Old AACA message board forum discussion on the history of promo models.

[GMP440]

Thought this was an interesting discussion thread on the history of promo models from 2006.  Art Anderson give lots of good input here.  Here is the link.

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/79157-history-of-promo-car-models/

[espo]

On 2/22/2024 at 9:24 AM, GMP440 said:

Thought this was an interesting discussion thread on the history of promo models from 2006.  Art Anderson give lots of good input here.  Here is the link.

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/79157-history-of-promo-car-models/

A lot of great information in addition to many personal experiences. To share an experience when I was very young, my father took me to the Chicago Auto Show for all the new cars for the year 1953. First off, I can't recall why my father who wasn't much of a car guy thinking of them more as an appliance than anything else would have wanted to go there in the first place. We were a "Ford family" having gotten one of the first 1949 Fords when they came out. He got me a metal promo of a 1953 Ford with a bank built into the bottom. The promo was approximately 1/24th scale and was one of my prized possessions as a child.  

[Richard Bartrop]

I think you have to go back to Andre Citroen for the origin of the promo.  The company produced its own line of toy cars back in the 1920s to help promote the Citroen brand.