8 Promotional Vehicles That Took Advertising to the Limit – Jalopnik

In recent decades, many companies have introduced vehicles as part of their marketing campaigns. It started as a quirky tactic used mainly by small businesses, but gradually turned into a full-blown promotional frenzy over the last two decades of the 20th century.

The more brands looked for bigger and bolder ways to stand out, the more unconventional these creations became. And among the many promotional vehicles that debuted, some took the concept wheels a little too far. They weren’t necessarily the most successful campaigns; some were technical oddities or ergonomic nightmares, but they certainly turned heads.

The 1936 Wienermobile is perhaps the most iconic of the bunch, but other promotional vehicles have also vied for the title of ‘most outside the box’ (or the brand). Many of these are now in museums, while others still occasionally hit the road. But while technology continues to change the face of marketing, these machines remain valuable reminders of a special era in advertising.

In the early 1970s, South African citrus brand Outspan unveiled what became one of the most distinctive and strangest custom vehicles in history: the Outspan Orange. A round chassis made from two Mini subframes, a bright orange paint scheme, a bumpy, orange peel exterior and a green leaf added on top for effect. The car was designed to resemble in every way the fruit it promoted, on wheels.

Power came via a 998cc A-series engine, which could comfortably travel up to 90 kilometers in a Mini. In an Outspan that would be asking for trouble. With its 48-inch wheelbase and 15-foot turning circle, the car had a precarious center of gravity – a few miscalculations and it could literally tip over. Engineers ensured the ugly reality would never happen by adding 200 pounds of ballast to the rear.

Like many promotional vehicles, the Outspan Orange wasn’t the most practical ride. It had no hood, which meant that access to the engine was only possible from the cramped cabin. Heat was also a constant companion, partly due to the engine compartment’s proximity to the driver’s seat. Still, the Outspan Orange fulfilled its purpose as a marketing response to the harsh political climate that plagued the company at the time. Six examples were built between 1972 and 1974, each with a slightly different touch.

The Big Idaho Potato truck is just like any regular 10-wheel truck, but what it carries is a little weird. The truck is transporting what is billed as ‘the largest potato in the world’ on its low loader. It’s actually inedible; this 4-ton behemoth is made of fiberglass and steel, put together by Chris and Sharolyn Schofield. For reference, the largest potato ever harvested weighed 11 pounds (802 times less).

If the Big Idaho Potato really existed, science suggests it would take about 7,000 years to grow and weigh the same as 21,562 regular potatoes. In kitchen terms, that’s equivalent to 20,217 servings of mashed potatoes or a million French fries, which is enough to feed a small town. From bumper to bumper, the entire truck-and-tater combination stretches 75 feet, or about five cars long.

The Big Idaho Potato Truck first hit the road in 2012 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Idaho Potato Commission. Since then it has made at least 13 tours of the United States.

The 2004 version of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile remains as whimsical as its 1936 forebear. This generation retains the classic concept: a large bright orange “hot dog” atop a yellow bun-shaped chassis. The first is 27 feet of fiberglass – a length equivalent to 55 hot dogs on the Oscar Mayer scale – and features a panoramic glass dome that serves as the driver’s cab. Inside, it’s a continuation of the playful theme: a hotdog-shaped dashboard, ketchup-and-mustard-colored upholstery, and a horn that proudly honks the iconic “Oscar Mayer Wiener Jingle.”

Built on a Chevrolet W4 truck chassis by Santa Barbara-based Specialty Vehicles, only seven were produced, all powered by 5.7-liter Vortech V8 engines. Only officially trained Oscar Mayer “Hotdoggers” are allowed to drive. These brand ambassadors travel across the country at 65mph, taking food puns and staying completely in character.

The Voxmobile looks like a pair of Vox Phantom guitars that have gone for a ride. The brainchild of custom car legend George Barris – the same mind behind classics like the 1966 Batmobile – the Voxmobile was born in 1967, when Vox commissioned Barris to create a showpiece unlike anything on the road. At the time, Vox was highly regarded as the supplier of guitars, organs and amplifiers to bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and wanted a promotional vehicle to reflect its electric spirit. The requirements were simple: make it half car, half Vox amp.

Unlike many other promotional vehicles that were simply reworked production models, the Voxmobile was built from the ground up. Literally every inch of the vehicle screams ‘Vox’. Aside from the rather obvious pair of Phantom guitars adorning either side of the hand-built metal, fiberglass and wood chassis, the passenger-side dash features the control panel of a Vox Super Beatle amplifier. More Super Beatles are hidden under and around the chairs. The boldest act takes place in the back, where a two-tiered playable Vox Super Continental organ sits.

The Voxmobile is no slouch either. A Ford Cobra 289 engine pushes its radar wheels past 60 mph on a good day. The Voxmobile cost about $30,000 in 1967 (or nearly $300,000 in 2025) and was featured in everything from concerts and TV shows like “Dialing For Dollars” and “Groovy” to movies like “Psych-Out.”

In post-World War II America, an era when cigarette smoking was still considered a healthy pastime, nothing screamed “badass promotion” like a lighter on wheels. That was precisely the vision of George Blaisdell, inventor of the iconic metal reusable Zippo lighter, when he commissioned the production of a branded vehicle in 1947 as part of a wider $25,000 marketing stunt.

The Zippo car, designed and built by Pittsburgh-based company Gardner Display, is a modified Chrysler Saratoga, topped with two giant Zippo lighters with fully functional flip-top mechanisms that opened and closed like the real thing. However, the metal lighters were heavy and took their toll on the tires and overall maintenance of the vehicle

Sadly, the original Zippo car is no more; in its place is a 1996 replica that sits proudly in the Zippo/Case Museum in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Zippo Manufacturing Company spent $250,000 on this new model. So it’s no surprise that it’s loaded with a number of modern features. These include five-foot fiberglass flames, power windows and a reinforced suspension, all powered by a 350-cubic-inch Chevrolet small-block V8 engine rated at 250 horsepower.

Planters Peanuts’ NUTmobile (affectionately known as ‘the iconic legume’) is shaped like a giant peanut shell, paying tribute to the brand’s signature snack. Over the 90 years that the iconic vehicle has been on the road since its debut in 1935, it has appeared in several slightly different iterations. The very first NUTmobile was a modestly built promotional car, designed to resemble a peanut as much as possible. Later versions were more refined: a fiberglass exterior with curved, noodle-like edges to mimic the peanut’s natural contours.

In 2011, a now retired environmentally conscious model was introduced, which ran on biodiesel and integrated solar and wind energy to power the auxiliary systems. The current fleet of three NUTmobles, manufactured by Hudson-based specialty manufacturer Turtle Transit, runs on 6.0-liter V-8 engines housed by a 2014 Isuzu W4 chassis. General Motors’ V-8 normally produces about 322 and 360 horsepower, enough to give the NUTmobile a comfortable cruising speed of about 80 mph.

Using a peanut as the unit of measure, the NUTmobile weighs a whopping 3 million peanuts, which shouldn’t be too surprising considering its 26-foot length, 11-foot height, and 8-foot width. Inside, it features a fully customized cabin, equipped with GPS navigation and other modern amenities. Behind the wheel are the brand’s enthusiastic ambassadors known as ‘Peanutters’, three hand-picked drivers who beat out the approximately 1,000 people who sign up each year.

Outdoor clothing and gear company LLBean’s Bootmobile has a hulking trunk that swallows a GMC Sierra truck in its sole. The makers claim it’s a truck in a trunk, not the other way around. Bringing the Bootmobile to life required extensive planning. Early concepts actually placed the trunk facing rearwards before the design evolved into the now iconic forward-facing version. There was also a lot of 3D modeling involved. Real LL Bean boots and miniature pickup models were scanned and digitally merged. Then the boots were cut apart and fitted with truck models inside. An outer sculpture first molded in foam, the car’s construction is a structural network of fiberglass, aluminum and steel.

The dimensions of the Bootmobile are astonishing: 4 meters high and 6 meters long. Only someone with a shoe size 708 could fit comfortably in the trunk; the support would probably be taller than the Statue of Liberty. Even the laces are oversized. They are made of 12-strand, two-inch braided mooring rope of the type used on tugboats, strong enough to pull 106,000 pounds.

The three active Bootmobiles debuted just 13 years ago (counting the original 2012 model) and have collectively racked up more than 350,000 miles and traveled to more than half of the U.S. states.

The Kissmobile has been a street legend since its inception in 1997. Together with the redesigned Oscar Mayer Wienermobile (also a handiwork of Bruce Brackman), the oddly shaped creation of chocolate brand Hershey is perhaps America’s most iconic promotional vehicle.

The Kissmobile’s most defining features are its three 8-foot fiberglass Kisses, which sit atop a GMC 4-W W-Series chassis. Inside it is a children’s entertainment: more than 230,000 milk chocolate samples ready for distribution. There is a real entertainment center in the center area, equipped with a TV, DVD player and other essentials for events on the road. Thanks to the humorously named “Kissmobile stinker,” an exhaust attachment that emitted a light chocolate aroma, this vehicle rolls by like a sweet-tooth wake-up call for anyone sniffing around the area.

A GM Vortex 5700 V8 gas engine paired with a 4180E transmission powers the Kissmobile. With this combination, the vehicle has covered more than 400,000 kilometers in its 18-year lifespan. Although it is now retired – no thanks to the difficulty of finding replacement parts – fans can still admire the original model proudly displayed at the entrance to the AACA Museum.