Original Hummer available as a kit

[SVT666]

By Paul Rachwal

Despite GM ending the Hummer brand, a new deal will make it possible for buyers to purchase the original, AM General-designed off-road vehicles. The last time a brand new vehicle could have been purchased by a civilian was about six years ago, with the 2006 H1 Alpha.

There is an important distinction this time around, however, as the Hummers are only available as kits and lack an engine and transmission. The kit, which is basically a C-Series HMMWV, or Humvee as it was re-dubbed, meets U.S. government regulations, HummerGuy reported. It costs $59,000 but also requires an engine and transmission. AM General believes owners can get a running vehicle on the road for about $75,000. In contrast, a 2006 H1 Alpha cost about $140,000 when it was new.

The savings do come at a cost, however, as the trucks are decidedly low-rent and lack any niceties such as interior trim, mirrors, hard doors (and thus, power locks and windows), and a hard roof.

Included in the kit is the body with 2,800 installed rivets, chassis with springs, cross members, geared hubs, half-shafts, differentials, and a cooling package. Two fuel tanks and the soft top with soft doors round out the contents.

Options will include protection plates for the rocker panels, driveline parts, a winch, heated windshield, geared fan drive, and a central tire inflation system.

A minimum of 50 orders and deposits need to be placed before AM General will fire up its production line to produce the bodies and chassis, the source said.

[SVT_Power]

I really wanted one of those H1 alpha's. Still do.

Some day...

[SVT666]

Me too.  I want one pretty badly.

[Soup DeVille]

Hmm.

And you can get a running, military surplus M989 (soft top with half doors) with relatively low miles for about $35,000.

[hotrodalex]

Hmm.

And you can get a running, military surplus M989 (soft top with half doors) with relatively low miles for about $35,000.

Seriously?

BRB, off to rob a bank to get $35k.

[Soup DeVille]

Seriously?

BRB, off to rob a bank to get $35k.

http://www.dbrvisuals.com/msv/vehicles.htm

[TurboDan]

I kinda wonder why GM doesn't just build a select number of these custom each year. Hell, the H2 was just a gussied-up Tahoe. GM could make a few extra sheckles doing custom Hummers if they just partnered with a third party contractor to build them.

I was never a real Hummer fan, but even I'll admit they're cool as hell, even if I'd rather have a Defender 90.   

[SVT666]

Original H1 Hummers are very cool.  H2 and H3 are for poseurs.

[MrH]

I have fond memories of H1's.  My dad had one when we were growing up (I grew up on a military base for awhile).  I still remember him picking me up from the house with it.  I had big googles on, and was leaning over the side, pretending to shoot people with my neon green and orange toy machine gun

His didn't have doors, windshield, or a roof.  Just a roll bar outline around where the windshield would go.

[AutobahnSHO]

Yous guys don't even know. I literally climbed an 18" concrete curb with an M989. Curb wasn't rounded AT ALL. It was only 2 ft wide. Truck felt very awkward half up in the air...

Then we went to a British driver training course, we went UP what they practiced going DOWN in their little Defenders. (Most UK Soldiers don't have drivers' licenses coming in.) They were astounded.

BTW always get the one with the brushguard. They're just that much more invincible...   (running joke in my unit years back)

[MX793]

Original H1 Hummers are very cool.  H2 and H3 are for poseurs.

I kind of have a soft spot for the H3.  It was actually a pretty capable off-roader (at least a match for the likes of the Xterra and similar).  And it was actually pretty well proportioned, unlike the H2 which looked like a caricature with its massive body and relatively small wheels and tires.

[Soup DeVille]

Original H1 Hummers are very cool.  H2 and H3 are for poseurs.

I refer to the H2 Hummers as "those half assed ones."

[TurboDan]

I kind of have a soft spot for the H3.  It was actually a pretty capable off-roader (at least a match for the likes of the Xterra and similar).  And it was actually pretty well proportioned, unlike the H2 which looked like a caricature with its massive body and relatively small wheels and tires.

Yeah, I had a soft spot for that one too. I feel the H2 was trying to be an H1, but the H3 was just trying to be itself.

[93JC]

I kinda wonder why GM doesn't just build a select number of these custom each year. Hell, the H2 was just a gussied-up Tahoe. GM could make a few extra sheckles doing custom Hummers if they just partnered with a third party contractor to build them.

GM doesn't, and never did, own the design to the H1. Why bother going through GM when you could go right to the source: AM General? That's what these guys are doing. GM was always just a middle-man. AM General designed and built the original Hummers.

[TurboDan]

GM doesn't, and never did, own the design to the H1. Why bother going through GM when you could go right to the source: AM General? That's what these guys are doing. GM was always just a middle-man. AM General designed and built the original Hummers.

Yeah, makes sense. I'm just surprised whoever owns it couldn't forge a deal with someone to allow people to buy them directly.

[Galaxy]

Yeah, makes sense. I'm just surprised whoever owns it couldn't forge a deal with someone to allow people to buy them directly.

The Hummer brand itself is now owned by some Chinese company.

[93JC]

No it's not. GM intended on selling the brand to a Chinese company but the Chinese company couldn't come up with the money. GM ended up just shutting the brand down and retained all the trademarks.

The problem here is that when AM General sold the Hummer brand to GM the sales contract contained a non-compete clause. AM General would continue to build what became known as the Hummer H1 on behalf of GM but GM would sell them. AM General could continue to build military Humvees but they couldn't sell civilian versions.

Obviously none of us have the details but I think you could argue that the contract was with the General Motors Corporation, a bankrupt, defunct company, not with the current General Motors Company, and being that the General Motors Company doesn't sell them and doesn't intend to sell them ever again that the contract shouldn't be in force and AM General should be able to sell civilian Hummers (although perhaps under another name) on its own.

A better question is "Is there enough money to be made selling Hummers?" (pun not intended) Probably not anymore. They're very expensive to build and they're extremely impractical.

[Galaxy]

No it's not. GM intended on selling the brand to a Chinese company but the Chinese company couldn't come up with the money. GM ended up just shutting the brand down and retained all the trademarks.

I stand corrected. It seems that GM came to an agreement with the Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery company, but the Chinese government did not give their Ok to the deal.

[TurboDan]

A better question is "Is there enough money to be made selling Hummers?" (pun not intended) Probably not anymore. They're very expensive to build and they're extremely impractical.

I doubt anyone with both the money and the desire to own one would care much about their practicality. I would estimate they probably wouldn't sell any more or less of those things than before the recession hit, for the most part. It's a niche vehicle. I think the question would be whether they were losing money pre-recession on H1s.

While I was never a big Hummer fan, I think GM could make some money by selling some type of small-to-midsize SUV with some legit offroad capability. Right now, we're stuck with either generic crossovers and the huge-azz SUVs like your Tahoes and Suburbans and their variants. Something like a modern Blazer-sized SUV could work for a certain percentage of buyers.

[SVT666]

I love Hummers.

[Payman]

Cheaper than most new SUVs:

http://wwwa.autotrader.ca/a/AM%20General/Unspecified/GATINEAU/Quebec/5_14625126_20120222120922702/?showcpo=ShowCPO

[Raza]

One of the guys at work has an H1 that he drives to work occasionally.  Monstrous and ridiculous. 

[Laconian]

One of the guys at work has an H1 that he drives to work occasionally.  Monstrous and ridiculous. 

Can't say for the same for his peen!

[Payman]

One of the guys at work has an H1 that he drives to work occasionally.  Monstrous and ridiculous. 

I want one with baby seal seat covers.

[SVT666]

Cheaper than most new SUVs:

http://wwwa.autotrader.ca/a/AM%20General/Unspecified/GATINEAU/Quebec/5_14625126_20120222120922702/?showcpo=ShowCPO

That's awesome.  I'm buying one before the apocalypse.

[hotrodalex]

Sitting in the driver's seat of an H1 is just so awesome.

[Rupert]

Too wide for the good trails.

[NomisR]

Does it have car seat attachments?  I'm gonna get one for the wife.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Too wide for the good trails.

Who needs trails?

[Rupert]

Fair point.