Humvee H1

A "H1" Humvee

The H1 Humvee can trace its ancestry back to the HMMWV (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) created by the U.S. Army. The HMMWV was designed to replace the traditional Army-Jeeps in rough environments, and it was never intended as a combat vehicle.

Calling their vehicles High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles was naturally not very practical for the soldiers, and soon they started to refer to their new mean of transport as Humvee, from the abbreviation HMMWV. Today, there are over 17 different HMMWV variants used by the U.S. Military.
 
In 1992, AM General produced the first Humvees intended for civilian use. These cars were called Humvee H1or Hummer H1. (The brand name Hummer has been owned by General Motors since 1999, but the vehicles are still produced by AM General.)

The Humvee H1 was the first Humvee created for the civilian market and it is also the one that most resembles its military precursor the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle. Today, you can have your pick among several different Humvee H1 variants, such as the four-door Humvee H1, the convertible Humvee H1 with the soft top and the station wagon body version. The four-door Humvee H1 resembles a pick-up truck and has a hard top. Other examples of popular Humvee H1 variants are the two door pick-up and the four-door slantback Humvee H1.

When you purchase a Humvee H1, it is important to check the engine and transmission, since many different engines and transmission solutions have been used in Humvee H1 cars. Four of the most popular variants are the 5.7 L Vortec 5700 gasoline V8 TBI/GM 4L80E 4-speed, the 6.2 L Diesel/GM TH400 3-speed 3L80, the 6.5 L Diesel/GM 4L80E 4-speed and the 6.5 L turbo Diesel/GM 4L80E 4-speed. In 2006, the 6.6 L Duramax LLY turbo Diesel/Allison 1000 5-speed was introduced, and for the 2007 and 2008 year model you can get a 6.6 L Duramax LBZ turbo Diesel/Allison 1000 6-speed. 

When the Humvee H1 reached the civilian market, it was welcomed with open arms. During the media covered wars of the 1990, the HMMWV had become one of the most well known military vehicles on the planet. It was not a combat vehicle, but its adaptability and durability made it famous for carrying troops, working as a field ambulance, towing support weapons, carrying machine guns and engaging in scouting missions. The consumers could watch it overcome all types of obstacles – live on TV. The news media coverage was more than any professional advertising company could ever produce and the market craved this vehicle that had proven its durability over and over again in the most unfriendly conditions imaginable.

The popularity of the HMMWV, and the civilian Humvee H1, was enhanced even further when the film industry realised its appeal and began using it in their movies. You can for instance watch both the Humvee and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1990’s movie Kindergarten Cop.

The HMMWV has now generated two new offspring’s in addition to the Humvee H1: the Humvee H2 and the Humvee H3 or more correctly the Hummer H2 and Hummer H3. These are even more focused on the civilian market but their common ancestry is still clearly visible.