The Price Is Right boasts no better sound than its announcer offering up “a brand new car!” For 50 years now, the iconic game show has given away automobiles to contestants. Some of them may even have been dream cars for women and men around the world. Now, one game show superfan has put some incredible work in accounting for the cars featured through the ’70s and ’80s.
How Cars Helped Save ‘Price Is Right’
Bob Stewart was on a roll in the 1950s. He created To Tell the Truth and Password, two of the most popular game shows of their era. He left the production company Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions to create a new show—after seeing an auctioneer in New York City, he was inspired to create The Price Is Right.
What set the show apart from its contemporaries was its relatively low stakes. Contestants primarily bid against the show for prizes like furniture or, yes, cars. The low stakes helped preserve the show’s reputation amid the infamous quiz show scandal that sunk other programs. Even in the earliest days, luxury cars were on stage. It once gave away a 1926 Rolls-Royce. By the time Bob Barker took over for the 1972 reboot, the presence of brand new cars was an inseparable part of the show.
The Many Cars Of The ‘Price Is Right’
The Instagram account tpircars is busy cataloging the many cars on stage primarily in the 1970s and 80s. The account’s grown since its inception on June 6, 2021. Its first car featured was naturally the first car on the Barker version.
The posts even include the iconic descriptions from legendary announcer Johnny Olson, with this Chevrolet getting praised for its bucket seats and slick white striped tires.
At this point, there are hundreds of posts, and it’s pretty fun to scroll through and find some pretty sweet rides. Check out this 1976 Pontiac Firebird Esprit. It’s even got AM radio!
New cars weren’t the only ones on offer. On February 3, 1981, the show gave away a replica of Ford’s Model A. It came equipped with a rumble seat and automatic transmission.
If you yearned for a car at any point during the administrations from Nixon to Reagan, chances are you can find it somewhere on The Price Is Right.