lamborghini.

XR-311 Concept

 Cheetah Concept

 LM001

 

Lamborghini LM001, LM002, LM003, and LM004

Stay tuned for the Lamborghini LM series posts!

Lamborghini Countach Evolution 1987

This is probably the strangest looking Countach ever, it looks as if it left the factory before it got painted or upholstered, this is the Evoluzione, a mobile test-bed for new ideas.
The Evoluzione was designed and built in 1987 under the direction of Horacio Pagani, by the newly-formed 'Composites Department', they decided to change the steel space-frame of the original Countach to a chassis/body built using composite materials.
The cockpit, including the floor and roof panels, the central transmission tunnel, the door sills and the front and rear bulkheads were all made in one piece using aluminum honeycomb sandwiched with Kevlar and carbon fiber bonded together.

Various body parts were also changed to composite ones, the front lid, the engine cover and boot lid, the front spoiler, which used a simpler design and was a little lower than the original Countach and the whee larches, which were now connected through sills with air-cooling vents for the rear brakes. These sills would later be used on the Anniversario in a slightly altered design, the wings and the doors remained aluminum. Thanks to the extensive use of light-weight composites, the total weight of the Evoluzione was only 980 Kg, or about 500 Kg less than the Countach QV5000S, this and a minor tuning of the engine, now with 490 Bhp, made the Evoluzione reach a top speed of 330 Km/h. at the Nardo test track. This engine was 'blue-printed' and still used the same transmission, but with a modified gate to allow a shorter throw between the gears.

The car was never painted and the riveting of the body parts remained visible when you opened the door, even the carbon fiber and Kevlar kept their natural finish. On the inside the same rough appearance was evident, only two seats and a small carbon-fiber dashboard were used, with a tachometer, water temperature, fuel level and oil pressure gauges. A few pieces of carpet were used to mask the many colored wires which used to be connected to various test and recording equipments, no air-conditioning, no headlights, no horn and not even a wiper were installed.

The wheels remained, but got carbon-fiber disc covers, these didn't allow enough cooling for the brakes and were later removed. Various new ideas were installed on the Evoluzione before it was crash tested; an electronically controlled damping system with variable ride height, an ABS braking system and a four-wheel drive with variable torque split were installed. Even a fully retractable wiper system was installed on it, various parts and even some of these latter designs were later used on the Anniversario and the Diablo VT.

But production of a composite based Countach was too expensive, and in case of an accident the complete shell would have to be replaced most likely due to lack of crush-able front and rear subframes, therefore the Evoluzione performed a last test : the crash barrier test, which revealed valuable information on the impact resistance of this kind of chassis structure.

Shelby AC3000 ME 1981

AC Cars might not ring as many bells as Shelby but it is one of the oldest independent automobile manufacturers in Britain. Of course their greatest claim to fame was creating the AC Ace, the car Carroll Shelby based the AC Cobra on and later the S/C Cobras and Dayton Coupes.

In the 1970's AC developed the AC 3000ME. This small 2-seat mid-engine sports car had a transversely mounted Ford Essex 3.0 liter V6. As was classic for the era the styling was wedge-shaped using fiberglass for the body. It had front and rear independent double-wishbone suspension, rack and pinion steering, and four-wheel disc brakes, with a rearward 40:60 weight bias. On paper it should have been a real performer!

At about the same time PanterAmerica was importing DeTomaso Panteras into the U.S. after the Lincoln-Mercury/DeTomaso agreement ended in 1974. PanterAmerica also wanted to bring an affordable mid-engine car to the U.S. and the Belgian dealer they purchased the Panteras from was also an AC dealer. The AC 3000ME seemed the logical choice. PanterAmerica imported a rolling AC 3000ME, without engine and transaxle. The drivetrain was supposed to come from a U.S. manufacturer. However, they had problems acquiring drivetrains from either Ford or GM, the only option left was to go with Chrysler. But instead of going to them directly they spoke with Carroll Shelby, who had been recently hired by Chrysler. Carroll was on board with their idea provided a fuel-injected, turbocharged Chrysler 4-cylinder, 2.2 engine

Panteramerica restyled the body slightly, mainly front fenders and front end, with a new design, painted the car blue and silver, and added new Compomotive split rims. The prototype was presented to Lee Iacocca., but unfortunately, Iacocca, then in the middle of trying to save Chrysler, didn’t warm up to the idea of a low-volume mid-engine sports car, leaving the Shelby AC 3000ME a one-of-a-kind. Its a shame, a car that could have been a real contender, and ahead of the Pontiac Fiero, but fell by the wayside

Jiotto Caspita 1988

Yet another car that could have been but only managed to get to the first prototype stage, the Jiotto Caspita. The car was designed by by Kunihisa Ito, who was the vice-president and chief designer of Jiotto Design Incorporated.

The cars were built by Dome, but from what I have seen its not clear if two were built or if one was built and assembled with two different engines. What is certain is that two engines were used. The first one a Motori Moderni flat-12, basically a detuned F1 engine. In 1990 was stripped and then rebuilt with a Judd V10. Both engines were transversely mounted, and powered the rear wheels through a 6 speed gearbox built by Weismann. The car first made its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in the same year. Unfortunately the project would die out in 1993 due to the global recession. With the Judd engine, the Caspita is capable of 577 horsepower (430 kW) at 10,750 rpm and 283 ft·lbf (284 N·m) of torque at 10,500 rpm. This, along with a curb weight of 2734 lb (1240 kg), gives the Caspita a 0-60 mph acceleration time of approximately 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 199 miles per hour (320 km/h).

Its a shame it wasnt built, its quite good looking I think. The rear deck is a bit too Jaguar XJR-15 but all around I like it.

Foden R Type 1934 and Unimog U5000 Crew Cab

I am definitively not a truck enthusiast, except for Unimogs and Paris-Dakar type expedition trucks. So normally I wouldn't have gone to a truck show but my job took me to one. There was some interesting things (modern truck diesels are amazing) but the two things that stood out were these two trucks.

The first is a Foden R Type truck from 1934. The workmanship on the truck was truly great. A wooden cab with brass fittings and all the nice stuff you would expect from something built in 1934. The really interesting thing though is that this model truck actually started off steam powered! The company realized that diesel was the future of truck power and so converted a design made for steam power into diesel. Quite an interesting in between moment.

 The second is something Ive always loved, the Unimog. The sheer UTILITY of the thing! If there was ever a zombie apocalypse this would 100% be what I would drive around! Add a sleeper cab in the back instead of the fire fighter equipment and done. The tires btw are 47 inches tall...hard to tell since theres nothing next to them to compare the size.

FIAT Abarth 2000 by Pininfarina

Obviously from these pictures we can see this is 100% a 1970s concept. Im not sure exactly what year it was made but seems like 1970. It quite good looking from a head on angle, but the rear end in my opinion doesnt flow as well.

In any case, being just over 39" tall it must have made quite an impact back then, and probably still would! The concept was built on a FIAT chassis and fitted with a 2ltr 4 cylinder engine with DOHC's and producing about 220bhp.

100 Years of Car Production in Oxford

This weekend I took a little day trip to Oxford just for the hell of it. Unknown to me they were having a little car meet celebrating 100 years of car manufacturing in Oxford. Right now, as far as I know, the Mini is the only car made in Oxford.

There were a few curious things there...


The first was a 1928 Morris Cowley. I normally don't go to car shows with pre 1950s cars and I probably just haven't noticed this detail before in any of the car museums Ive been in before but I thought it was pretty neat. To eliminate the need to open the window to honk the horn before electric horns were available this one went though the windshield frame.

I always get a kick out of these mechanical water temperature gauges, they look like less complicated pocket watches in a glass case.

This 1926 MG had a pair of very cool ship style air vents on the cowl! I'm not sure if they are original but they certainly looked like something that at the very least would be available in the after market in the 1920s. the inside being painted the same color as the car was a nice touch.

Lastly this odd looking "stop light" mounted on a  1933 Morris Cowley. You can read the whole explanation in the two pages written at the time but basically they were used to signal the car turning, stopping, and even a pre signal warning indicating that a signal was going to be made. I can not imagine these would have been very visible from far away with the light technology of the day and small size!

Cadillac Series 61 1950

Dont really need to say anything for this one...well, maybe just WOW!

Marcos Mantis XP 1968

When the Marcos Mantis XP debuted in the 1968 Spa 24 Hours race in Belgium it must have been like the Batmobile showing up. With the more normal and curvy looking Fords, Porsches and Ferraris of the late 60s this very angular racer represented the hopes of a very small British manufacturer who was fighting for a place in the performance car market.  The Mantis XP DNFd the Spa race due to electrical problems, and has been mothballed ever since then until its recent resurrection by a careful restoration in California.  The 1968 Marcos Mantis XP is literally a one-of-a-kind, not only as far as how many were made, but also in terms of its looks which even nowadays is unique...let alone in 1968!

Some would say the late 1960s represented a high water mark in the automotive world. This was the era of the Ford GT40, Ferrari Dino, Lamborghini Miura, and many other cars whos curves still fascinate today, not to mention all the extremely futuristic prototypes of the era. The Marcos Mantis XP simply brought its futuristic design to the world championship racing circuit.  It was powered by a mid-mounted BRM-Repco V8 Formula 1 engine, whose cylinders rose into the clear-covered engine compartment in the rear of the vehicle.  This engine gave it a pace which was enough to compete with the world’s top race cars until the electrical problems which sidelined it at the Spa 1000km.

thankfully even though Marcos is no longer in business, the Marcos Mantis XP is seeing new life on the vintage exhibition circuit giving everyone a look at what the future might have looked like circa 1968.