Guide: Wishing on a Dream - a Historical & Technical Appraisal of the Lamborghini Cheetah
Background
By the mid 1970s, it was well known that the United States military would soon have to find a replacement for the Ford M151 jeep that could trace its origins back to the early 1950s and which had seen service since 1960.
With over 100,000 M151s having been supplied thus far, any manufacturer that won the race to create the next generation High Mobility Combat Vehicle (HMCV) would likely be in line for a lucrative multi billion dollar contract.
One of the first companies to offer such a proposal was the FMC Corporation which, since 1941, had been a major supplier of amphibious vehicles and armoured personnel carriers to the US military.
Between 1970 and ‘71, the US Army purchased ten examples of FMC’s XR311 fast attack vehicle for assessment as a potential candidate to fulfill anti-tank, reconnaissance, convoy escort, command and control, medivac, military police, mortar carrying and internal security roles.
However, only around a dozen examples of the rear-engined, four-wheel drive XR311 were supplied before the powers that be decided against going ahead with a larger contract.
A few years later, with the US military still having failed to replace the ageing M151, Mobility Technology International of California (MTI) decided to take a stab at a machine capable of meeting the aforementioned requirements.
Rather than start from scratch, MTI secretly used the FMC XR311 as the basis for said machine and looked for an outside contractor to help with development and subsequent assembly of production versions.
Although hardly an obvious candidate, MTI elected to team up with Automobili Lamborghini. At the time, Lamborghini’s advanced production facilities were being massively under utilised with the company having struggled for profitability throughout the 1970s, a period which had seen Ferruccio Lamborghini sell out to Swiss industrialists, Rene Leimer and Georges-Henri Rossetti.
So bad were Lamborghini’s finances during the second half of the decade that the Italian government had sanctioned a loan to enable the company to safeguard jobs and win another development / production contract: that of BMW’s E26 M1. No additional monies were forthcoming for the MTI collaboration though which inevitably saw much of the BMW cash diverted to what became known as the Lamborghini Cheetah.
Initial assembly of the Cheetah prototype took place at MTI’s headquarters in San Jose, after which it was dispatched to Sant’Agata for completion and development.
With much work undertaken, Lamborghini went on to unveil the Cheetah at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1977.
Chassis
Like the XR311, the Cheetah was based around a reinforced tubular steel safety cage with integral bulkheads. At 3000mm, the wheelbase was 70mm shorter than the FMC machine. Underneath were various heavy-duty protective skid panels that allowed the Cheetah to slide over obstacles.
Another aspect of the XR311’s design copied on the Cheetah was its beefy four-wheel independent suspension layout that comprised double wishbone up front and a multi-link arrangement at the back.
Torsion bars with coil sprung nitrogen-over-oil telescopic dampers were fitted all round along with ventilated disc brakes.
Massive 14 x 35.5-inch steel wheels were shod with low-pressure outer tyres that contained a high-pressure tube-inflated inner tyre that enabled the Cheetah to press on in the event that air pressure of the outer unit was lost. This was yet another feature previously seen on the XR311.
Steering on the Cheetah prototype was unassisted, but this surely would have been uprated to a power-assisted arrangement for production given the size of the tyres and terrain the vehicle was designed for.
Dual fuel tanks provided a massive 133-litre overall capacity.
Engine / Gearbox
Mounted over the rear axle was a waterproofed version of Chrysler’s all-iron 360 cubic-inch LA overhead valve V8.
The largest iteration of Chrysler’s LA line, the 360 unit displaced 5898cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 101.6mm and 90.9mm respectively. It featured a single coil, single distributor, two valves per cylinder and wet-sump lubrication.
With a compression ratio of 11.0:1 and two-barrel carburettor, peak output was a quoted 183bhp at 4000rpm and 231lb-ft at 3500rpm.
The engine was mated to a three-speed Chrysler A 727 Torqueflite gearbox with single dry-plate clutch.
Power was fed to the wheels by a Full-Trac permanent four-wheel drive system with torque converter and twin differentials that continuously sensed ground speed and traction to distribute the power accordingly.
For ease of maintenance, the engine, transmission transfer-drive assembly, radiator and exhaust system were removable as an integrated assembly.
The choice of Chrysler power was most likely made to increase the likelihood of a lucrative contract with the US armed forces and was another aspect of the Cheetah carried over from the XR311.
Bodywork
The Cheetah’s chassis was skinned with a basic steel body designed for maximum visibility, easy access and general versatility.
The front and rear body sections were hinged for straightforward maintenance and were also removable for major repairs. The engine could additionally be accessed via a drop-down panel between the rear seats.
A full array of lighting was fitted as standard but doors and a roof were optional extras.
The body stood 1880mm high and 4320mm long but was only 1580mm wide for reasons of practicality.
At the back was a deck capable of carrying cargo that weighed up to 400kg.
Interior
Inside, the Cheetah offered seating for four occupants plus space to mount and stow all manner of special equipment.
Vinyl-trimmed figure-hugging bucket seats were fitted up front while the more basic units in the back could be folded up to allow passengers in the rear to stand.
Directly behind the three-spoke steering wheel was a full complement of gauges in a removable instrument module. Aside from the steering wheel rim, padded dash top and seats there was no upholstery to speak of.
Options
MTI / Lamborghini planned to offer the Cheetah with a variety of optional extras that would enable customers to tailor the vehicle to their specific requirements.
The long list of potential upgrades included a Towing Kit (with six-ton capacity), an Electric Winch Kit, Quick-Release Safety Belts, a Tilting Steering Wheel (adjustable through six alternative angles), a Portable Fire Extinguisher, a Pioneer Tool Kit (shovel, axe, high-lift jack and stowage mounts), a Water and Gasoline Can Kit (19-litre water and gas cans with tubular steel mounting bracket), a Protective Vehicle Cover (for shipment or storage), a First Aid Kit, a Hot Water Heater / Defroster Kit (for operation down to -32°C) and a Top and Door Kit (removable fabric top and doors with zippered vinyl windows).
Should the Top and Door Kit be specified, the Cheetah could also be configured with Air-Conditioning, an Interior Carpeting and Insulation Kit and a Winterisation Kit (for extreme cold weather operation down to -54°C which included a fuel-fired heater / defroster and engine / transmission pre-start heat system).
For very low-speed / high power demands and increased engine braking while descending steep gradients there was a Two-speed Adapter for the Transfer Drive Assembly.
Engine and transmission specifications could be modified upon request.
Weight / Performance
In standard trim the Cheetah weighed 2042kg, had a 105mph top speed and 0-62mph time of a little under ten seconds.
Legacy
Unfortunately for Lamborghini, the Cheetah proved to be a commercial flop and no additional copies were produced as part of the Italian firm’s collaboration with MTI. What became of the vehicle (chassis CHE 77-1001) is unclear; it was subsequently returned to MTI after a disagreement over payments and has not been seen in public since.
Meanwhile, the project had serious knock-on consequences for both companies.
Owing to blatant similarities with the XR311, FMC Corporation took legal action against MTI on intellectual property grounds (it later transpired a number of ex-FMC employees had worked on the Cheetah for MTI).
MTI went on to sell the Cheetah project to Teledyne Continental Motors who assembled another three prototypes but for the second time around, no buyers could be found in the US, Middle East or anywhere else.
As for FMC Corporation, they ultimately sold the rights to the XR311 to AM General (a subsidiary of American Motors Corporation) from which the legendary Humvee was spawned of which nearly 300,000 were sold.
Over in Italy, BMW went on to reclaim the M1 project in April 1978 after major delays and the completion of just seven prototypes. With the entire government funding gone, Automobili Lamborghini filed for bankruptcy the following October.
The company spent the next couple of years in receivership as the Italian authorities desperately tried to find a suitable buyer. Thankfully, a pair of potential investors emerged in July 1980, five months after the firm had entered liquidation.
Armed with an unlimited credit note from their bank, young Swiss industrialists Patrick and Jean-Claude Mimram were first given permission to manage the company as a test of their ability.
After several successful months, the Italian courts approved a sale to the Mimram Group for $3m.
The Mimrams retained all the key members of Lamborghini’s staff and set about reviving the company’s fortunes. In complete contrast to the Rossetti–Leimer era, Lamborghini blossomed under their custodianship.
To complement the Countach S, the Mimrams commissioned two new models: a targa-topped two-seat V8 based on the Silhouette (the Jalpa) and a wild luxury all-terrain vehicle based on the Cheetah (the LM002).
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Lamborghini - https://www.lamborghini.com
