Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger (at the New York Auto Show for the HUMMER H2 SUT unveiling) reportedly owns four HUMMERS.

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, tennis star Andre Agassi, writer Tom Clancy, boxer George Foreman, Steve Wozniak of Apple Computer, Walter Hewlett of Hewlett Packard, and actress Roseanne have something in common. All have purchased a HUMMER, in some cases several.

The HUMMER isn't a car.  It isn't a truck. It isn't another SUV. Instead it's a vehicle that defies categorization - a vehicle capable of going places and doing things no other wheeled vehicle in the world can.  Scale a 22" vertical rock ledge.  Ford 30" of water. Plow through a three-foot snowdrift. Claw your way up mountainous sand dunes. Climb 60% grades. Traverse 40% side slopes. Or simply fight your way through rush-hour traffic.

Some places though are off limits in the HUMMER. With a width of 86.5 inches without mirror (wider than the Ford Excursion), it can't navigate bank and fast food drive-throughs, and does need the exterior mirrors folded in when going through tollbooths.

The HUMMER wasn't designed; it was engineered with power, agility and durability for the U.S. Armed Forces. It needed to survive at least 12 years in grueling combat conditions, navigating hazardous terrain and passing the impassable.

AM General Corporation developed such a vehicle.  Except for a few refinements and creature comforts, the civilian HUMMER is basically unchanged from its military counterpart. Raised by wolves, the HUMMER has been successfully introduced to polite society.

HUMMERs come as 2-door and 4-door hard tops, 4-door open top, 4-door wagon, and slant back.  All come with a ground clearance of 16 inches, General Motors 6.5 L turbo diesel, V8 engine with 195 horsepower and 430 lb.-ft. of torque, anti-lock brakes, power steering and air conditioning.

Optional equipment includes items like a central tire inflation system, runflat tires, 12,000-pound winch, and monsoon sound system with CD changer. The Monsoon system features a weather band that receives national weather service broadcasts on any of seven channels - a valuable advantage when traveling in remote areas.  Customized for the HUMMER's unique interior, the system comes with six coaxial speakers, pedestal-mounted tweeters and a separate subwoofer enclosure for outstanding clarity. 

General Motors has negotiated with AM General for production of the HUMMER retail and naming rights, building on the HUMMER's heritage going back to the 1903 Overland Runabout.  Special features of the  2002 HUMMER H2 Vision Vehicle include a central information system with GPS navigation system with DVD video, e-mail and Internet access.

Whether in the mountains of Colorado or the desert of Baja, this equipment gives the security of knowing that you're going in the direction you need to go and that you can contact anyone you need to contact.

The HUMMER is manufactured in the South Bend/Mishawaka area of Indiana, 90 miles east of Chicago and 218 miles southwest of Detroit.  It's a community rich in industrial heritage but also famous for the campus of the University of Notre Dame and its legendary football team.  The history of transportation can be found at the Studebaker National Museum where more than 75 vehicles on display include the first and last vehicles produced by Studebaker plus carriages of four U.S. Presidents. 

A new expanded museum opens here in 2002. Tippecanoe Place Restaurant, now a fine continental restaurant, was originally the home of the former Studebaker Company President Clement Studebaker.  Completed in 1889 at a cost of a little more than $300 thousand, the home contains 40 rooms and 20 fireplaces.

For those who want to experience a HUMMER before paying the $100,000 price tag (about the same as a Mercedes-Benz S-Class), you can join Extreme HUMMER Adventures based in the Phoenix area.

With a HUMMER, valets will worship you. 

And Magellan, Lewis and Clark, Marco Polo are all looking down, thinking you're the one in heaven! [Details on the HUMMER]