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GMC shows how the 2022 Hummer could have looked even more futuristic

Excitement filled the room when GMC asked its designers to resurrect the Hummer in April 2019, but a tinge of uneasiness permeated the department after executives locked in an early 2020 unveiling date. Luckily, stylists knew what they wanted early on in the development phase, and preliminary design sketches give us a fascinating look at how they shaped the electric off-roader that ended up making its global debut online in October 2020. Hummer, the brand, unceremoniously shut down in 2010 after General Motors failed to sell it to the Chinese, but its design DNA was so strong that stylists were able to pick up where their predecessors left off. All of the sketches published on Instagram by the official General Motors Design account show a boxy truck with a tall front end, a short windshield, and a generous amount of ground clearance. These styling cues trace their roots to the AM General Humvee that entered production in 1984 and made its combat debut when the United States invaded Panama in 1989. Even the wildest drawings still depict a pickup that's immediately recognizable as a Hummer. Most of the early design sketches wear some variation of the seven-slot grille that characterized Hummer's production models; it's a styling cue that hints at a heritage shared with Jeep under the American Motors Corporation (AMC) umbrella. Oddly, none wear the round headlights seen on the H2, the H3, and the HX concept that nearly became the H4. Was GMC afraid that its Hummer would end up looking too much like a Jeep? And, at least one sketch shows a fold-down windshield, a feature that will not make it to the assembly line. Sketches never reach production without modifications made in the name of packaging and safety concerns, and the Hummer is no exception, but stylists did a good job of reinventing the brand's design language without copying or erasing the past. If the company had stuck around long enough to make a second- and a third-generation H2, odds are it would look a lot like the GMC-branded model that will enter production in a year. GMC remains on track to start 2022 Hummer deliveries in late 2021, though it told Green Car Reports that it still hasn't built a fully functional prototype yet. When it arrives, this outdoorsy pickup will land in a burgeoning segment of the truck market that numerous models (including the Rivian R1T and Ford's electric F-150) will also call home.

Picture yourself rolling in Tupac Shakur's 1996 Hummer

UPDATE: Tupac Shakur's Hummer blew away estimates, selling for $337,114 according to the auction site. It's been nearly 20 years since the renowned rapper Tupac Shakur was gunned down at the height of his fame. One of the last vehicles he ever purchased, this 1996 AM General Hummer in a four-door pickup configuration, is now being sold by RR Auctions. Since 1996, it hasn't covered much ground. The odometer reads just 10,101 miles. A bunch of upgrades, like driving lights, a sound system and external PA, and diamond-plate bumpers, are present and were allegedly added by Shakur. The Hummer has a 6.5-liter turbodiesel V8 and automatic transmission. According to the seller, after being owned by Shakur and then, after his death, his mother Afeni Shakur, the Hummer went through a variety of owners. This includes BET, which gave the car away during a raffle in 2003, the owners of Havenotz Entertainment, and the mother of the rapper Yaki "Prince" Kadafi who was a "godbrother" of Shakur. The included vanity plate reads "YAKNPAK", a nod to both Kadafi and Shakur. The vehicle is currently in Canada. Bidding opens on May 12th and ends on May 19th, and RR Auctions estimates it'll sell for more than $100,000. Related Video: News Source: RR Auctions Celebrities GM Hummer Auctions SUV Diesel Vehicles Off-Road Vehicles

REWIND: Watch the GMC Hummer EV live reveal right here

It has been a long wait to see the GMC Hummer electric pickup truck, which was teased way back at the Super Bowl in February of this year. And that wait ends tonight at 8 p.m. eastern time when GM pulls the covers off the truck. You can see the whole reveal right here, or during the World Series on Fox or "The Voice" on NBC. For everything we know about the truck, go to our reveal post here. The truck should be impressive. GMC has previously announced it will have up to 1,000 horsepower, and it will have a variety of fun features such as removable roof panels and four-wheel steering that can move the truck sort of sideways with "Crab Mode." The GMC Hummer will also be available in pickup and SUV forms. So be sure to tune in tonight for one of the biggest (figuratively and literally) vehicle reveals of the year. And keep an eye on Autoblog for all the latest on the Hummer and other vehicles.