A genuine military HMMWV — AM General’s M998A1 cargo/troop carrier.

This is the real thing: a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle — the HMMWV, universally known as the “Humvee” — built by AM General of Mishawaka, Indiana. AM General won the U.S. Army’s competition to replace the aging Jeep, Gama Goat and a fleet of light tactical trucks, and the HMMWV entered service in 1985. From a single common chassis the company spun off more than a dozen variants — cargo and troop carriers, weapons platforms, ambulances, shelter carriers and TOW missile carriers — and the design earned worldwide fame during the 1991 Gulf War, later inspiring the civilian Hummer H1. Its hallmark is go-anywhere capability: a very wide, low-slung stance, around 16 inches of ground clearance, geared hub reduction at each corner, fully independent suspension, inboard brakes and full-time four-wheel drive, all powered by a naturally-aspirated GM-derived diesel V8 driving through a three-speed automatic.

This particular truck is documented by its U.S. Army data plate as an M998A1 — the product-improved base cargo/troop carrier rated at 1-1/4 tons — manufactured by AM General with a vehicle curb weight of 5,380 lb and a maximum payload of 2,500 lb, delivered new in September 1994 under a U.S. government contract. Finished in Desert Sand, it remains exactly as it was built for service: indestructible, utterly without pretension, and the collection’s go-anywhere counterpoint to the thoroughbreds parked alongside it.