Schwarzenegger the enviro's new $250,000 truck

The five-ton Mercedes Unimog U1300 isn't usually street legal in California, says Yahoo Autos. But Arnold Schwarzenegger has the money to customize and as the ex-governor he may know how to get his way with the regulations.

These trucks aren't sold by Mercedes in the United States, but see duty around the rest of the world as construction, forestry and military haulers, and are renowned for their off-road prowess.

While the $250,000 figure in customizing by German firm Mertec sounds high, it might also involve a fair bit of legal work; newer Unimog U1300s generally aren't legal on American roads; they can barely top 60 mph, and getting one registered for public driving in California may have taken months.

In his previous life Schwarzenegger was an early and enthusiastic driver of Hummers. That's before he became a green advocate and crusader on greenhouse gases while governor, of course. Here are some photos of Schwarzenegger test-driving the new behemoth in Germany.

Photo: Yahoo Autos