Boxwish Blog

Auto of the week: Hummer H1

Posted by Team Boxwish on 23 September 2008 at 11.07AM

When we think of the Fast & Furious movies, we think of brightly coloured, turbo charged and streamlined beauties of car design. Yet the latest instalment in the series, due for release in June 2009 and starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, also stars something a bit different. This gargantuan titan of a vehicle is a military spin-off; its forbears were used in Operation Desert Storm. Based on the original M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, aka the infamous Humvee, this civilian model was released to the market in 1992 and ranged between $40,500 to $54,700. Yup, it’s the Hummer H1.

This chunk of metal became popular, in part, thanks to Arnold Swarzenegger’s love for its burly looking frame – he owns a variety of Hummers, but then what else would you expect from The Governator, Mr Austrian Oak himself? On top of this, the Hummer’s stable frame and the brakes, axles, and major body panels (hood, tailgate and quarter panels) identical to the military HMMWV, are assets that have seen this model become a success. The 2006 Alpha features a Duramax Diesel and 5-speed Allison transmission, alongside a whole host of other modifications after the previous model’s 6.5L “Optimizer” turbo-diesel engine was a slow seller.

Let’s be honest, this is clearly not the practical family car of choice, and it’s a far cry from the ‘beautiful’ super-cars of Lamborghini, the classic cars of Aston Martin or even Fast & Furious’ usual rally car style. What this car brings you is status. It says, “look at me in my noisy beast!” and makes other men feel like a pansy in their posy sports cars or modified novas. More of a truck than a humble car, this is one masculine ride – the perfect choice for the testosterone fuelled Fast & Furious.