Ask someone to name a car redesigned to look like a company's primary product and I'm guessing most will think of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, but the idea of building "productmobiles" to act as a marketing and goodwill ambassador wasn't confined to weiners. Back in 1947, Zippo Manufacturing built the Zippo Car to look like a pair of the company's world famous Zippo Windproof Lighters.
Beautiful Autumn weather was reason enough for my wife and I to take a long drive through northwestern Pennsylvania this past weekend, but, always with an eye out for interesting technical attractions, I managed to navigate in the right direction until we stopped in Bradford, PA at the Zippo Manufacturing Museum and, parked right out front, was the Zippo Car. I'd never seen the car before or even heard of it. Just looking at this piece of Americana reminds you of early newsreel images from Industry on Parade.
The car is a 1947 Chrysler Saratoga, extensively modified with the passenger cabin redesigned to look like a pair of the company's famous Zippo lighters, the entire cost of the reconstruction, in 1947, totaled only $25,000. However, the car we saw is actually the second Zippo Car, because the first, in 1952, after touring 48 states and covering many thousands of miles, was sent to Toohey Motors in Pittsburgh for numerous repairs and upgrades. The cost just for the rework was over $40,000 and there didn't seem to be any need to hurry the job along. Many years went by and in the 1970s, Zippo began thinking about restoring the car for the 50th anniversary of the company in 1982. By this time, Toohey Motors had long been out of business and no one knew where the car was. Many public searches and advertising campaigns later, all the way up until 1995, failed to locate the original car.
In 1996 another 1947 Chrysler was purchased and sent to Joe Griffin's Custom Upholstery in Memphis, TN. Working from photos of the original, they began the transformation. Eighteen months and $250,000 later, the car was done. Compared to photos of the first, it looks like they did a great job.
These early advertising vehicles reflect a wonderful and simpler time in our manufacturing past and attractions like these are just the sort of thing that make me turn off the main highways and look for a little history in our smaller towns and cities. If you know of any productmobiles close to where you live, take the time to have a look, and if you do, send us some photos.
Link: Zippo
FREEMAN says
October 17, 2011 at 6:20 amThe first thing I thought of was the small, pink “Toe” Truck here in Seattle, WA of Lincoln Towing. Here’s a photo. Probably not much of a productmobile per se, but more of a “service-mobile” I guess. I believe it still sits on top of their building. I’ve seen the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile around here as well.
Paul Crowe says
October 17, 2011 at 2:30 pmThat “Toe Truck” is very cool, I love it!
I think there are several Weinermobiles, because they seem to be everywhere, I’ve seen “it” quite a few times, either that or it’s on the road constantly.
john says
November 23, 2011 at 10:36 amMy great great uncle was in on the ‘startup’ of NuGrape Soda , and owned a bottling plant producing same. He had a car made with the body looking like a bottle of NuGrape pop. I have a poor quality reprint of an original photo, but do not possess the technology to scan and mail it. Sorry. Its pretty cool though…
john says
November 23, 2011 at 10:48 amnugrape
Apparently there was more than one of these cars! Got curious and starting linking around…Fairly computer illiterate so it appears that my attempt to insert the photo and/or link I found failed, but anyway, “Uncle irvin’s” car looks very similar to the photo I found – the grille is slightly different, but basically the same body.
FREEMAN says
December 7, 2011 at 11:45 pmI think I may have found a photo of the nugrape car. Does it look like this? The text below the photo claims it’s for the Nugrape Company.
FREEMAN says
December 7, 2011 at 11:31 pmI posted a comment earlier about a whole bunch of productmobiles I found pictures too. Looks like it hasn’t been appoved yet. It was a LOT of links in that comment. One of the cars reminded me of the Skateking skatecar here in Bellevue, WA which I had forgotten all about. Here’s a photo. As far as I know, it still sits in the corner of the skate rink. Use to skate there weekly as a kid.
FREEMAN says
December 8, 2011 at 1:23 amHaha. I just found a great blog dedicated to productmobiles. Here’s the link. I have only glanced at it so far, but there appears to be a lot of great photos on there.