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There was something for everyone at SEMA 2021 this year, including a Mercedes-Benz Unimog. There are a lot of rumors surrounding this particular Unimog, including that it used to belong to Arnold Schwarzenegger on a farm somewhere in California. According to Optima, this specific version is the WEISTEC 1998 Mercedes-Benz U1550L.

Arnold Schwarzenegger would have a Mercedes-Benz Unimog

This Mercedes-Benz Unimog Belonged to Arnold Schwarzenegger at SEMA 2021
SEMA 2021: This Mercedes-Benz Unimog belonged to Arnold Schwarzenegger | Amanda Cline, Motorbiscuit

Schwarzenegger is no stranger to cool cars, showing up on Jay Leno’s show, Jay Leno’s Garage, with various vehicles. One of those included a 2016 Electric Mercedes G-Wagen that went up in value once people found out who owned it. But at SEMA 2021 this week, the Mercedes-Benz Unimog showed up at the Optima Batteries booth.

According to an article by Optima, the group took two Mercedes-Benz Unimog vehicles out to Moab, Utah, earlier this week. Cam Douglas, director of marketing at Optima, says that the Unimog is “an incredible vehicle that is extremely capable in any on or off-road activity.” He also noted it was pretty slow and called the speed at which it travels “Unimog time.”

The Unimog has an inline-turbo diesel that allows it to climb hills, albeit at a slow rate of speed.

The WEISTEC 1998 Mercedes-Benz Unimog U1550L lived on a farm

SEMA 2021: This Mercedes-Benz Unimog Belonged to Arnold Schwarzenegger
1998 Mercedes-Benz Unimog U1550L | Amanda Cline, Motorbiscuit

This WEISTEC 1998 Mercedes-Benz Unimog U1550L was fairly impressive. According to the guys at Optima, Schwarzenegger brought this Unimog into the country back in 2001. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger had some issues importing it into the country because it wasn’t old enough to get imported in the old-fashioned way. To get around those import laws, it was imported as a piece of farm equipment.

The group repainted and shined up the Unimog to make it look a bit better as it drove through Moab. The vehicle is entirely mechanical, without any computers. That’s the military way. As far as gas mileage, it isn’t going to be a vehicle for cross-country trips. But if you are headed out to the dessert to mess around with another Unimog, it works just fine.

Since this one belonged to Arnold Schwarzenegger, the price reflected that. The buyers probably paid between $300,00 and $450,000 for it, depending on when it went up for sale last.

This U1550L probably doesn’t see the light of day very often

The Optima booth at SEMA 2021 | Amanda Cline, Motorbiscuit

The guys at Optima Batteries had this 1998 Mercedes-Benz Unimog hooked up to an OPTIMA Chargers Digital 1200 Battery Charger to keep it charged up. It is likely if you own one of these huge off-road (or farming) machines, you probably don’t drive it very often. Keeping it plugged into a charger is an excellent way to keep it ready for any adventures you might run into.

Either way, this 1998 Mercedes-Benz Unimog is an awesome piece of automotive history. If you have a farm and a knack for hard-to-drive equipment, this one is for you.

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Amanda Cline

Amanda Cline is an avid fan of Formula 1 and joined MotorBiscuit in 2021. A Southwest Floridian, she easily and often finds automotive events to attend in the Tampa, Orlando, and Miami areas.
Amanda is a graduate of the University of Central Florida, where she earned a Bachelor’s in English Literature and a Master’s in Technical Communication. Combining her editorial and digital media expertise, Amanda served as a content creator for FanSided and now provides our readers with a variety of automotive subject matter like pickup trucks and SUVs, including valuable consumer advice.

Amanda closely follows many F1 drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. Her all-time favorite author is Shel Silverstein.