2005 Hummer H2 Base Sport Utility 4-door 6.0l on 2040-cars

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GMC Hummer EV could have had the Chevrolet Avalanche's Midgate

One of the many rumors swirling around the GMC Hummer EV claimed the truck would resurrect the Midgate inaugurated by the original Chevrolet Avalanche. Although we now know there's no way to fully knock down the partition between the cab and the cargo box, the firm revealed the rumor wasn't entirely false. "There was [a Midgate] early on. We opted for the functionality of the drop glass in the back. With the package layout and things like that, it was not advantageous to pursue that one. And, the five-foot bed was kind of the industry standard in regards to price of entry in that segment," explained John Mack, the Hummer's exterior design management, during an interview with Muscle Car & Trucks. The Hummer will go on sale with a five-foot box, and it doesn't sound like a longer bed will be available, so a modern version of the Midgate would have made the model more versatile by giving users the ability to fold down the partition behind the rear seats to carry bulky items, like plywood and ATVs. It's a feature that would have inevitably made the truck more complicated to build, however, because it adds moving parts that need to be sealed. Hinges, seals, and latches in turn add weight, and complexity almost always invites high manufacturing costs. As an electric pickup built with newly-developed components, the Hummer already has enough of each. Motorists who need to carry something that's significantly longer than the cargo box aren't entirely out of luck. As Mack pointed out, the rear window drops into the partition, so owners will have the ability to haul surfboards, lumber, or anything else that's relatively long and reasonably thin by simply pushing a switch. Alternatively, the only thing limiting cargo space when the roof comes off is the sky — or, depending on where you live, bridges. Mack didn't reveal when the Midgate was dropped. GMC launched the Hummer project in April 2019, and it previously released early design sketches that show how the truck transitioned from a sketch to a prototype. As of writing, nothing suggests the Midgate will make a comeback in the near future on any member of the General Motors portfolio. It was introduced in 2001 on the first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche, which went on sale in the United States for the 2002 model year. It later spread to Cadillac's luxed-up variant of the truck, the Escalade EXT, and to the short-lived GMC Envoy XUV.

Mil-Spec M1-R First Drive Review | The ultimate Hummer H1 gets better

In 2018, we got our first introduction to Mil-Spec, a company that sought to do to Hummer H1s what other resto-mod companies like Singer and Icon have done to other classic cars. Its initial run of hopped-up Hummers showed quite a bit of promise with an array of mechanical upgrades, including a particularly potent and entertaining diesel engine, plus major improvements to interior livability and luxury. As good as the initial trucks were, Mil-Spec wanted to do even better. It focused on details such as better materials and ergonomics for what it’s calling the second-generation of restored H1s. And all those upgrades are on display in the M1-R, which takes the second-gen M1 and adds some pretty extreme customer-requested modifications. @autoblog WhatÂ’s that? Oh nothing, just a Mil-Spec M1-R rolling on by ##autoblog ##hummer ##m1r ##custom ##fyp ? original sound - Autoblog As with all Mil-Spec Hummers, the M1-R received a comprehensive restoration, taking the body and frame down to bare metal. It was recoated in a durable bedliner-style material made with bits of Kevlar. This particular one was given a tint to make it look like one of the factory H1 colors, Competition Yellow. Steel off-road bumpers, a front brush guard, rear tubular tire rack, fender flares and door panels finished in plain black add contrast and help give it a more rough-and-tumble look. The simple and rugged 20-inch Black Rhino wheels look right at home on the truck, too, especially wrapped in the 38-inch off-road tries. Most of the improvements in the second-gen M1 are found within the cabin. As before, every upholstered surface is made of leather, in this case with diamond stitching that the customer requested. ItÂ’s all done in-house (fun fact, Mil-Spec is now also doing upholstery for private jets). Virtually every non-upholstered surface is made from machined aluminum. That includes the steering wheel, climate control knobs, air vents, window switches, turn signal stalks, even the custom-made ignition key. They all look and feel superb with hefty weight and crisp edges. The toggle switches are a particular treat and return a light, mechanical click with each press. Some of them are a little tough to reach as a result of the HummerÂ’s strange interior layout, but that would be the case even in a stock Hummer. These aluminum pieces are a massive step up from the plastic rocker switches and air vents used on previous Mil-Spec Hummers.

Are orphan cars better deals?

Most folks don't know a Saturn Aura from an Oldsmobile Aurora. Those of you who are immersed in the labyrinth of automobilia know that both cars were testaments to the mediocrity that was pre-bankruptcy General Motors, and that both brands are now long gone. But everybody else? Not so much. By the same token, there are some excellent cars and trucks that don't raise an eyebrow simply because they were sold under brands that are no longer being marketed. Orphan brands no longer get any marketing love, and because of that they can be alarmingly cheap. Case in point, take a look at how a 2010 Saturn Outlook compares with its siblings, the GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave. According to the Manheim Market Report, the Saturn will sell at a wholesale auto auction for around $3,500 less than the comparably equipped Buick or GMC. Part of the reason for this price gap is that most large independent dealerships, such as Carmax, make it a point to avoid buying cars with orphaned badges. Right now if you go to Carmax's site, you'll find that there are more models from Toyota's Scion sub-brand than Mercury, Saab, Pontiac, Hummer, and Saturn combined. This despite the fact that these brands collectively sold in the millions over the last ten years while Scion has rarely been able to realize a six-figure annual sales figure for most of its history. That is the brutal truth of today's car market. When the chips are down, used-car shoppers are nearly as conservative as their new-car-buying counterparts. Unfamiliarity breeds contempt. Contempt leads to fear. Fear leads to anger, and pretty soon you wind up with an older, beat-up Mazda MX-5 in your driveway instead of looking up a newer Pontiac Solstice or Saturn Sky. There are tons of other reasons why orphan cars have trouble selling in today's market. Worries about the cost of repair and the availability of parts hang over the industry's lost toys like a cloud of dust over Pigpen. Yet any common diagnostic repair database, such as Alldata, will have a complete framework for your car's repair and maintenance, and everyone from junkyards to auto parts stores to eBay and Amazon stock tens of thousands of parts. This makes some orphan cars mindblowingly awesome deals if you're willing to shop in the bargain bins of the used-car market. Consider a Suzuki Kizashi with a manual transmission. No, really.