The huge Hummer became an icon thanks to three things: The Gulf War, the cinema and the “hunk” Arnold Scharzenegger, who asked for a civilian version because it seemed “very practical” … live to see. This behemoth ended up failing. But some Galicians from Santiago de Compostela decided to do something similar, but well done … and they succeeded. We tell you the details. They are worth it. #cars #hummer #vamtac Become a member of this channel to enjoy advantages: / hermetic garage We are going to focus on the history of the real Hummer, which was later called H1 to differentiate it from the later civilian versions, H2 and H3…. which were not well resolved, to be honest. We turn our gaze to the end of the 20th century and the American army. Until those years, the cars that served in the most powerful army in the world were practically the same Jeeps from World War II, updated and brought up to date. But things were changing and the Americans were looking for a new, more capable vehicle that could carry more and better weapons and that could be armored from above and below. So in 1983 the US launched a competition worth 1.2 million dollars to build 55,000 units of a vehicle called the HMMWV, which stands for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle. That is where the name “Humvee” comes from, which some consider synonymous with Hummer. This competition was increased to 1.6 million dollars and 70,000 units… In other words, it was very attractive. And it was awarded to AM General, creator of the original Hummer that rose to fame in the late 80s in the Gulf War. Thanks to its participation in various conflicts, the car became popular and appeared in various films such as “The Rock”, some 007 films, “Transformers”… and, of course, in series such as the very popular “CSI Miami” in which the infallible Horatio Caine had one. It also appeared in war films. It failed for several reasons. First, the “civilian” version was born in 1992, just when we were suffering a worldwide economic crisis. On the other hand, Bill Clinton became president of the USA, who may not be a “peacemaker” but compared to his predecessor George W. Bush… well, by comparison, he is. The presence of the USA in various conflicts was significantly reduced, as was the defense budget, which was somewhat tighter. I had had enough of acronyms with English words! VAMTAC is the acronym for “Tactical High Mobility Vehicle” and is a product of UROVESA, which in turn derives from URO Special Vehicles SA. This company was born in Santiago de Compostela, province of La Coruña, Galicia, Spain, and was founded in 1981 and has been dedicated to manufacturing, as its name indicates, special vehicles, particularly those intended for firefighting. In 1984, the first TT appeared, weighing up to 18 tons, which initially had two versions, one intended for firefighters and another for military use. The successor to this first TT is the current VAMTAC. UROVESA has been able to find quality suppliers and uses IVECO or Steyr engines and gearboxes and transfer boxes from these two brands and also from Allison. Today there are military versions capable of housing all types of weapons and for various special uses such as rapid response firefighters, police, ambulances, tankers, among others. They are equipped with 6-cylinder in-line engines of between 187 and 245 hp, have efficient permanent all-wheel drive and you will find versions ranging from 5,300 kg to 11,000 kg of GVM, that is, the weight of the car plus the maximum load. Approximately 3,000 units serve in the Spanish army, but it is not the only one, as the URO is exported to Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Iraq and almost 10 other different countries. Which is better? If someone tells me that this comparison is unfair because the VAMTAC is more modern... well, I will tell them that it depends. Because the Hummer was born in the mid-80s, more or less at the same time as the first URO TT. If one thing is true: the various URO TTs have not stopped evolving while the Hummer has not changed much throughout its existence. In terms of design and the sensible integration of electronics in the car, for me the URO is a better car. It's not that it's hugely spacious inside, but it's more spacious than the Hummer. And it's certainly not a blast either, but it's clearly more dynamic than the Hummer. The Hummers gave all kinds of problems, especially due to their high weight that punished the steering and suspensions. The engines held up well. Regarding the UROs, I've heard criticism about problems with leaks from the air suspensions and little else. Honestly, I don't see it as anything serious considering how successful they are.