The Audi-owned Italian sportscar maker Lamborghini is building an SUV again, it seems, from prototypes spotted in Europe.

This strange-looking Porsche  Porsche Cayenne is actually a mule for the upcoming SUV by Lamborghini. Because Porsche did most of the work when developing the VW Touareg and the Audi Q7 , they also got the responsibility to develop the Lamborghini SUV.

The engine for the new ute will probably be a version of the V-10 from the Gallardo and Audi's S6 and S8 , but a 4.5-liter V-8 from the Cayenne could be available. A diesel version is also in the plans, using the 5.9-liter Audi V-12 TDI.

Between 1982 and 1993 Lamborghini built approximately 300 SUVs under the LM 002 badge. The monster SUV was powered by the V-12 from the Lamborghini Countach, making as much as 455 hp. At the time, Lamborghini's offering was seen as an oddity. But with the success that Porsche has had with the Cayenne , a Lamborghini ute doesn't seem so offbeat now.

These photos show the SUV prototype wearing Cayenne body panels, as well as a computer image giving an artist's impression of how a future Lamborghini SUV could look.