-The Hummers-
The original Hummers were first designed and built by American Motor General Corp., which was formerly AMC Jeep's General, assembly plant. The vehicles were created under a contract for the United States armed forces. The first model, the Humvee, was built in a variety of military based equipment and way's. The $1.2 billion contract won by AM General in 1983 was to produce 55,000 Humvees by 1985, which was later increased by 15,000 more.
AM General had planned to sell a civilian/everyone else version of the Humvee as far back as the late 1980s. Having the same structure and most mechanical components, the civilian Hummers were fancied up with gloss paint, adding passenger car touches such as air conditioning, sound insulation, upgraded upholstery, stereo systems, wood trim, and convenience packages. The civilian model began in part because of the persistence of the all known Arnold Schwarzenegger, who saw an Army convoy while filming a movie. Thats all it take's for Arnold I guess.
A cool test done was In 1990, two matching white Humvees were driven from London to Beijing over the rough roads of central Soviet Union. The Hummers made the trip with ease, because that's what they were built to do. The highlights of this journey were broadcasted in the United States on ESPN. This publicity would pale in comparison to the attention that the Humvee received for its services in the Gulf War with the military version the following year. Also, a privately owned Humvee was modified into the first Snow Vee, including the addition of caterpillar tracks, a new rear compartment and a new engine. This vehicle was designed for use in and just below the Arctic Circle, and the Antarctic. Here's a picture of one such as that.
In 1992, AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 Humvee vehicle to the public under the brand name "Hummer".
In December 1999, AM General sold the brand name to General Motors, but continued to manufacture the them. GM was responsible for the marketing and distribution of all Hummers produced by AM General. Shortly after all this, GM introduced two of its own design models, the H2 and H3, and renamed the original vehicle H1, I guess to keep it all simple. AM General continued to build the H1 until it was discontinued in 2006, and was contracted by GM to produce the H2. The H3 was built in Los Angeles right next to the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups, with which it shared the (GMT-355 platform) modified and designated GMT-345. So the H3 at THIS point was a whole new breed.
By 2006, the Hummer began to be sold through importers and distributors in 33 countries. About the time of October 2006, GM began producing the Hummer H3 in South Africa for international markets. The Hummers built there at first were only left hand drive, but right hand drive versions were added and sent to Australia and others. After all this then journey of the Hummer's the Hummer would then slow down dramatically in production and sale due to economy and Fuel prices. However the Hummer will Live on with new ownership rumor has it.
Here's a interesting and funny picture of how to use a Hummer.
How would you like to get pulled over BY THAT!
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