Promotional Vehicles Part 5: Beverages

Roarington’s journey into the world of promotional vehicles continues today with creations dedicated to beverages, from the 1920s to the present day. The Freixenet Cava Bottle Car was a one-off built for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition. It was designed in the shape of a giant bottle of Freixenet cava (Spanish sparkling wine). The winemaker didn’t miss the opportunity of the Expo, which drew just under 6 million visitors—a great showcase for the Freixenet brand!

The Cava Bottle Car of Spanish wine producer Freixenet was used to promote sparkling wine at the 1929 Barcelona World's Fair.

At the 1938 Giro d'Italia cycling race, Campari, the company that had become famous for the Bitter-based drink invented in 1860 in the city of Novara and characterised by its dark red colour, also turned up in a modified Packard with two bottles on the roof. It certainly did not go unnoticed!

Campari's Packard followed the travelling caravan of the Giro d'Italia cycling race in 1938.

About a decade later, another sponsor of the Giro d'Italia that was able to make a name for itself was Chinotto Neri, which debuted on the market in 1949 offering a blend of bitter citrus fruits and other herbs. Playing with the Italian pronunciation of 8, “otto” used to introduce itself as Chin8 Neri. Not only did several cars drive around Italian cities with gigantic reproductions of the bottles, but a modified Fiat was also created for the Giro with the entire transparent interior in the shape of a Chin8 bottle. Spectacular but how effective? Chinotto, in fact, is dark...

The Fiat made by the Chin8 Neri company with the entire interior in the shape of a transparent bottle.

Mobile aperitif for Cinzano with this van adapted as a well-stocked bar for the famous drink from Turin. The rear area looks like the cockpit of a boat from which aperitifs are served on chairs and tables set up like a real travelling bar.

A real mobile bar at Cinzano with an adapted van.

And how can we forget beer? In England during the 1960s another bottle-shaped vehicle appeared in the Grand Parade celebrating the Centenary of the Blaydon Races. It was a British brewery, based in Burton-on-Trent, that built it to promote one of the world's most recognised beer brands, Bass Beer.

Another Bottle Car was that of Bass Beer in the 1960s, one of the world's most recognised brands.

A similar approach to the above examples was that of Red Bull, the world-famous energy drink that today sponsors extreme sports of all kinds and even has a Formula 1 team that dominated the last World Championships with Max Verstappen. Initially, however, the approach was to be present in the most popular places, such as parks, universities and beaches. A key element of the marketing strategy was the Red Bull Wings Team, where branded cars with a giant can of Red Bull on the roof driven by beautiful girls caught the attention of consumers.

The famous Red Bull MINI with the huge can at the back to promote the Austrian energy drink in popular locations such as parks, universities and beaches.