After General Motors bought the rights to the Hummer brand from AM General in 1999 it still sold civilized versions military HMMWV who became notable after appearing in televised Operation Desert Storm. The Hummer H1 (as it became known) never sold in huge numbers, but the General decided to produce regular Hummers based on existing GM truck platforms. First place went to the Silverado’s H2, which debuted as a 2003 model, followed by the Colorado’s H3 as a 2006 model. Here’s one of those first-year H3s, found in self-service car graveyard in denver Lately.
Now it’s time for some history of the Hummer brand. After American motorbikes Corporation bought Kaiser Jeep in 1970separated the fleet and military parts of this operation into a novel company called General AM. AM General’s most notable products have been for many years Jeep DJ dispatchersgenerally called “Mail Jeeps” and they have been sold out throughout 1984.
1984 was also the year the United States Army fielded the first AM-built General Hhey Mcapacity Muniversal INon heels Vbicycles (HMMWV, which soldiers initially pronounced “Humvee” but eventually adopted the nickname “Hummer”). At the same time, militarized sand rails powered by a VW engine they were bought from Chenowth by Uncle Sam. After Arnold Schwarzenegger convinced AM General to build civilized Hummers, sales began in 1992 of the not-so-civilized brute that became the H1.
H2 and H3 had the misfortune to start just earlier Great Recession hit and fuel prices went crazy while several overseas conflicts which were much less popular than the First Gulf War, made grim headlines and diminished the street appeal of civilian combat-inspired circles. The H1 got the ax in 2006; GM tried to sell the Hummer brand to a Chinese manufacturer in 2010, but failed as it struggled with Chapter 11 bankruptcy, ultimately giving up and killing the brand alongside Pontiac, Saturn and Saab.
Then in 2022, the Hummer name was revived as an electron-powered GMC model, and you can now buy the 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV (though The GMC website warns in huge red letters about “LIMITED AVAILABILITY.”so you may have difficulty receiving one).
The last 2010 H3s were built for Avis at Shreveport Operations itself close two years later.
As with the MINI i leafeveryone should press the CAPS LOCK key when typing HUMMER, but I don’t play this marketing game (same with astute fortwo in lower case, or any other a vehicle with a punctuation mark in its annoying name).
The H3 ran on the GMT355 platform that underpinned the first-generation Chevy Colorado and its GMC Canyon and Isuzu I series siblings.
Only one trim level was available for the 2006 H3 SUV, and it had an MSRP of $28,935 with the base five-speed manual transmission (which almost no H3 buyers wanted). This price after inflation is approximately $45,574.
The engine is part of the GM Atlas family and in this case it is a 3.5-liter DOHC inline five-cylinder with 220 horsepower and 225 pound-feet.
Someone had to buy an H3 with a five-on-the-floor manual, but that wasn’t today’s original buyer Junkyard gem.
Get yours for just $369/month!
