The giant SUV that is the Hummer is not exactly a familiar sight on the UK’s roads – but there are a few. However, the car is a massive hit with celebrities both here and in its native US. We investigate...
The Hummer, which gets its name from High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee) began life in the early 1980s when the US Army concluded that conventional trucks were too big for its needs but Jeeps too small. Humvees first saw action – and an impact on the public consciousness – during the war against Iraq to liberate Kuwait in 1991. Tough-guy actor Arnold Schwarzenegger successfully implored the makers AM General to produce a civilian version, a view echoed by other drivers in America. The original civilian Hummer (which came to be known as the H1) featured a 6.6 litre diesel engine, and its current version produces 300hp and 520 lb ft of torque. It weighs in at 3.5 tonnes.
Even for America it was excessively large and impractical and a current price of $147,000 kept it safely out of reach of most buyers; just 12,000 have been sold in the US since 1992, mainly to the very wealthy. The murdered rap-star Tupac Shakur had one, but when it was put up for sale on eBay recently with a reserve of $500,000 there were no takers.
The Hummer’s exclusivity ended in 1999 when General Motors (GM) bought the rights to the name and to market a series of smaller and cheaper vehicles. The original H1 was now joined by the H2 model, which although it looked similar to the H1 it was in fact a completely different car underneath, sharing its platform with GM’s Chevrolet Tahoe SUV. It is also cheap; at around $50,000 in the US, it’s comparable to other large SUVs and significantly cheaper than the $70,000 for the cheapest Range Rover. However dynamically it was very poor, and though equipped with a 6-litre V8 engine pumping out 316hp and 360 lb ft of torque it has to battle with the sheer size of the thing and its 3 tonne weight.
Like many SUVs it is something of an "inverse tardis" – big on the outside, but surprisingly small inside. Although initially reasonably successful, like with the H1 it took another war – this time on terror – to make the big time.
Let's roll
Already virtually in recession after the bust following the late 1990s boom, after the shock of the events of 11th September, 2001, there was a real danger that the US economy faced paralysis. GM quickly responded with a patriotic "Keep America Rolling" sales campaign that made it clear that the way you could help the nation in its time of trouble was to buy a car, preferably from them, at 0% interest. The H2 suddenly seemed like a sensible choice for lots of timorous people in the US and elsewhere who assumed the world was about to end and that they might at any stage have to resort to survivalist living in some mountains somewhere, hiding from the UN’s black helicopters and Osama bin Laden. One hopes that this particular post-apocalyptic world came well-equipped with petrol stations because the Hummer is very keen on the black stuff.
Due to America’s crackpot rules on large vehicles, GM does not actually have to release fuel economy figures; the reality is that you’ll be lucky to get double-digit MPGs out of this monster. As Slate.com put it, "After 9/11, Hummers became a cocky symbol of American greatness. Driving the biggest, baddest, least-fuel-efficient car on the planet was tantamount to giving the finger to environmentalists and all those who suggested that the involvement of Saudi citizens in the attacks should lead us to rethink our dependence on foreign oil. You could be an active home-front warrior by buying an expensive Hummer—imitating our troops in Iraq and stimulating the economy at the same time."
Which is increasingly a problem – up until recently Americans paid just 15p a litre for petrol; with the recent run-up they have increased to 37p. As a result, while in 2002 you couldn’t get an H2 even if you wanted one, nowadays US SUV sales in general and Hummer sales in particular are in decline and last week GM announced that the H1 would cease production. Luckily, President George W Bush’s exuberant foreign adventures in recent years have meant there is plenty of demand for the military version so no workers will be laid off.
Celebrity endorsement
One group that continues its fascination with the cars are celebrities; some like Gwyneth Paltrow, Harrison Ford and ‘Seinfeld’ creator Larry David own the economical hybrid Toyota Prius. They are more than matched by celebrity Hummer owners, who include Arnold Schwarzenegger (obviously), who once owned eight of them but is now down to just three, including a hydrogen-powered version. Actor Adrien Brody has one, as does Titanic-meister James Cameron together with Dennis Rodman, Mike Tyson and Paris Hilton. Rapper Wyclef Jean is said to have a shark tank in the back of his. Even Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood has been seen in one. It is not all one way traffic though. Roseanne Barr gave hers to her ex-husband as part of a divorce settlement, and rap star Coolio gave his up, sick of enormous fuel bills. One H2 owner who perhaps won’t feel such pressures is Michael Dell; the founder of the eponymous computer giant is worth around $17 billion.
Not officially sold in the UK, a newly imported one will cost around £50,000. Used models can be found from around £30,000. However, the Hummer is seriously ill-suited to the UK’s crowded roads - it cannot fit UK parking spaces and owners have been clamped by London’s famously zealous traffic warden army - but this has not stopped David Beckham, Djibril Cissé, and Chris Eubank from buying them. Who do they all love them? Well, though many celebrities say they disdain all the attention they get which makes their lives difficult, the fact is many crave being in the spotlight and what better way of ensuring this than driving a large, politically incorrect wagon around town? Some may even make it out to the countryside...
