A Big Bad American Beijing SWAT Hummer H2

Hummer H2

An enormous Hummer H2 SUV, owned by Beijing SWAT, seen in Beijing in 2012. It has white police license place and SWAT livery. The H2 looked totally badass with a giant bull bar, side bars, and a light bar and a police light bar on the roof.

The Beijing Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (SWAT) was founded in 2005. Initially, its first and foremost task was to provide security for the 2008 Olympic Games. SWAT is a heavily-armed paramilitary unit, trained to deal with hostage crisis and terrorism.

They had all sorts of cool stuff, including armored vehicles, military-grade motorcycles, and… Hummer H2’s. Many car-knowing folk in Beijing were surprised by this choice, as the Hummer H2 was a heavy and impractical vehicle with a relatively small interior space. But they looked super cool!

The Hummer H2 was made from 2002 until 2009. It was based on the General Motos GMT820 platform that also spawned the Chevrolet Silverado and Cadillac Escalade EXT, among others. Power came from a massive 325 hp 6.0 liter V8 engine, mated to a 4-speed automatic gearbox. Fuel consumption was an equally massive 24 liters per 100 kilometers.

During the Olympics the Hummer H2 was a regular sight in the city, standing guard on important overpasses and such. But after 2008 they largely disappeared from view.

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