Who could forget being passed by a 27-foot-long hot dog, or resist the happy toot-toot horn greeting of two perky ladies driving by in an over-sized can of energy drink? Welcome to the world of promotional vehicles - those rolling exercises in out-sized product placement. I asked Jody Victor  to take us on a cruise back to look at some of the most famous rolling products, and some of the latest to hit American highways and byways.

Jody Victor: Nothing cuts through the clutter of today's media-saturated world quite like a giant fiberglass wiener rolling down the freeway at 65 mph. Long a staple of the advertising business, promo vehicles have become wackier and more comical than ever in recent years. Let's take a look a some of the oldies and the goodies.

1918 Pep-O-Mint Life Savers Car - The first promotional vehicles appeared almost as soon as the automobile became popular in the early 20th century. The first "product mobiles" appeared in America before World War I, with custom coachwork designed to evoke the actual shape of the product, and often were used to distribute samples or make product demonstrations. The vehicles drew a crowd when they were parked, and were rolling advertisements on the road. The giant roll of Pep-O-Mint Life Savers, built on a 1918 Dodge truck chassis, required its driver to lean out of the center window to see forward.

1936 Wienermobile - An icon of American advertising, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile may be the best-known promotional vehicle in the world. The original Wienermobile debuted in 1936 and was the idea of Karl G. Mayer, the nephew of the hot dog company's founder. Built by General Body Co. of Chicago, the 13-foot-long metal sausage had cockpits in the center and rear, and reportedly cost $5000. It cruised Chicago promoting the company's "yellow band" German Style Wiener. Between 1952 and 2004, six new versions of the Wienermobile were commissioned. An example of the 1952 model is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. the 1958 model created by noted industrial designer Brooks Stevens, rode on a Jeep chassis.

Modern Wienermobile - Today's fleet of eight Wienermobiles has been on the road since 2004. Built by Prototype Source in Santa Barbara, Calif., on a modified Chevrolet truck chassis powered by a 6.0-liter V8 engine, each 27-foot-long vehicle is 11 feet tall and weighs 14,050 pounds. It features a gull-wing door with an automatic retractable step, voice-activated GPS navigation system, and a hot-dog-shaped dashboard. The horn, of course, plays the "Oscar Mayer Wiener Jingle." In 2008 a Mini Wienermobile joined the fleet. Built on a MINI Cooper S chassis, the Mini is 15 feet long, 8 feet high and weighs 3,400 pounds. Wienermobile pilots, all recent college grads, are called Hotdoggers.

Hershey's Kissmobile - Trailed by the scent of milk chocolate, two Hershey's Kissmobile Cruisers cover more than 30,000 miles each year. Commissioned in 1997 and 1999, each features a fiberglass body that resembles a trio of 8-foot-tall Hershey's Kisses and has a refrigerated compartment that can store 230,000 of the chocolates. Staffed by a crew of two Chocolate Ambassadors, each Kissmobile is equipped with a 42-inch plasma flat screen television and a DVD and sound system complete with karaoke and Sony PlayStation. The Kissmobiles participate in parades and festivals and make retail store visits. The Kissmobiles also visit the 170 children's hospitals affiliated with the Children's Miracle Network and are part of Hershey's ongoing partnership with the charity.

Planters NutMobile - Originally intended to support the company's marketing efforts at NASCAR racing events, the Planters NutMobile is designed as a hot rod with a supercharger scoop looming over a cockpit holding Mr. Peanut, who should probably be wearing a helmet, not his 32-inch top hat. Built in 1998, the fiberglass shell resembles a Planters promo-car from the 1930s. The vehicle is 25 feet long and 12.5 feet tall. The NutMobile appeared the the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2008, and will be at the Plains Peanut Festival in Plains, Ga.

Johnsonville Big Taste Grill - This big-rig BBQ is 65 feet long, weighs 27 tons and packs 444,000 BTU of grilling power. Big Taste Grill rigs have appeared at the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby and the Daytona 500, but they are used primarily to support charitable fund-raising events and have helped raise more than $2 million since 1995, according to Johnsonville. An aluminum walkway is erected next to the trailer to give cooks access to the grill area, which features a clean-up sink and a freezer that can hold 1,000 pounds of Wisconsin sausage. The grill can accommodate up to 750 brats at one time, and can crank out 2,5000 cooked links and hour.

SPAMmobile - Designed to resemble a giant tin of meat, the first SPAMmobile hit the road in 2001. Based on a trolley chassis, the 28-foot-long SPAMmobile has a blue-steel body with rounded corners, just like the famous can. Inside is seating for the driver and on SPAMbassador, who is in charge of preparing product samples, including the signature SPAMburger, in a self-contained, full-service kitchen. In visits to retailers and at special events, SPAMmobiles have handed out more than6.5 million SPAM samples from the SPAMmobiles. Three SPAMmobiles were in action until early 2009, when Hormel Foods discontinued the SPAMmobile program and parked these grinning SPAM cans on wheels.

The Zippo Car - The flames are fake, but the Zippo Car is capable of igniting a crowd when it leaves its home at the Zippo Case Visitors Center in Bradford, Pa. The original Zippo Car, based on a 1947 Chrysler Saratoga, incorporated a giant steel replica of the famous Zippo lighter, topped with 5-foot flames. Beginning in 1948, it appeared in parades and special events, but the 5,000-pound car was too heavy for its tires and suffered frequent blowouts. In the early 1950s it was sent to a shop for updates, forgotten and then lost when the repair business closed. The current Zippo Car, a replica also based on a 1947 Chrysler, was completed in 1998 at a cost of $250,000.

Thanks, Jody! Lots of fun!

Joe Victor

Although in other ways, Cadillac has it right—many of us still want that possibility of glitz and glam out there on the horizon, waiting patiently for our success, but we also want an eco-friendly image, too. I asked Jody Victor  to tell us about the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid 2WD.

Jody Victor: There is a singular, conspicuous symbol of the consumer-culture excess of the late nineties and early 21^st century in the United States: from hip-hop music videos to Hollywood to the local spendthrift, the Cadillac Escalade's flash-bang escapades as the SUV to be seen with, in or to own quickly gave way to a consumer culture in crisis—a culture that put the pedal to the metal and hit the green line. What does Cadillac do with a quickly out dating piece of automotive, fuel guzzling opulence? They strap an electric motor to its not-so-eco-friendly monster V8.

Who can blame GM for letting hybrid technology go viral on its full-size pickup and SUV lineup? Previous green models have impressed consumers and the auto-press alike. And one would be hard pressed to find someone who didn't, at least secretly, enjoy the bling-bling life style the Escalade has come to represent.

Don't worry sports fans, its still the Cadillac Escalade. Like Hummer, Escalade is a polarizing GM model. Given a shades-of-green make over like Chevy's Tahoe Hybrid and the GMC Yukon Hybrid, Escalade has been given a 6.0 liter gasoline V8 with an electric motor to cut down on fuel expenditure and emissions.

Unlike its eco-minded siblings Escalade Hybrid has boycotted any aero-enhancing model changes, Cadillac likely fearing they'd turn off the bling-luxury market. Strip off the stickers and badges, and you wouldn't know you were driving a hybrid through your latest Top-10 music video, except for the fact you'll save gas doing it. Escalade Hybrid gets a fuel economy rating of 20 city, 21 highway for the rear-wheel drive model. All along keeping its 22 inch, chrome wheels, chrome grin, and leather interior.

Overall the reality of the Escalade Hybrid is this: It can easily be coaxed to about 20 mph in pure electric mode. The Hybrid system is best thought of as a mild, passive system because in real-life driving, the electric motor is mostly used for power assist when at a complete stop. Gold, platinum and diamonds are out; emerald green is in.

Thanks, Jody! What a car!

Joe Victor

The Camaro SS is the newest pup from the Camaro breed dating back to 1966. Although Camaro ceased production in 2002, the fans never left. Anyone looking for evidence has to look no further than their local dealership, who more than likely has a waiting list for the new Camaro 2010. The Camaro brand is looking to attract fans both old and young, even though the younger generations have been fascinated with Far East imports. I asked Jody Victor  to give us more details.

Jody Victor: The Camaro is up against old rivals who have been giving life in the new century the Mustang and the Challenger (not so lucky are the mourned Barracuda and Firebird). Updating itself for the era of “green  machines,” the Camaro SS 2010 includes a Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual transmission with short throws and a 1-4 gas saving shift mode, when speed is sufficient to bypass the other gears.

Style wise the the SS takes everything you loved about the 1969 Camaro and has updated it for both safety and and performance. The Camaro “looks the part” so to speak, while not resembling its predecessors too much. Both its chopped top and twenty inch wheels give it a “mean” look. Not to mention the “evil grin” peeking from below the hood. It features the long nose/short tail look that is de rigueur in a modern grand touring machine. A side crease helps to define the flanks from front to rear wheel wells. A simulated hood scoop hints at the level of performance underneath, while a larger front intake under bumper sucks in whatever it can to keep things cool inside. A retro looking gauge set, leather seats and a Boston Acoustics audio system make for a top notch interior.

Under the hood the 2010 SS is sporting a LS3 6.2 liter Corvette engine, producing a staggering 426 horse power. However, even with all the “green machine” aspects of the new SS the car is rated around 16mpg in town and 24 highway; in other words,  this isn't your “go-green” granddaughter's Prius.

Overall, the 2010 Camaro SS is a grandiose update of a classic American pedal-to-the-floor asphalt burner. It's a car that makes a statement about its' owner from the updated look, inside and out, to that satisfying gurgling roar when you rev her up. What that statement means, exactly, I leave to you.

Thanks, Jody! We'll be looking for the new Camaro on the road soon!

Joe Victor

Robert M. Lee's 1937 Horch 853 Voll & Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet took top honors in Pebble Beach. I asked Jody Victor  to give us more details.

Jody Victor: Amid a flurry of fireworks, blaring trumpet blasts and clouds of confetti tossed about by the early evening Monterey wind, Robert M. Lee stood beside his 1937 Horch 853 Voll & Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet and took in the applause of the crowd which cheered his 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Best of Show victory.

It is not the first time Lee, who hails from Sparks, Nev., has won the coveted award - he took home Best of Show in 2006 for his 1931 Daimler Double-Six 50 Corsica Drophead Coupe. Nor was it a surprise - for many, anyway - that he won it this year.

The Horch was a crowd favorite from the moment the competition began. Visitors were directed to it multiple times by more than a few competitors - serious awards contenders in their own right - who were awed by the auto's swooping lines and gleaming chrome details.

Lee found the vehicle at the Pebble Beach Concours a few years ago, where the owners were having trouble starting it. Lee pursued the previous owner for several years before he finally relented to sell him the vehicle. It took a full five years to restore to show-worthy condition, and required both his regular team and a specialized crew tasked with tracking down hare-to-find parts in Germany.

Today, it represents a stunning example of what can be done when a collector puts his or her mind to it. Better yet, it runs beautifully, doing 80 miles on the Tour.

Thanks, Jody! What a great car.

Joe Victor