Arnold and the Hummer The civilian Hummer model owes its existence in part to Arnold Schwarzenegger. While on location in Oregon shooting the movie Kindergarten Cop, he saw a convoy of Army Humvees driving along Interstate 5. Intrigued, he asked what they were, and began trying to find out how he could get one. At that time, the vehicles were built only for the military and were not sold to individual buyers. But with Schwarzenegger's persuasion and the great publicity the vehicles got during Desert Storm, AM General decided to develop a civilian version. The first one, of course, was delivered to Arnold, in July 1992, and the macho man has been building his own fleet ever since. Arnold's 1st Hummer has serial number 001 gold plated on the dash to commemorate it's most famous owner. This Hummer was recently auctioned off as a fundraiser for the Special Olympics, with the winner receiving a one year lease of this most special Hummer! Arnold, who turned 55 on July 30 2002, attended the 2002 Hummer Homecoming where he was presented with a birthday cake and a new H2 Hummer. He already owns five Hummers and an H2, but said the new car will be useful because his wife, Maria Shriver, has been driving the H2 so much. "She didn't like the big one. She said it was too wide and she felt ridiculous in it," he said. General Motors Corp., which acquired the brand name Hummer from South Bend-based AM General in December 1999, gave $13 million last year to the Inner-City Games Foundation, which serves more than 200,000 youths in 15 U.S. cities. In 2003 Arnold succesfully ran as a Republican gubernatorial candidate in the state of California, winning 48% of the popular vote. Governor Schwarzenegger is expected to take office in November. Read the archives on Arnold and the
Hummer H2 concept vehicle |
