European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 4, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday september 4, 1978 the stars and stripes Page 19 Fred Wagenhals left and de Fochtman show off one of their mini Fords. Up thinking Small is making them big by David Hurlbert United press International he company that claims to be the fifth largest car manufacturer in the country owes it All to the kids of America. . & associates inc., builds minibars Gas powered replicas that Are one third As Large As the full size models. And naturally they Are designed for the younger set. Many of the 20,000 vehicles manufactured annually by the firm Are Given away in various promotions by National manufacturers and that s another place where the kids come in. You can give away a big car but nothing can draw people like our minibars because kids will drive their parents crazy wanting one said Fred Wagenhals the firm s 36-year-old founder and president. One hamburger Chain in Cleveland had a promotion to give away our cars and Drew 100,000 entries in 12 out lets Wagenhals said. They finally stopped just after the firm moved its operations in january to Tempe ariz., from Mansfield Ohio a local children s television show Drew 25,000 entries for a drawing for one of the cars. The response was so big they said they would never do it again Wagenhals said. A Scottsdale car dealer had 9,000 entry Blanks dropped in the Box in just 30 Days. Kids have the Power Wagenhals said. The brightly coloured cars Are built in 23 models including sports cars passenger cars vans jeeps and pickups. They have fiber Glass bodies built on go cart frames and Are powered by Lawn Mower engines that Are started with the pull of a rope. The cars about 26j/2 inches High and weighing 150 pounds have enough Power to carry their Young Drivers along at about 15 Miles an hour. Promotions Are the lifeline for . & associates As Only about 10 percent of the minibars priced about $525, Are sold through retail outlets. The firm has had promotional tie ins with car companies tire dealers food chains and other retail outlets. This fall Wagenhals and his vice president de Focht Man jr., Are entering a new Field of promotion College and professional athletics. For this the company is producing its first two Passen Ger vehicle the Hawkeye a hybrid not patterned after any manufactured car. Wagenhaus already has approached Arizona state University and worked out a plan to promote the minibars featuring an Asu Motif in the Sun Devil football pro Grams and through mailings to the University s alumni. In return the firm will give $100 for each car sold to the Sun Angel foundation an athletic Booster group that is helping Asu pay off $4 million in stadium expansion costs. If it works at Asu Wagenhals said then we go to notre Dame Southern Cal Ohio state and so on the professional level . & associates has received permission to Market the cars in conjunction with three National football league clubs. Wagenhals eventually Hopes to enter All the nil markets. Wagenhals and Fochtman were making fiber Glass bathtubs when they started the minibar Busi Ness with an assist from their sons who wanted scaled Down cars to play with. We built each of them one and other children saw them and asked for one Fochtman said. Word got around quickly and their first month of production in-1976 resulted in sales of $6,819. By the end of the first year the sales totalled $2 million. The 1977 figure was $4.2 million and Wagenhals is hoping to top $7 million this year. The first break for the company came from american motors. American motors was getting ready to introduce a new Model and they wanted something to draw traffic Fochtman said. . & associates sold them on the idea of placing minibars in dealer showrooms around the nation and the firm landed its first big account. Now Wagenhals and Fochtman hold contracts with All . Car manufacturers As Well As Volks Wagen to build the scaled Down models of their vehicles. While most of their sales come As the result of promotions the minibars have been sold to persons from throughout the world. There Are not Many countries we Haven t shipped to Wagenhals said. For instance we shipped 12 cars to the Imperial Palace of Iran. It Cost $1,200 in freight per car. About twice the Price of the car after the company moved to Tempe in january it set up a 30,000-Square-foot Plant that is designed not unlike a Detroit Auto Plant Complete with conveyor belts. And despite a March flood that caused $150,000 damage to the Plant some 103 employees now work two 10-hour shifts four Days a week in producing up to 100 minibars per Day. Rent a Dent we hardly try United press International b ill Matteson runs the rent a Dent Automo bile Agency in Santa Ana Calif. You might say his business philosophy is that ugly is has a Fleet of 70 banged up car going Back to 1965 Falcons which he rents out at $7 to $9 a Day with the first 50 Miles free and seven cents a mile thereafter plus gasoline. Rent a Dent is not giving Hertz or Avis any sleep less nights yet but it May be an idea whose time has come. I have two slogans says Matteson. " Hertz and Avis try harder we hardly try " and " we re no.85. " Matteson says his customers come mostly from people who Are teed off at the High rental charges for cars and that surprisingly enough some of them Are quite wealthy. I be got one fellow from Phoenix who flies into Orange county Airport in his own Beechraft. I pick him up and he uses one of my cars at $9 a Day. He told me he Bill Matteson and one of his Well broken in beauties. Up just got tired of getting ripped there is a similar Agency in los Angeles called rent a wreck. Ours is a Little higher class operation Matteson says. Cosmetically our cars Are pretty bad but mechanically they Are Good they get you from Point a to Point b and that s All a lot of people his newest cars Are five years old. Matteson says that while their bodies May be crunched in he sees to it that they Are clean inside and out
