The name of The Terminator is synonymous with power. The man known as the Austrian Oak made a name for himself in North America in the sport of bodybuilding over four decades ago, shattering records and taking home more trophies than anyone in history up until that point. He put the sport of bodybuilding on the map, and later parlayed that physique of his to the Hollywood screen. He started slow, getting roles for himself in TV and bit parts in film, but it was only a matter of time before he would steal the show and become a household name all over the world. He has starred in some of the most influential films of the modern era of film and has garnered quite the reputation as an action hero and personality with catch phrases and memorable roles to his name. Some films include the Terminator franchise, True Lies, Commando, Conan and the list goes on. He is also a successful business man and real estate developer.

Fast forward years later and he has also added to his list of accomplishments, an eight year run in the office of California, and despite many critics, his run as leader was very successful, having accomplished many things for the sick, the old and the youth of California. Not to mention doing quite a number on the financial deficit that the prior leader, Gray Davis, had brought upon himself and the state of California.

But what you may not know about this man is that he is a huge fanatic of everything on wheels, primarily trucks and most importantly the Hummer. He has an extensive collection, and we’ve got a few golden nuggets of information regarding his history with the brand of vehicles. Read on and learn a few things about the man, the myth, the legend and his collection of cars and Hummers.

20 His History With The Brand

It was while the actor was filming Kindergarten Cop that he first saw some Hummers in action. He was on set in between filming scenes in Oregon when a slew of Hummers went strolling by the set.

Apparently, they were being driven towards a base in the area, and it didn’t take long for Arnie to fall in love with the beasts.

He immediately looked into getting one for himself, but that would prove to be a little more difficult than he would imagine. But like anything else in his life, he wasn’t simply going to take no for an answer.

19 His Love Of Powerful Trucks Of Any Kind

Arnie already had a love for vehicles of any kind, but was seriously impressed with huge trucks. Today his collection numbers in the dozens and can rival any collector of vehicles out there, even his good buddy Jay Leno, who has a very extensive collection, which is prominently featured on the show Jay Leno’s Garage. Arnie’s truck portion of his collection is rather impressive, and the types of trucks he drives around Los Angeles are definitely not your average fare. He has been seen about town driving many beasts other than hummers and that’s simply because he is a huge fan of anything beastly, in the form of vehicles, that is.

18 Hummers Weren't Street Legal When He First Wanted One

Perhaps the biggest of road blocks that Arnie hit when inquiring about getting a Hummer for himself was that the army vehicles were not street legal at that time, which was in the early nineties.

Executives responsible for this were very reluctant to let anyone other than  personnel drive the monstrous trucks around cities and bases.

The general consensus was that they didn’t want to be responsible should anything ever happen in terms of accidents or anything else pertaining to their vehicle. But Arnie definitely wanted one, as he saw an affinity between himself and the vehicle.

17 He Flew Down To Meet With Executives To Commission His Own Model

Intent on getting his way, he flew down to South Bend and met with AM General executives to convince them to let him have one. Apparently, it was a long drawn out battle of negotiations and only after he signed a waiver, freeing AM General of any responsibility should anything happen, did they let him have a Hummer. Yet, even though he was granted one, he truly believed that the Hummer in general would do well in a buyer’s market, so he further petitioned for the vehicle to be made available to one and all.

16 Arnie's Hummer #1

Arnie himself can be seen driving quite a few hummers, but there are four in particular that he is not often seen without.

This monstrosity pictured here is often showcased online when showing the relationship Arnie has with the vehicle.

It definitely is not your average Hummer, and can outclass any large vehicle in a heartbeat. The interior is just as impressive as the exterior. With a lot of leg room, the vehicle has a lot of space for Arnie, his guests and of course, all those muscles he’s always sporting.

15 Arnie's Hummer #2

Definitely a more classic model, and relatively close to the original Hummer he first owned, although that one was sand-coloured. The military green just sums up the history of the brand and reminds the public exactly where this exceptionally strong vehicle hails from. Its lineage is rich indeed and Arnie proudly reminds people that the vehicle was born in the service and used by the great men and women that defend the country and the world in times of war. And Arnie himself is no stranger to the warrior on the warpath mentality, as many of his characters have reflected that credence time and time again.

14 He Put The Vehicle Company On The Map Globally

So it was in 1992 that the very first Hummers available to the public were put on the market. And who did the world have to thank? None other than Arnie himself. Truth be told, he didn’t have to petition for the vehicles to be available to one and all, as he could have just kept the novelty for himself. After all, he’d already gotten one. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Arnie, it’s that he’s not a selfish man. Yes, he has worked to build himself into the icon he is today, both physically and business-wise, but he gives back to the world and the community, which he showed with that move.

13 Sales Grew Rapidly After Attaching His Name To The Product

And as is to be expected, sales went through the roof in the first quarter and any other quarter after that. In the 90s, everybody and their brother wanted to get their hands on a Humvee.

The vehicle just represented strength and power and any motor head worth his salt needed to get their mitts on one.

Just to drive it through the streets would have been amazing, let alone have it parked out front in the driveway. After all, Arnie had one, didn’t he? But instead of taking all the press for himself, Arnie stepped back, supportive, but he let the vehicle speak for itself, and slowly, the world started to eat it up, sales, impressing even the reluctant executives at AM General.

12 Arnie's Hummer #3

His red H1 is also a very beautiful addition to his multi-faceted collection of vehicles. It’s classic shape and vibrant colour only adds to the plethora of vehicles he possesses. What must be said also is that the connection between Arnie and this vehicle is rather interesting. The juxtaposition of both brands—because when a Hollywood icon becomes thus, he/she becomes a brand; there’s no two ways about it—is rather glaring in comparison. They were both the big boys in town and they both exploded onto the scene because of their size and power. That shock value was big in bringing both their names to the table in a big way. Many have wondered if it was perhaps this that drew Arnie to the mighty machines.

11 His Complete Car Collection Is Extensive

But like we said before, his entire car collection is in fact huge. Among motor heads, his collection is renowned like that of say, Jay Leno and even Sylvester Stallone. There are indeed many Hollywood stars that love cars and collect them extensively. John Cena is yet another example of this, as you readers of HotCars very well know. The amount of cars in his collection is definitely huge, but the type of cars he drives and collects are where the real interest lies. Not many out there can afford to drive the cars he cruises down the roads of LA.

10 Arnie's Hummer #4

Perhaps this yellow Hummer is one of the most famous in his collection, as the colour yellow for Hummers is rather popular, and probably comes in at a close second as most favoured colours for Hummers, just under green and camouflage of course.

This is one of Arnie’s earlier acquisitions, which probably numbers at about five Hummers.

His red pickup Hummer, his original sand-coloured custom, his green classic, his gigantic sand-coloured one (a colour he seems to favour), and of course this yellow one pictured here. There may be more in his collection, but these are the mainstays, it seems and the ones he is pictured to be driving most days.

9 He Was Scrutinized By Environmentalists For Driving Hummers

Well, as was to be expected, environmentalists sure had their qualms when it came to what Arnie was driving, and the messages it sent out to the public, especially when he ran for office in California. And we’d like to say right off the bat that environmentalists have the right idea, as they’re only trying to keep this planet of ours safe and clean. But Arnie did come under fire a tad for seemingly supporting the driving and use of tons and tons of fuel, which has been said to be a leading cause of pollution and of course, consumption.

8 His Hummers Actually Run On Alternate Fuel

Only environmentalist needn’t have worried, as Arnie was already way ahead of them. He is one of the first people to think about the planet and while he could, he worked closely on finding other ways to conserve energy, raw materials and keep the planet clean and safe for generations to come. As many motor heads who love cars and trucks, there are many ways we can do our part to love and drive the vehicles we like and keep the planet clean at the same time. As for Arnie, he actually uses biodiesel, hydrogen and vegetable oil in three of his Hummers.

7 Arnie's Dodge Challenger

Well, as we’ve cleared up, the Austrian Oak doesn’t only collect the vehicle he brought to the public domain. He has an extensive and expensive collection of cars. Among them is this beautiful Dodge Challenger.

It packs a ton of horsepower and at the same time serves as some scrumptious eye candy in and of itself.

Arnie seems quite fond of it as well, as he’s been seen driving it out and about quite often. The paint job is absolutely eye-catching and the purr it makes when he starts it up is a crowd pleaser for anyone watching. He gets a kick out of that, we’re sure.

6 He Had To Distance Himself From The Product

It’s no wonder that he had to stay away from the product while he was running California. Despite the fact that he does everything and anything he can to be environmentally conscious, as we’ve shown here, there were still too many negative comments flying about that the leader was hurting the environment by driving such hugely powerful vehicles. Therefore there was no course of action but to distance himself publicly from the product while he ran and was in office. But between you and I, do you think that that kept the good dude down? And more importantly, do you think he abstained from driving his most favoured vehicles? Read on.

5 He Still Loved The Product And Kept Them In His Collection

Of course he did! Do you really think he was going to sell all his Hummers and trucks just to please the masses of naysayers? No way. Especially coming from a man who did everything in his power to bring them to the market, this should have been the last thing you expected. He definitely respected all naysayers and environmentalists alike, as he didn’t flaunt his collection directly in the public eye from 2004 to about 2012, and that was appreciated by many. He definitely showed a lot of tact by doing so and he needs to be commended. But that didn’t mean he didn’t drive them around as covertly as was humanly possible.

4 Arnie's Bugatti Veyron

The Bugatti Veyron is one of those rare treasures circulating the world’s most elite car collections. And if you were wondering if Arnie himself had one, not to worry, as he definitely does.

Pictured here, the car is definitely a sight that would make any motor head’s heart melt and eyes bulge a foot out of their heads.

The Bugatti Veyron saw the light of day in about 2005 after quite a few years on the design table. The car is listed as one of the most expensive in the world and definitely as one of the most impressive, style and performance wise.

3 He Wasn't A Fan Of The H3

Now Arnie wasn’t one to mince words. He still isn’t and he never was. He saw things his way and called them as he saw fit. That’s a definitely admirable quality and one he still practices every chance he gets. It can sometimes be comical, and sometimes, it’s gotten him in a tad of trouble with the media, but he has powered through and the honesty of his statements must be respected. After all, it’s better to tell the truth than to lie just to be accepted by the masses with open hearts and open arms. So it was to many a deep chagrin that when the H3 came out, Arnie stated that he wasn’t a fan. Truthfully, it was a vast departure from where the Hummer had been. It looked more like an SUV at a larger scale, but an SUV nonetheless. It didn't have that "it" factor that original models had.

2 One Of Arnie's Many Mercedes Vehicles

After all these years, Arnie has still kept his fit frame. It sure takes a lot out of his schedule, but he still makes it to the gym for about an hour every day. He loves to bike and still pumps the iron—albeit—a little lighter these days, but his guns are still worthy of a little oohing and ahhing, that’s for sure. This beast that’s supporting Arnie’s still fit frame is often seen being driven by the man himself. He absolutely loves Mercedes vehicles and has many in his collection. One is called a Merex Unimog, and is definitely worthy of the name “monster.” The specs speak for themselves and the body is a work of art worthy of any fan of massive and powerful vehicles. Expensive? No doubt. The photo above is of a modified G-Wagon.

1 Out To Lunch

As we stated earlier, Arnie’s been pictured many a time out in Hollywood driving his numerous vehicles, impressing and shocking pedestrians for years now. But the paparazzi have actually made a point of seeking Arnie out to see exactly which vehicle he’ll be driving today.

In fact, it’s become a “thing” among paparazzi everywhere.

For years, Arnie’s routine has been ironclad—no pun intended. He goes to the gym, showers up, and goes to lunch, most often at Cafe Roma. He’s often joined by none other than his good buddy, Sylvester Stallone, who has a pretty impressive car collection himself. The two often play for the paparazzi, good-naturedly, as the press snaps shots of them with their many cars. They’re great sports and the instances have made fro some pretty funny moments.

Sources: BusinessInsider.com, WashingtonPost.com