The Strangest Promotional Cars to Hit the StreetsIllustrations by Tobatron (Illustrations by Tobatron)"You wanna get nuts? Come on, let's get nuts!" may have been Bruce Wayne's unexpected catchphrase from Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film, but it also could serve as the pitch used by Madison Avenue to convince the eight companies seen here to go with a rather unconventional method of advertising their products. (And in one case, that phrase could be applied more literally than in others.) Cars have been gussied up with promotional paint jobs pretty much since the dawn of motor vehicles, but the examples below go the extra mile and then some, transforming transportation into rolling three-dimensional billboards sure to embed themselves in your memory long after you pass them on the highway.Red Bull X-90Half SUV and half coupe, the Suzuki X-90 was an unsuccessful early crossover, but its rowdy Sidekick roots and unnerving proportions made it a perfect vehicle for hocking candy-flavored caffeinated soda in the Nineties. The Red Bull X-90 featured a five-foot can and a full tank of attitude.Illustration by Tobatron (Illustration by Tobatron)Vernors Gnome MobileThe Vernors gnome mascot has come and gone throughout the ginger ale’s history. It peaked in the Seventies, when ad-agency man Ronald Bialecki donned a gnome costume and drove a decked-out AMC Pacer known as the Gnome Mobile to public appearances in the Detroit area.Illustration by Tobatron (Illustration by Tobatron)Birds Eye Pea CarClarence Birdseye pioneered frozen foods during the Roaring Twenties. A 2005 TV commercial from his eponymous brand featured a Pea Car that shed its body panels as it traveled down a road, a metaphor for the nutrients lost during a fresh vegetable’s journey to market. One actual Pea Car was built, with a Honda engine and a top speed of roughly 60 mph.Illustration by Tobatron (Illustration by Tobatron)Planters NUTmobileAs an immediately recognizable 26-foot legume, the NUTmobile represents the purest form of promotion. The first peanut-shaped promo car dates to 1935. Planters, which calls its drivers Peanutters, revived the concept in 1999 and revamped the NUTmobile last year with a neon-lit selfie station and peanut-shaped door handles.Illustration by Tobatron (Illustration by Tobatron)AdvertisementAdvertisementL.L.Bean BootmobilePerhaps the only vehicle more stereotypically Maine than a Subaru is L.L.Bean’s Bootmobile. The 13-foot-tall flagship truck debuted in 2012 for the Freeport-based outfitter’s centenary. U.S.-made diesel trucks underpin all four examples of the boot, which uses 12-strand braided mooring rope for shoelaces.Illustration by Tobatron (Illustration by Tobatron)Bic Cristal Ad TruckFor the burgeoning French pen brand Bic, there was no better advertising moment than the 1953 Tour de France. Bic put a spaceship-like body with pens arrayed along the sides on top of a Renault 2.5-ton truck chassis to lead the publicity caravan along the route.Illustration by Tobatron (Illustration by Tobatron)Lincoln Towing Toe TruckLincoln’s Toe Truck of Seattle debuted in 1980 and quickly became a Pacific Northwest icon, in part due to the disturbingly slimy sheen of its towering toes. The original left-foot truck was built from an old VW Bus chassis. In 1996, a matching right-foot truck was made from a 1968 Chevrolet van.Illustration by Tobatron (Illustration by Tobatron)Oscar Mayer WienermobileThe Oscar Mayer Wienermobile has been the preeminent promo vehicle since 1936, when Oscar’s nephew Carl G. Mayer fabricated the original for $5000. The rolling frankfurters have since been built on chassis from Dodge, Jeep, and Chevrolet, and a miniature version was based on a Mini Cooper.Illustration by Tobatron (Illustration by Tobatron)AdvertisementAdvertisementYou Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State