This Custom Military-Spec Hummer H1 Is The Baddest Thing On Wheels
Now with aircraft-grade body panels and 1,000 lb-ft of torque under the hood.
Hmm, what have we got here? A blinged-out 4×4, born an Army brat but cleaned up at finishing school. Sounds like a Mercedes-AMG G-Wagen or a badass Land Rover Defender from Chelsea Truck Company. But Michigan’s Mil-Spec Automotive waves the Stars and Stripes with its customized version of the Army’s Humvee that it calls the Launch Edition.
MSA starts by swapping out the anemic Detroit Diesel engine that came as original equipment in the Hummer H1, replacing it with a 500-horsepower, 1,000 lb.-ft. 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel.
That’s matched to the commercial-strength 6-speed Allison automatic transmission. The rest of the drivetrain features a manual transfer case, hypoid front and rear differentials and portal hubs that lift the axles up clear of obstacles.
But sure, who’s surprised that you can make a Hummer H1 an even more killer off-road beast? That was always its strength. But refinement was the shortcoming.
Until now.
The MSA Launch Edition starts when the bare body shell gets a ceramic coating to help keep heat out of the cabin and then it is sprayed inside with sound deadening to keep interior noise levels more acceptable.
Occupants ride in custom leather-wrapped seats, and the cabin is fitted with a Momo Prototipo steering wheel, JL Audio Premium Audio marine grade amplifier, high output HVAC, a heated windshield and power windows.
Pricing is one of those “if you have to ask” deals, so you’ll have to talk to MSA directly for those details. But its gotta be worth it.
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