When it comes to odd-ball exotics, it takes something special to top a Lamborghini LM002. Far removed from the Urus of today, the LM002 came into being thanks to BMW, the Italian Government, and the Humvee.

When BMW set out in the late ’70s to create a standalone M car, the M1, they approached Lamborghini for their low-volume production expertise and facilities. The Italian government even bankrolled the project to help get things moving.

However, concurrently, Lambo was also out to secure a U.S. military contract to replace the original Jeep. Their initial creation, known as the Cheetah, featured a rear-mounted 360ci Chrysler engine with 180 hp. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the configuration didn’t quite yield the results the military wanted. So, Lamborghini’s efforts went unrewarded, with the contract going to AM General and their Humvee.

Read: Grab A Lamborghini LM002 For When Your Range Rover Gets Stuck

Lambo losing the U.S. military contract turned out to be rather problematic, as they had already diverted the funds that the Italian government had given them (intended for the BMW M1 project) into the development of the now-defunct off-road project. Understandably, the Germans were unimpressed with this turn of events and yanked control of the M1 project back in-house.

However, the 4×4 was resurrected in the ’80s. Under the control of the Mimran brothers, and with the help of Italian engineer Giulio Alfieri, Lamborghini took a Countach V12 and coupled it to a ZF manual ′box. Despite weighing three tonnes, the Rambo Lambo had aspects that were rarely seen on off-roaders of the day, including independent suspension all around.

The naturally aspirated 5.2-liter Quattrovalvole V12 produced the same 450hp as it did in the Countach, but the LM002 weighed twice as much. Still, with a 0-62mph (100km/h) time of 7.7 seconds and a top speed of 130 mph (209 km/h), it’s rather respectable for what it is.

To watch more of the driving experience and see how one would go about tuning that mighty V12 Lambo, then you can watch the video by Tyrrell’s Classic Workshop below.