The United States Armed Forces have finally raised restrictions on sale of the military-spec High-Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicles (or HMMWV, pronounced ‘Humvee’) to the general public after years. The military vehicle served in the Gulf War and went on to become the stuff of legend. This was taken a step further when Arnold Schwarzeneggar requested for a civilian version of the vehicle, which then went on sale as the Hummer.
Subsequently, there was a smaller (but still very large) petrol-powered Hummer H2, based on the General Motors Tahoe platform. The original Hummer came to be known as the Hummer H1, powered by a huge 6.5-litre V8 diesel engine. Initially, the army used air-cooled, naturally-aspirated diesel engines which produced up to 195 PS and 500 Nm of torque, and were always-on and mated to a three-speed automatic. Later on, the turbo-diesels arrived, with 205 PS and 591 Nm of torque. Don’t let those numbers fool you, the desirability quotient of the Humvee lay in its go-anywhere ability.
Among the many highlights of the Humvee were its 405mm of ground clearance, 1.5-metre wading capability, remarkable grade and side-slope tackling ability, tank-equivalent wheel tracks, vertical glass windscreen, all-time four-wheel drive with brake-throttle modulation and central tyre inflation system.
The military Humvees will go on sale from $10,000 (Rs 6 lakh onwards), that’s got to be the bargain of the century! This sort of sale has not happened since 1999, when the US army sold almost 500 Humvees for civilian use. Furthermore, we’re sure half the buyers will head straight over to Predator Customs for an engine replacement. Anyone for an 800-PS/1,800-Nm V8 Duramax or straight-6 Cummins diesel? Anyone?
Story: Jim Gorde
