Lamborghini Cheetah
Encyclopedia
The Lamborghini Cheetah was an off-road prototype built in 1977 for the Italian carmaker Lamborghini
.
's first attempt at an off-road vehicle. It was built on contract from Mobility Technology International, 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 XR311 and Cheetah could be considered progenitors of the current Humvee.
The Cheetah was built in San Jose, California
. After initial construction, the prototype was sent to Sant'Agata
so Lamborghini could put on the finishing touches. They decided to go with a large, waterproofed 180 bhp 5.9L Chrysler
engine, rear mounted, 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 to be adequate for the heavy vehicle (2042 kilograms (4,501.8 lb)), resulting in overall poor performance.
The US military tested the Cheetah and allegedly destroyed the only prototype. The remains were never returned to Lamborghini or MTI.
In the end, the military contract was awarded to AM General
and their similar looking Humvee.
The failure of the Cheetah project, along with Lamborghini financial problems, led to the cancellation of a contract from BMW
to develop their M1
sports car
.
Lamborghini eventually developed the Lamborghini LM002
— a similar design, but with a 12-cylinder motor from the Lamborghini Countach
mounted in the front.
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian car manufacturer. The company was founded by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with established offerings from marques like...
.
History
The Lamborghini Cheetah was LamborghiniLamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian car manufacturer. The company was founded by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with established offerings from marques like...
's first attempt at an off-road vehicle. It was built on contract from Mobility Technology International, which in turn was contracted by the US military
Military of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the 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 XR311 and Cheetah could be considered progenitors of the current Humvee.
The Cheetah was built in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. After initial construction, the prototype was sent to Sant'Agata
Sant'Agata Bolognese
Sant'Agata Bolognese is a small comune in the province of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, central Italy. It is, above all, famous for hosting the headquarters of the automobile manufacturer Lamborghini. As of 2007 Sant'Agata Bolognese had an estimated population of 6,585.It is named after Saint Agatha....
so Lamborghini could put on the finishing touches. They decided to go with a large, waterproofed 180 bhp 5.9L Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
engine, rear mounted, with a 3 speed automatic transmission. The body was fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
, 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 to be adequate for the heavy vehicle (2042 kilograms (4,501.8 lb)), resulting in overall poor performance.
The US military tested the Cheetah and allegedly destroyed the only prototype. The remains were never returned to Lamborghini or MTI.
In the end, the military contract was awarded to AM General
AM General
AM General is an American heavy vehicle manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. It is best known for the civilian Hummer and the military Humvee, that is assembled in Mishawaka, Indiana...
and their similar looking Humvee.
The failure of the Cheetah project, along with Lamborghini financial problems, led to the cancellation of a contract from BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
to develop their M1
BMW M1
The BMW M1 is a sports car that was produced by German automaker BMW from 1978 to 1981.In the late 1970s, Italian manufacturer Lamborghini entered into an agreement with BMW to build a production racing car in sufficient quantity for homologation. The result was sold to the public, from 1978 to...
sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
.
Lamborghini eventually developed the Lamborghini LM002
Lamborghini LM002
The Lamborghini LM002 is an SUV that was built by the Lamborghini automobile company between 1986 and 1993. The LM002 was an unusual departure for Lamborghini which, at the time, was primarily known for high-performance grand tourers and sports cars...
— a similar design, but with a 12-cylinder motor from the Lamborghini Countach
Lamborghini Countach
The Lamborghini Countach is a mid-engined supercar that was produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1974 to 1990. Its design both pioneered and popularized the wedge-shaped, sharply angled look popular in many high performance sports cars...
mounted in the front.
Options (partial list)
- Top and door kit
- Turbocharger kit
- Electric winch kit
- Police vehicle kit
- Armored (KevlarKevlarKevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
) top kit - Armored (small arms) fuel tank and radiator
- Weapon mounting kit