Very few celebrities possess the prestige and air of mystery of former California Governor Mr. Universe and Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Similarly, very few cars have the prestige and air of mystery of the quintessential multi-purpose truck, the Mercedes-Benz Unimog. Combine the two and you’ve got an unstoppable set. . . Twins.
The 1977 Unimog U1300 pick-up was completely restored and modernised in 2012 by logo specialists in Germany, and had already been put on sale in 2014 and 2016.
Powered by a 240 kW 6. 4-litre inline six-cylinder turbodiesel engine and equipped with a manual transmission, the U1300 features 22. 5-inch wheels on huge Michelin XZL 445/65 profile tyres, with a diameter of 1. 15 metres.
There’s a hydraulic tilt cab, electric winch, game bars, and spotlights, but the odometer reads a modest 2,674 miles (4,300 km).
There’s even a Blaupunkt audio system.
Although this truck was modified, Mercedes-Benz introduced a limited-production “Funmog” in 1994. Based on the 408 series short-bed pickup truck, the Funmog included leather seats, interior carpets, game bars, and even air horns. Only 12 examples were produced.
The German tuning company Brabus has even created a traditional Unimog U500 for the Middle East market.
Schwarzenegger has signed the dashboard, and according to the listing on the Barrett Jackson auction website, the Unimog sale includes a full documentation file on the vehicle’s history.
When it was announced in 2016, the Unimog Schwarzenegger was listed at more than $350,000 (A$533,000), but the current auction has no estimated value and the car is indexed without reservation.
The Unimog arrived via the German commercial manufacturer Boehringer in 1948, and Mercedes-Benz took over the production and evolution of the vehicle in 1951.
Over countless generations and variants, the Unimog has featured all-wheel drive with gantry axles, power take-off functions and a customisable frame for commercial, civil and military use.
Unimog is an acronym for Universal-Motor-Gerät (which stands for Universal Motor Device), a nod to the truck’s curvature capacity.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mercedes-Benz Unimog U1300 SE will be auctioned through Barrett Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona, from January 20 to 28, 2024.
To make sure you don’t get an unfair deal, you can check out the list here.
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