Here's a question -- what's the craziest or most clever marketing scheme you've seen from a car dealer?

Some of the old giants in the industry -- Jim Moran, Cal Worthington, Earl Muntz andcountless others -- put together some wild and over the top marketing schemes. Moran probably was the first dealer to advertise on TV with a variety show and his sponsorship of a wrestling show in Chicago long before he created JM Enterprises, the largest Toyota distributorship in the world.

Muntz, meanwhile, was such a celebrity in California because of his zany radio spots, Hollywood types often worked him into their bits. As early as 1942, Frank Sinatra devoted an entire segment about him. Groucho Marx, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope were also fans of his and often directed jokes toward him.

Worthington, who is still going strong in his early 90's, was known for crazy TV ads featuring zoo animals posing as his fictional dog Spot.

But a Fiat deal in the 1970's is one of my favorites. During Fiat's first foray into the states, 90 of its dealers out west participated in a crazy marketing scheme trying to generate a gold rush phenomenon.

Fiat offered customers who came into the dealerships to test drive a vehicle a vial containing 100 milligrams of bright yellow Italian placer gold dust. Customers purchasing a vehicle within 30 days of their test drive received a $150 discount or a certificate for $150 in gold.

The dealers turned their showrooms into mining camps with all sorts of mining props and even painted their showroom windows with murals of western landscapes to help build the mood.

The region claimed it had its best selling month ever due to the promotion. Of course, it didn't help Fiat that much who several years later left the U.S. market.

Some of you old timers (and I use that term with great respect) have got to have some crazy stories -- so let's hear them!