In this recent episode of Jay Leno's Garage, Mr. Leno meets up with the Detroit three. Not Ford, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler, we're talking about Adam Mitchell, Chris van Scyoc, and Ian Broekman, the Motor City-based gentlemen behind Mil-Spec Automotive (MSA). Started in 2015, MSA produces reimagined Hummers that cost more than $200,000.
Calling MSA Hummers "restomods" probably isn't the correct nomenclature. Sure, they're old vehicles with modern tech and comforts, but these cars go beyond that. The only parts that make it from project start into project finish are the frame rails and the shells. Everything else is completely reworked, from the wheels and tires to the suspension to the powertrain to the interior. They're essentially new vehicles that look like old vehicles.
Chief Executive Officer Mitchell and President van Scyoc both have economics degrees, and Chief Innovation Officer Broekman has a background in automotive design. Together, the three erected the business in Detroit, and after two years of research and development, it's gotten off to a positive start.
The business plan allows for two starting routes. Customers desiring a transformation could bring their Hummers to MSA, or MSA will buy and build their own projects, and eventually sell them to customers. At the time this video was shot, MSA had only completed a total of six trucks.
Part of MSA's mission with these trucks was to slightly shift their reputations as brutish overbearing Earth killers. The main way to do that was using a more efficient engine. Every one of these Hummers uses a General Motors-sourced 6.6-liter Duramax diesel that can run on biofuel and can get up to 20 miles per gallon, according to MSA. That engine is good for about 500 horsepower and approximately 1,000 pound-feet of torque. The truck, which has a nearly 50:50 weight distribution, is also roughly 150 pounds lighter than the original.
Watch the full video to learn about the backgrounds of the founders and the company, as well as all the additional amenities that have been added to the Hummers.
Calling MSA Hummers "restomods" probably isn't the correct nomenclature. Sure, they're old vehicles with modern tech and comforts, but these cars go beyond that. The only parts that make it from project start into project finish are the frame rails and the shells. Everything else is completely reworked, from the wheels and tires to the suspension to the powertrain to the interior. They're essentially new vehicles that look like old vehicles.
Chief Executive Officer Mitchell and President van Scyoc both have economics degrees, and Chief Innovation Officer Broekman has a background in automotive design. Together, the three erected the business in Detroit, and after two years of research and development, it's gotten off to a positive start.
The business plan allows for two starting routes. Customers desiring a transformation could bring their Hummers to MSA, or MSA will buy and build their own projects, and eventually sell them to customers. At the time this video was shot, MSA had only completed a total of six trucks.
Part of MSA's mission with these trucks was to slightly shift their reputations as brutish overbearing Earth killers. The main way to do that was using a more efficient engine. Every one of these Hummers uses a General Motors-sourced 6.6-liter Duramax diesel that can run on biofuel and can get up to 20 miles per gallon, according to MSA. That engine is good for about 500 horsepower and approximately 1,000 pound-feet of torque. The truck, which has a nearly 50:50 weight distribution, is also roughly 150 pounds lighter than the original.
Watch the full video to learn about the backgrounds of the founders and the company, as well as all the additional amenities that have been added to the Hummers.
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