Hummer H1: the civilian Humvee

The Hummer H1 is the civilian version of the M998 Humvee, built by AM General from 1992 to 2006. It kept the military vehicle’s portal axles, wide track and central tyre inflation, but gained a 12-volt electrical system, air conditioning and a comfortable interior so that it could be sold to private buyers.

Hummer H1 at a glance

History of the Hummer H1

The story of the H1 begins with the military Humvee. On 22 March 1983 AM General was awarded a production contract for 55,000 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, and the type became famous through photographs from the Persian Gulf War of the early 1990s. The actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was so taken with the Humvee that he pressed AM General to build a civilian version, and after the war the company modified the M998 for the road, powering it with a 6.2-litre GM diesel V8. The civilian Hummer went on sale in 1992.

At first the vehicle was sold simply as the Hummer. Under a 1999 deal General Motors bought the marketing rights to the name, began selling Hummer-branded vehicles of its own design and rebadged the original AM General product as the Hummer H1. Production of both the H1 and the Humvee stayed at AM General’s Mishawaka plant, on the same assembly line; the civilian vehicles were painted and finished in a separate building. A 12-volt electrical system, air conditioning, a CD player and electric windows separated the H1 from its military parent, which used a 24-volt system and two batteries.

General Motors announced that 2006 would be the last model year, and civilian production wound down in June 2006 because of new emission rules for diesel engines due to take effect in 2007. The final cars had the most powerful engine and the best fuel consumption of the line, about 10 mpg in American figures. The 2006 H1 Alpha replaced the 6.5-litre diesel with a 6.6-litre Duramax and a five-speed Allison automatic, a conversion that needed 23 changes to the engine and a two-inch body lift. AM General continued to build military Humvees until 2018, and the H1 Alpha was also assembled at Avtotor in Kaliningrad for the Russian market.

Design and features

• Portal axles: gears at each wheel raise the half shafts, giving 406 mm of ground clearance despite the low-slung body.
• Central tyre inflation: the driver can adjust tyre pressures for soft ground or the road without leaving the cab.
• Military width: the 86.5-inch track was chosen so that the Humvee could run in the ruts left by tanks, and it made the H1 unusually stable.
• For four only: the driveline runs in a wide tunnel through the middle of the cabin, so the large body seats just four people.
• High air intake and radiator: the intake sits high enough to ford waist-level water, and the radiator slopes over the engine under a forward-hinged hood.

Hummer H1 versions

• Open top: a four-door soft-top with an open load area, the closest to the military Humvee.
• Wagon: the fully enclosed five-door estate-like body.
• Sport Utility Truck: a four-door hardtop with a short bed.
• Pickup and slantback: a two-door pickup and a four-door slantback sharing the Humvee’s rear body; the slantback was built in a limited run of 39.
• H1 Alpha (2006): the 6.6 L Duramax diesel and five-speed Allison automatic, with 300 hp and 705 Nm.

The H1 was the first of the line, followed by the road-oriented Hummer H2 and the smaller Hummer H3. More cars are in the Hummer collection.

Sources

• Hummer H1, English Wikipedia: history, bodies, engines, Alpha
• Hummer H1, German Wikipedia: dimensions, off-road figures, Avtotor
• Hummer H1, French Wikipedia: body styles, equipment, engines