The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was released in 1936 with the designer being Oscar Mayers nephew, Carl J. Mayer and has been redesigned by Brooks Stevens in 1958 and looks more futuristic, this was the year when the buns were incorporated in the design for the very first time.
There are only six Wienermobiles traveling on the roads in the United States. Each driver of the Wienermobile is known as "The Hotdogger" and Gear Head got to see one of them up close.
The Wienermobile is 27ft long, 8 feet wide, and weighs 14,500 pounds. It can seat up to 6 passengers including the driver with comfy red and yellow air hydraulic e seats. The new Wienermobile body types are all fiberglass and they all come with cool appointments such as the Star Wars like gull-wing entrance door with a retractable staircase for easy exits and access, the dashboard is shaped like a Hot Dog, it comes equipped with a GPS navigational system, a lavish “mustard condiment splattered carpet", voice and touch screen controls for the onboard sound system, Bluetooth, and navigation. The Wienermobile “bunroof” is also detachable and there is a rear navigation camera so the driver can see when in reverse, awesome blue sky ceiling art, a smiling front grill and official Oscar Mayer wiener jingle horn that sounds so cool.
The Weinermobile has limited power and speed, with the engine being a V-8, 6.0 litre 300 VORTEC engine that runs on high octane mustard, according to the specification poster that accompanies the vehicle, the classic Weinermobile had a 4785 cc (292 cu in.) engine that pumped out only 172 hp and went as fast as 23rpms.
The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile was a creation to get people stoked about eating Oscar Mayer hot dogs, and although it is shaped like a Hot Dog, it sadly doesn't serve them. However, you can get a cool little Oscar Mayer Whistle from them that is designed to look like the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
Photos of the The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
General Information about the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
Vehicle mfr | Oscar Mayer Co., Madison, Wis. |
Body type | 2-pass. wienie-van |
Drive system | Mid.engine, rear drive |
Base price | $7950 (est.) |
Major options on test car | Air conditioning, cassette stereo, onions, mustard, relish, melted cheese |
Price as tested | $60,000 (est.) |
General Motor Information.
Type | L-6, liquid cooled, cast iron block and head |
Displacement | 4785 cc (292 cu in.) |
Bore and stroke | 96.5 x 108.0 mm (3.80 x 4.25 in.) |
Compression ratio | Several:1 |
Induction system | 2-bbl carburetor |
Valvetrain | OHV, 2 valves/cylinder |
Max. engine speed | Slow |
Max. power (SAE net) | 172 hp @ 23 rpm |
Max. torque (SAE net) | 275 lb-ft @ 11 rpm |
Emissions control | Strainer and cheesecloth |
Recommended fuel | Mazola oil |
Drivetrain Information.
Transmission | 3-sp. auto. |
Transmission Ratio.
(1st) | 12:01 |
(2nd) | 8:01 |
(3rd) | 7:02 |
Final drive ratio | You figure it out |
Axle ratio | 5'll get you 10 |
Capacities.
Crankcase | Several quarts |
Cootlng system | Even more |
Fuel tank | Bottomless |
Luggage Several | six-packs |
Suspension.
Front | Independent, equal-length A-arms, leaf springs, rubber bands |
Ever think about being a "Hotdogger? Here is a look into the life of an Oscar Mayer Weinermobile "Hotdogger."
The drivers of these Wienermobiles are known as “hotdoggers” and since 1988 the job has been held mostly by college graduates.
Sammi Manning, hotdogger for the Rochelle run, says "driving the Wienermobile is a challenging and yet fun job."
“You meet people, the big kids are as excited as the little kids, sometimes more so, and everyone enjoys having their photo taken beside or in front of the Wienermobile,” she said. “People often turn their cars around to follow the Wienermobile, but somehow never ketchup!”
Manning enjoys every second of her job being a "hotdogger", however she has admitted that the job is not meant for everyone, Manning says.
“Many have applied for the job and even taken a test run and find they just can’t cut the mustard!” she joked.
