These days SUVs have fallen out of favor. Some say it was the $4 a gallon gas last summer that pretty much did them in. Until that time, American automakers basically binged on SUVs since they had plump and luscious profit margins in great excess of passenger cars. The first round of SUVs were essentially body-on-frame jobs with live rear axels and true four wheel drive; very similar to the design of pick-up trucks. The first generation Ford Explorer from 1990 is a good example.

As the market evolved and manufactures realized that these things were basically used to shuttle the kids to school and make the occasional trip to Home Depot, SUVs became more refined. Unibody construction was the norm as well as more sophisticated suspensions and less unwieldy four wheel drive systems termed all wheel drive. These SUVs were known as cross-overs since their chassis designs had more in common with sedans and station wagons rather than with pick-up trucks. They could not go off-road but they weren't intended to. A good example is the Lexus RX which debuted in 1997.

Currently there is a new crop of SUVs that blur the line even further. They are the cross-over's cross-over. They seem to posses the worst of both worlds, having the weight and fuel consumption of an SUV but the space and cargo capacity of a sports coupe. BMW pioneered this niche with its 2009 X6 SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle). All I can say is that's some kind of Nazi sleigh ride.

I never really liked SUVs. They are big, bulky and the early versions seemed to drive like that thing the Clampetts had when they pulled into Beverly Hills after discovering black gold. I think the term for it was a jalopy. Ma Clampett basically sat on the roof in her rocking chair and a shot gun.

But there is one SUV that still reigns supreme in my book. It was built before the SUV craze even came into its own. Built before the BMW X6, the Lexus RX and the Ford Explorer. It's the original SUV if you will, an SUV in its purest form, the origin of the species, Lucy. And it's head and shoulders above anything that has come after it.

The Lamborghini LM 002.

Way back in 1986 Lamborghini set out to build itself an SUV. It was originally designed as a military vehicle which Lamborghini had hopes of selling to the US military. The prototype version, designed in 1977, had a rear mounted Chrysler V-8. Unfortunately, it was rejected by the US military since the rear mounted engine resulted in many unfavorable handling characteristics for an off road vehicle, which one might expect with an engine in the back. Lamborghini, undeterred by such rejection, had the smart idea of moving the engine to the front and installing the same V-12 used in the Countach. This production model debuted at the 1986 Brussels Auto Show. It did zero to sixty in six and a half seconds. It offered full leather trim, power everything and even a high-end stereo mounted in the roof console. It also had special Scorpion tires commissioned by Lamborghini from Pirelli exclusively for the LM 002. Not only were they of run flat design but were offered with two tread designs, one for mixed use and one for sand only. To cope with traveling long distances between refueling it had a 76 gallon tank. And lastly, for those who desired even more power than the 445 horse power Countach engine, it could be ordered with a 7.2 liter marine V-12, an engine usually found in Cigarette boats i.e. those boats they use to smuggle drugs as seen on Miami Vice. They called it the Rambo Lambo.

Naturally, a two and a half ton, V-12 engined, four wheel drive Lamborghini with tires as wide as the Persian Gulf, a gas tank the size of a small water tower and fuel consumption on par with an M1 Abraham's tank had wide appeal. As such it was predominately marketed to wealthy middle eastern sheiks. The wide tires, oversized radiator and six Weber carburetors were ideal for traveling extended distances in extreme heat and over the mountain sized sand dunes of the arabian peninsula. Plus only a middle eastern oil baron could afford the galling amounts of fuel the surly V-12 engine demanded. The Saudi army ordered 40 and Muammar al-Gaddafi ordered 100. The Saudi and Libyan versions had a hatch over the rear seats so that a solider could lean over the roof, presumably with his AK-47. Even Uday Hussein had one, until the US Army blew it up to simulate the effects of a car bomb. Idi Amin would have bought one for sure.

I first saw an LM 002 in Palm Springs when I was 10 years old. It was on display at the Empire Polo Club during a polo match. While my parents watched Prince Charles play polo in some kind of exhibition match I wandered over to marvel at its rugged and menacing design. After climbing into the rear bed to sit, it had four seats in the bed, I noticed that it was unlocked, so I got in. The leather was softer than the skin of a premature baby and the passenger compartment smelled better than a Goyard briefcase. The compartment was also festooned with buttons and switches on the front console and the roof. I think I pushed every one of them, twice. After half an hour someone spotted me fussing with the buttons kicked me out and locked the doors. That was the last time I've even been near an LM 002. And 21 years later I still want one. Some might frown on the idea wanting a car predominately owned by dictators, megalomaniacs and drug king pins. But I think it just adds to the cache. Whose going to cut me off on the streets of LA in this thing? And if they do I'll just make Ayesha open the rear hatch, stand up and brandish her AK.

Today, in 2010, 24 years after the LM, there are several SUVs that can probably match the performance of the LM 002. The Porsche Cayenne Turbo, the Range Rover Sport Super Charged, the Mercedes GL 500 Gelandewagen AMG and the Jeep Grand Cherokee XRT8 are all faster and the Porsche and Range Rover have even more sumptuous interiors. The GL is probably the most similar in spirit to the LM since it too was originally designed with military use in mind. But none of them evoke the sheer terror of the Rambo Lambo. It's extreme angles and enormous girth announce its nefarious intentions. Which car would you use to invade a small country with, the LM or a Range Rover? There's no contest. It's on par with a Humvee, before there was even such a thing as a Humvee (the civilian version did not come out until 1992). In fact it's what the Humvee was based off of after the US military passed on the LM. There's not much else I can say about the LM 002, so I won't. I'll let Jeremy Clarkson do it for me.