Rare Rides: The 1996 AM General Hummer, Don't Call It H1

Corey Lewis
by Corey Lewis

As I was considering some serious topics yesterday, namely the Jaguar XK8 as a used car buy and the new GMC Hummer EV, I came to the realization we’d never touched on any Hummer vehicles in the Rare Rides series.

It’s an oversight which is rectified today!

We did feature a theoretical direct competitor to the Humvee long ago, in the Toyota Mega Cruiser. But that tough truck was intended to compete with the Humvee on the military market, and not the (secondarily considered) passenger market like today’s truck. On to Hummer!

The basis for the Hummer was the standard Humvee, which was produced by AM General and entered military service for the first time in 1983. Consumers looked at the US military’s truck as it rolled across their Zenith in the Gulf War, and desire formed in their hearts. Given this newfound demand, in 1992 AM General spiffed up the Humvee and released the first-ever civilian model called the Hummer. It officially went on sale March 14th.

There were six total body styles of Hummer available, in a mix of two- and four-door models. Two-door options included a pickup version and an extended cab pickup. The more common four-door was offered in a soft top guise, as a short bed pickup, and as a super square SUV with rear barn doors. There was also an alternate version of the wagon style, which offered a slanted rear like the military truck.

Engines for the Hummer were all of V8 configuration. One gasoline engine was on offer, a 5.7-liter with throttle body injection. All other engines were diesels from 6.2 to 6.6 liters of displacement. All engines were made by GM.

Most of the Hummer’s body panels, along with the frame, brakes, and axles, were shared with the military Humvee. Critically, the civilian Hummer also shared its off-road abilities with the military version. Drivetrain components were tucked up in a central cavern, allowing for a ground clearance from the factory of 16 inches. Most examples also had an on-board tire inflation system, where the driver could change tire pressure from inside the cabin via the press of a button.

Hummer versions were built on the same assembly as the Humvee in Mishawaka, Indiana. The complete bodies were sent to another building for painting and fitment of their plush civilian interiors. Notable options for the Hummer were a winch, running boards, and leather seats. AM General managed sales on their own for a while, until in 1999 General Motors came along and bought the marketing rights to the Hummer name. Then they put it to good use, and advertised the previous standard Hummer as the H1, and their new GMT-based in-town SUV as the H2.

H1 production continued in Indiana through 2004, with one final run of the H1 Alpha for model year 2006. GM had to make considerable changes to sell it that year, as there were new EPA requirements post-2004. The Alpha version was on sale for a short while before GM cancelled the project, pulling support for further engineering and EPA certification of the H1. The Humvee continues on in production today, and is currently expected to remain in military service through at least 2050.

Today’s Hummer wagon is fully equipped with leather seats and a winch, and a 6.5-liter turbodiesel engine (though it has Duramax badges). In subtle red over tan, this practical truck is at auction for $52,500.

[Images: seller]

Corey Lewis
Corey Lewis

Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.

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  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
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