For Sale: World’s Weirdest Hummer H1, the Coggiola T-Rex

When the Hummer H1 hit the market, it made a huge impression. It drew criticism for its size, garnered a reputation for its off-road prowess, and also spawned a few copycats.

Perhaps seeking something burlier than the edgy sedans and sporty two-doors it had been making for Fiat, Mercedes, and Renault, Italian coachbuilder Coggiola saw the H1 and decided that it needed a sleek makeover. The firm used the capable chassis and powertrain of the original Hummer to build the T-Rex, a curvy, three-row SUV that debuted in 2000 at the Geneva Auto Show to showcase the firm’s prowess in building concept cars. We recently discovered the rare SUV, initially intended to carry a $700,000 price tag, up for sale in Rome.

The H1 underpinnings bring some unique pros and cons to the T-Rex. The four-wheel independent suspension and portal axles give the 4×4 excellent ground clearance, as does the high-mounted powertrain: The SUV sits nearly 16 inches above the ground.

Since the construction of the Hummer’s construction places the transmission practically inside the cab, between the two front occupants, the seating arrangement is a little strange. The T-Rex takes advantage of the setup by adding a third row with stadium seating, allowing an almost ridiculous amount of legroom for the rear-most passengers. Like a Vista Cruiser, a pair of curving windows in the roof form a crescent and add visibility for the passengers.

The interior is far more upscale than that of the average H1, with custom gauges for the driver and laptops provided for passenger entertainment. Look a bit closer, and the HVAC controls—plucked from GM’s bin of truck parts—hint at what’s going on under the sumptuous leather upholstery.

Looking at the T-Rex from the outside, you’d never guess it was an H1 underneath. The front end still carries a seven-slot grille that is most associated with Jeep, and the combination of round and rectangular lighting makes it look like an overgrown WJ Grand Cherokee is eating a Wrangler.

The profile of the T-Rex is equally strange, as the stadium seating adds height and bulk to the rear, but somehow the car also seems to be hunched forward. It’s as if a second-gen Dodge Durango was popped out of the mold and the assembly line slammed to a stop before it had a chance to cool. The T-Rex has a lot of interesting angles, although the wide shots provided in the listing aren’t very flattering.

The 7000-pound beast is still powered by the H1’s 195-hp, 6.5-liter turbodiesel V-8, so performance will be, well, adequate. Think of the Coggiola T-Rex as the SUV for the collector who has everything but doesn’t happen to be in a hurry. As Chili Palmer said, “If you’re important, people will wait.”

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