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1999 Humvee M1151A1 Lets You Live Out Your Green Zone Fantasies

If you’re in the market for a classic, military-used Humvee, you’re basically completing side quests as far as car ownership is concerned. There probably aren't that many left like that for someone to own, and this 1991 AM General M1151A1 is probably the ultimate Humvee. Not only is it not one of those wimpy civilian-market Humvees, but rather an extra-legit decommissioned Army model in rare “slantback” configuration.
1991 Am General M1151A1 HMMWV (Humvee) 17 photos
Photo: Cars & Bids
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This particular M1151A1 HMMWV (or Humvee) was built for the U.S. Army and was later decommissioned. That series of seemingly pointless numbers and letters marks this as an “Enhanced Armor Carrier” model, resulting in a stronger chassis with added protection as compared to its M998 sibling.

When vehicles of this era are decommissioned, it usually means stripping anything not intended for civilian use of the car and selling that to someone else. That can include anything not meant for the general populous, such as tear gas launchers, other defense systems, or the machine gun that once sat at the top of this car’s turret.

Production for these early Humvees was started up by AM General in 1984, though the HMMWV didn’t see a real, armed conflict until Panama in 1989. As anyone with even the slightest knowledge of American involvement in the Middle East will know, their use became widespread throughout the decades of conflict that region regrettably became home to.

Once the vehicle's lifecycle is complete (supposing it didn't end up abandoned on some Baghdad highway), it is then offered for sale once Stateside. In this case, this Humvee made its way from the Army all the way to a selling dealer that has listed it on Cars and Bids.

Here, some of the more important Army-specific features remain intact, like the inches of bullet-proof armor and glass, intercom system, underbody armor, and a “Frag 1” kit.

1991 AM General HMMVW
Photo: Cars & Bids
These kits were optioned by the U.S. Army to provide additional protection against Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) that were commonly used during the Gulf War and in later US-led Middle Eastern conflicts. As for this specific car, the seller reports the glass will stop a .50 caliber bullet.

There are other levels of Frag protection, including Frag 5, which offers additional armored protection against arms and explosives around the doors, wheel wells, and interior for occupants. During the Gulf War and subsequent conflicts, vehicles outfitted in such a manner would mainly be used in extremely dangerous areas of operation or to transport VIPs from place to place.

Speaking of moving people, there are few creature comforts on the interior of these vehicles. Rather than comfort, the seats are designed with maximum protection in mind - largely to keep unwanted energy from explosives from entering some really unpleasant places. Outfitted near the seats are spaces for storing ammunition - just about the only thing the occupants of these Humvees needed until very recently. Thanks to a huge engine and massive off-road tires, a full comms system is needed for the occupants to communicate. This includes four headsets.

Circling back to this specific Humvee, the dealer reports a few modifications to enhance the straight-from-the-front look, including the aforementioned comms system. New bumpers with a push bar, a spare tire carrier with full-size spare, LED lights, new dual belt restraints, a gunner’s seat sling, and a fire suppression system are also present. That full-size spare and its four siblings will need replacing, however. It surely won’t be cheap.

1991 AM General HMMVW
Photo: Cars & Bids
To boot (literally), this is a Slantback model. These are really quite rare, as later Humvees got updated designs based on the specific needs of the U.S. Army. The sloped back effectively makes early Humvees like this one, hatchbacks. The rear portion of the passenger cell is lifted up on struts and there’s also a tailgate that can be lowered with a passthrough for occupants to access gear or to transport wounded soldiers. The Humvee’s fire suppression system also extends back here.

This is quite a lot to move around, and AM General used a huge 6.5-liter turbodiesel V8 to power these early Humvees. Civilian versions sometimes have different engines depending on spec and model year, but this one gets the original power unit. That huge engine is paired with a 4-speed automatic transmission, driving all four wheels via a two-speed transfer case.

AM General rated these early vehicles at 190 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque when they left the factory. Now, many of these Humvees can be found in varying colors, but this one is the spec to have. It has matte camouflage paint (though the dealer reports some scratches) plus an olive green interior. Examples like this are extremely hard to find, and despite this car’s 198,048-mile odometer, this one looks set to bring big money. With four days to go, the current high bid at the time of writing is $30,000.
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About the author: Chase Bierenkoven
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Chase's first word was "truck," so it's no wonder he's been getting paid to write about cars for several years now. In his free time, Chase enjoys Colorado's great outdoors in a broken German sports car of some variety.
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