In the 1970s the US military began the process of sourcing an all-new, all-terrain vehicle to replace the venerable-yet-dated Jeep. There was a long criteria that included the ability to traverse almost any terrain, as well as being able to carry at least four fully-equipped soldiers ready for battle.

Despite having experience primarily building tractors and supercars, Lamborghini threw its hat in the ring with the Cheetah concept, which would ultimately influence the design of the LM-002 “Rambo Lambo”.

The contract ultimately went to AM General and its legendary Humvee, and Lamborghini only ever produced a single Cheetah concept. Using a design from Mobility Technology International, which had been contracted by the military to design a new off-roader, Lamborghini set about constructing a prototype. A 5.9 liter waterproof Chrysler V8 was mounted at the back of the Cheetah, and a three-speed automatic transmission sent power to the rear wheels.

Despite being a bare bones vehicle, the Cheetah still tipped the scales at over 4,500-lbs, and the 180 horsepower Chrysler motor struggled to produce the performance the military demanded. Mounting the motor at the rear also hindered handling, and the single military demonstration failed to impress the brass, who logged the Cheetah into a long list of “also-rans.”

The project wasn’t a total loss, however, as Lamborghini gleaned some knowledge it would put to use in the LM-002 a few years later. Though it never came close to beating out the Humvee for that lucrative military contract, it’s still weird to ponder the implications of such a visible symbol of US military power being built by Lamborghini.