It's too cold to be outside for very long here at the Four Wheeler Midwest Bureau, so this weekend I spent some time hunkered down in front of my new LCD television (wouldn't have it if my old tube TV wouldn't have puked, but dang, this new one sure has a nice picture) watching the Barrett-Jackson auction from Scottsdale, Arizona.  I began to weep when I saw this Hummer H3R on the block.  How did I not know this was coming?  For a guy who gets around a lot, apparently I don't get around much.    

I've drooled on this concept and SEMA rig more than once.  Most recently when I dropped off our H3 Trailhugger project at a semi-secret GM facility in Detroit so it could go to SEMA and I spied the H3R sitting in the warehouse.  This rig has a mind-boggling number of mods including a 7.0L V-8 with custom air induction and twin airboxes and an auxiliary 20-gallon fuel tank.  Some lucky soul bought it for only $44,000.  Cough.  Choke.  Hand me another tissue please.  Never mind that it didn't have a complete VIN, I'd deal with that later. 

Barrett-Jackson also auctioned off the H2 Safari concept for $45,100.  But that's not all.  There were scores of cool trucks on the block.  How about a '67 Toyota Land Cruiser and '67 Jeepster Commando from country singer Alan Jackson's personal collection that sold for $82,000 and $88,000 respectively.  GM bid farewell to other concepts too, like the '07 GMC Sierra HD Denali ($53,900) and a Chevy Tahoe North Face ($19,800).  I also saw a '77 Bronco go for $44,000. 

Being a truck guy I'm mostly interested in stuff with four-wheel-drive, but I had to take a breath when the NASCAR Cup-powered Plymouth Superbird sold for over a half million dollars.  More down to earth is the '80 Pontiac Trans Am with less than 500 actual miles that sold for $79,200.  If you call that down to earth. 

Anyway, did I mention I really dug that H3R?