In last week’s look at a 1985 Mercury Lynx ad, several comments focused on the Lynx’s name – and other cars named after animals. That discussion brought to mind this 1967 DuPont Auto Products sweepstakes, where entrants could win one of six grand prizes – the cars listed in the ad… or their animal namesakes.
This ad made a point of stating that “animal lovers may choose a real beast instead of a car,” while another version of this ad mentioned that winners could opt for their prize “alive or on wheels.”
Somehow I feel the winners all chose the cars, as the thought of pet predatory cats or 1,000-lb. fish wouldn’t be too appealing to most people. But who knows? I’d love the see the list of winners and their respective choices.
Giving away animals wasn’t uncommon in past decades, though the practice was probably dubious even with domesticated species. Still, it’s fun to think of the possibilities. Would anyone like a pet ram (oh sorry, RAM)? A bit more evocative than a pet beetle, I suppose.
What other car models / animals would make for a good sweepstakes?
I am sure that such an ad today would say that you will win the equivalent named automobile. On the other hand, “Here kitty, kitty” as you call your pet jaguar. R-O-A-R! I’d take off fast.
In terms of future collectibility, one would have to choose the Jaguar (the car, not the cat). In a few years, they could have given away a Pinto. Plymouth Cricket? Buick Skylark, with cage? Mercury Cougar? VW Beetle?
This could be a long list, Eric. 🙂
I am old enough to remember DuPont auto products, and I would think that I used the auto polish a few times, but I don’t remember the ” Gold ” cans/line of products and I sure don’t remember this contest. Maybe I thought my chances of winning were too slim?
Does DuPont still sell a full line of car-related chemicals or have they been gone for decades, ” gobbled up ” by competitors like Turtle Wax?
I remember a lot of old ads from that era, but not this one. And I had completely forgotten about the existence of Golden 7.
My Uncle Bob once won a pony. I don’t remember the contest, but somehow he was the lucky winner. My cousins were far more excited about the win then he or my aunt were. They lived in a small county seat town and boarded “Sparky” at the fairgrounds for awhile. We got taken to ride Sparky on a visit. Uncle Bob was a man of few words, so when he said “Careful, Sparky bites” I kept my distance. Sparky didn’t stay around long.
I wonder what would happen if they gave away a Navigator or an Aviator? I could see some human trafficking implications.
I doubt many would choose an actual Jetstar.
Would they give you a Mustang or a Cobra, or both?
This would be fun with British cars, there’s not only animals but all kinds of creatures out there!
Howbout an AC Greyhound, Guy Wolf or Guy Otter? Reliant Kitten? Humber Super Snipe? Morris Mosquito? Wolseley Mudlark, anyone? Or a Scammell Mechanical Horse? Wait, is that an animal?!
Or something from the fairytale world: Riley Elf, Hillman Imp, MG Midget, or even Austin Princess or Daimler Green Goddess?
And some of these would definitely get you done for human trafficking: Alvis Grey Lady, Invicta Black Prince, Vauxhall Prince Henry, Daimler Majestic Major, Austin Gipsy, Guy Arab… Or a Hillman Minx? Morris Minor? No, wait, let’s not go there! Okay, a Ford Escort then?
How about a Volvo Amazon?
I wonder how many winners chose the animal rather than it name sake car?.
Darker times.. They would not get away with it now due to animal rights.
It isn’t just concern over animal rights. Here in Pennsylvania a person must have a permit to keep various animals as “pets.” Part of the concern is the welfare of the animal (for example, most people aren’t prepared for how much meat a big cat needs to eat). But part of it is concern over public safety (as shown by the Connecticut case a few years ago, when the male chimpanzee kept as a pet mauled and nearly killed a woman).
I remember this ad. It was a good marketing gimmick. An interesting facet of the contest is that the cars are given away in descending order. IOW, first place gets his choice of all six cars, second place gets his choice of the remaining five, etc. I’m going to take a wild guess and say that sixth place got the AMC.
A problem with an out-of-the-box promotion like this is there’s never any follow-up. Who’s to know if there were ever any actual winners and, if so, were any of them crazy enough to actually choose the live animal version?
OTOH, I also recall there used to be fine print at the bottom of these promotions where a list of winners could be requested.
They did try giving away ponies if you bought an Edsel, a promo that was as disastrous as everything else involving Edsels.
I’ve never heard of DuPont Golden 7, although looking online it seems it was sold up to 1984. By that time it seemed all the auto manufacturers were saying oil additives were unnecessary, if not outright recommending against their use.
The Dupont ad reminds me of this amusing Volvo tv commercial:
John Cameron Swayze sure could take a licking and keep on ticking.
There were some great old commercials there.
2nd place wins 2 Marlins.
I just have one question:
Where’s my elephant?!