Mil-Spec Automotive, a company specializing in high-end bespoke custom builds located in Birmingham, Michigan, is at it again with another luxuriously menacing AM General Hummer H1. Consistent with all of the company’s builds, the finished product—it has a customer—is packed with finely crafted details that slightly bewilder by their appearance in an H1: plush leather, machined accessories, high-end finishes, above-and-beyond build quality, redesigned parts, engineered upgrades, and functional bling. Simply put, it excels at everything you’d never imagine doing to the civilian version of the no-frills military M998 Humvee, a rig that’s loud, utilitarian, and build to be thrashed and bashed. The Mil-Spec H1 can hang with the supercars in VIP valet lots, hold its own in a patriotic parade, or hit up the local trail with a pack of 4×4 overland rigs.
This Mil-Spec Automotive Hummer H1 has a proper powerplant in its 6.6-liter Duramax, which may remind you of the Hummer H1 Alpha of model year 2006. However, unlike the 6.6L Duramax LLY and Allison five-speed of the Alpha, this Mil-Spec runs a tuned 500-hp, 1,000-lb-ft 6.6-liter Duramax LBZ turbodiesel V-8 mated to a six-speed automatic Allison transmission. For reference, the Duramax LLY with the five-speed Allison ran in GM HD trucks for 2004.5-2005 model years, followed by the LBZ with the six-speed Allison for 2006-2007 model years. Ceramic underbody and engine-bay coating protect the cabin from excessive heat.
Should inhabitants wish to take the unbeaten path to an opulent dinner party, the Mil-Spec H1 gulps from a new 30-gallon extended-range aluminum fuel cell protected by a steel skidplate. Rocker-panel protection plates were added to prevent damage from trailside rocks or debris kicked up by the meaty 38×13.50R20 Toyo tires. The T6 hardened, aerospace-grade aluminum body is finished in a Deep Sky Black, Kevlar-infused polyurethane exterior coating with semi-gloss black powdercoated accents. The Baja Suspension Package, which practically doubles the wheel travel to 13 inches, offers upgraded components like stronger front and rear billet ball joints and a sway bar designed for long travel.
The posh interior of this Mil-Spec Hummer H1 features Nappa leather upholstery with distinctive quilted stitching, while a custom gauge cluster is secured by anodized black bezels. Black powdercoated billet aluminum door lock pulls are a custom touch that may be missed at first glance. The design of the machined steering wheel is echoed the key design; if you have to have keys to your truck, they may as well match the interior.
Mil-Spec’s H1 may share a heritage and original Mishawaka, Indiana, assembly line with its military-spec’d cousin, but you’d never realize it, and it proves nearly any vehicle can be turned into a luxurious status symbol. If rigs could be considered black-tie accessories, the Mil-Spec Hummer H1 is definitely on the list. As to whether any H1 should downplay its down and dirty side, we’ll leave that call to you.
