“The Price Is Right” celebrates 50 years on the air in 2022, and it’s been giving out cars to lucky contestants throughout those five decades. An Instagram account is now documenting those cars, which range from the classic to the esoteric.
First spotted by Grassroots Motorsports (via Autoblog), the account is called tpircars and had 176 posts at the time of publication. Each includes a screenshot of the car prize and some quotes from the show describing it.
Currently, the posts focus on cars from the 1970s and 1980s, including the first “Price Is Right” car prize. That was a 1972 Chevrolet Vega hatchback, which appeared on the show in 1972.
1985 Renault Alliance on
“The Price Is Right” also gave out some more glamorous cars during the period, including a Mercedes-Benz 280E (W123) in 1978 and a Porsche 944 in 1989. Others, such as a 1977 Chevrolet K5 Blazer and 1984 Toyota Pickup, definitely fit in with period trends.
Other cars probably seemed like a big deal at the time, but are not remembered as fondly. The Ford Bronco II given out as a prize in 1984 likely seemed exciting until the winner actually drove it. The Renault Alliance DL two-door that appeared on the show in 1985 was the result of an, err, alliance between the French automaker and AMC meant to save the latter that ended badly.
Some cars have simply faded into obscurity. You’d be hard pressed to find a surviving Mazda 808, Pontiac J2000, or Fiat Strada (the U.S.-market name for the Fiat Ritmo) today, but they’re all here. This account is a true automotive time capsule and, if you’re on Instagram, it’s definitely worth a follow.