It rose out of the U.S. military trenches and integrated itself into civilian life. The comment I first heard about the enormous beast called the Hummer was that it was unstoppable and able to tackle any terrain. In the sport of off-road, where fear has to be cut to a minimum, the Hummer seemed like it could suck any fear right out of the driver.

The Hummer's pure Army roots stem back to 1979, when AM General -- a military supplier for more than 50 years -- began design work on the M998 Series High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle. (With a name like that, it is no wonder why the military refers to them as Humvees.) The U.S. Army awarded AM General a prototype contract in 1981, and full-fledged production of the Humvee began in 1985. Currently, AM General has built and delivered more than 150,000 Humvees to the U.S. military and more than 30 allied nations.

But the rugged, versatile, four-wheel drive vehicle was not only a hit among the military ranks. The Hummer personified the "tough guy" image, and its release to the civilian majority made an impact like a crater stamped into the Earth by a meteor.

While the Hummer became a somewhat popular SUV-type passenger vehicle, the real impact came on the off-road circuit. It got down and dirty with the best of its off-road counterparts and became a notorious icon. Its low center of gravity, 130-inch wheelbase and 72-inch track width make the Hummer incredibly stable. Although not the most speedy of off-road vehicles, the Hummer shows amazing durability. (Success in off-road races is not due to how fast the vehicle finishes, but to how few mechanical mishaps the vehicle has.) At first the Hummer seemed by some a mockery in off-road, but soon it was realized that in the off-road realm, the Hummer would be unrivalled for a long time.

Redundancy is not always a negative term. Since its rookie year, Team Hummer has 15 first place finishes under their belt, including their domination at the annual Baja 1000. Win, after win, after win, makes the Hummer (in the eyes of some off-road enthusiasts) the undisputed champion of off-road.

Others would argue that the true meaning of off-road racing encompasses risk and skill. The majority of off-road vehicles have a 50/50 split between the machine's capability and the driver's skill. The Hummer, on the other hand, is closer to 90 percent machine capability and only 10 percent driver's skill. So, one could conclude that there is very little risk taken or skill needed to power a Hummer over rough desert terrain. But team Hummer happily will accept all of their victories, and off-road drivers and onlookers will dream of being harnessed within its aluminum-alloy-armored shell, conquering all that stands in its way.

The average "civilian" has no real need for a Hummer. It is much more suitable for military battle than for an off-road racing battle, yet there is still heightened fascination for this militaristic-achievement-turned-off-road marvel. There is something majestic about the ability to overtake, or at the very least compete with, nature. Hummer has that ability. And it is within our grasps -- as long as we can afford the $60,000+ price tag.