Filed under: SUVs, Etc., Government/Legal, Supercars, Lamborghini

American forces in Iraq have finally killed Saddam Hussein’s son’s…car. While his megalomaniacal father garnered the lion’s share of notoriety, Saddam’s cruel depravity was exceeded by his eldest son’s, the erstwhile heir apparent to the Iraqi presidency who was known for murdering people he didn’t like at parties and torturing Olympic athletes. It only makes sense that a monster of a person should have driven a monster of an automobile: the Lamborghini LM002.

For those unacquainted with the LM002, picture the offspring of a one-night-stand between an exotic Italian supercar and a tank, and you’ve got an approximate idea. The truck is known to guzzle gas like a fratboy funnels beer, but that posed little concern for a family with all the oil in the world but no one to sell it to.

According to reports, Uday’s “Rambo Lambo”, already on its last leg and limping to the grave, was recovered by American soldiers who, apparently failing to identify the significance of the vehicle, used it to test explosives. And so, like the fate of its owner, Uday’s Lamborghini was no more. The world may be a better place without the Husseins, but we’ll mourn the truck.

[Source: Lamborghini Registry via Jalopnik]

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Filed under: SUVs, Trucks/Pickups, Auction Action, Supercars, Lamborghini

The terms “exotic” and “SUV” seldom go together. With few exceptions, the closest you might get is the Porsche Cayenne, or in reference to the rig you use to tow your supercar from track to concours. One notable exception is the Lamborghini LM002. Nicknamed the “Rambo Lambo”, it bridged the gap between the company’s tractor and supercar divisions in a military truck that makes the HUMMER look like a Tonka. It was powered by the V12 out of the Countach, and only 300 were said to have been built. With those limited numbers, they don’t change hands all that often, but one shining example has just come rumbling onto eBay Motors.

Serial Number ZA9LU45A2JLA12069, in red over tan, is advertised as just having undergone a major servicing where many components were repaired, replaced and upgraded, including newly refinished cylinder heads, gaskets, brakes, suspension, new tires all around (road rubber to replace the off-road Pirelli Scorpions), new interior carpets, reconditioned leather interior, front and rear brush guards, side rails, transfer case, relocated fuel tank, new sound system with overhead speakers and new exhaust system.

With a Buy-It-Now price just shy of $100k, at the time of writing the bids were up to $61,300. That may seem like a huge chunk of change for one of the ugliest, worst-handling, worst-riding, gas-guzzling trucks ever to chew up the road, but you go and try to find something with more road presence.

[Source: eBay via GermanCarScene]

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Filed under: Spy Photos, SUVs, Lamborghini, Porsche

Just like the NSX mule that’s been spotted ripping around, this Porsche Cayenne is masquerading as something it’s not. What the end result actually is remains a mystery, but something’s using fat-ass über-SUV duds to fly incognito. Motor Authority reports that there’s a Lamborghini LM002 successor lurking under there. The Lambo-ute successor reportedly uses a version of the Cayenne platform, likely powered by the Gallardo V10.

GermanCarBlog, on the other hand, attributes the outward subterfuge to development work on a Porsche GT Coupe. The bodies are rumored to be mere shells, with a lot of hardware stripped. How else would you explain their scorching times around the ‘Ring? Whatever it turns out to be, we’ll try to corner someone from Porsche or Lamborghini in Frankfurt and get some hints.

[Source: Carspynew via GermanCarBlog]

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Filed under: Aftermarket, SUVs, Lamborghini, Mercedes Benz, Celebrities

Tina Turner is one of the most successful performing and recording artists of all time. She’s won eight Grammies, hit the Billboard Top 10 seven times and sold more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history. Unfortunately she never learned how to drive stick, but having sold over 180 million records, she could well afford (and as The Queen of the Rock & Roll could hardly afford not) to buy a Lamborghini. So Turner bought an LM002, the Lamborghini of sport-utility vehicles, and had the original Countach V12 ripped out and swapped for a V8 out of a Mercedes E500 with an automatic transmission.

Naturally, the retrofit also included a thumpin’ entertainment system, including a 1500-Watt Blaupunkt stereo and a whole load of lights and mirrors. The conversion originally cost twice the value of the truck itself, at 150,000 deutschemarks. The truck has been workin’ for the man every night and day ever since, but now it could be your very own private dancer, a dancer for money: the vehicle is on the market for Є179,000. Seems like a fair price for a unique and storied vehicle: we’ve seen Lamborghini-powered Audis, but never a Mercedes-powered Lambo.

[Source: Autobild via German Car Blog]

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