A New Victory Auto Wreckers Ad Could Be Worth Some Money

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jan 21, 2015 3:05PM

Chicago television has been the birthplace for several iconic commercials: Empire Carpet; Al Piemonte Ford; Eagle Insurance; Peter Francis Geraci's bankruptcy infotapes.

Few are as memorable, however, as Victory Auto Wreckers.

The original 30-second spot debuted on local airwaves Oct. 8, 1985 and, with minor modifications, has been a regular presence on television stations since. It also made a cult figure out of Bob Zajdel, the man who famously opened the driver's side door that fell to the ground in the ad. Zajdel, who worked for Victory at the time, said in interviews he could have lost his hand filming the commercial and still owns his Victory Auto Wreckers t-shirt.

All good things, as they say, must come to an end and now the Bensenville auto scrap yard is looking to film a new ad to last another 30 years. So they're holding a contest to determine the new Victory Auto Wreckers ad. From Feb. 1 through March 28, Victory Auto Wreckers is hosting a contest where they're accepting submissions, with a winner chosen each week. The persons behind the winning commercials will receive $500, which was more than what Zajdel earned filming the 1985 ad.

If you fancy yourself an auteur or at least a modern-day Don Draper, all you have to do is film and edit your ad, upload it to your YouTube channel, then visit victoryautowreckers.com/commercial, submit the link to your video, and email them your consent form. You can use the original ad for inspiration or create your own brand new ad. The only hard and fast rule is the Victory Auto Wreckers website address must appear at least once in the video

What are you waiting for? Your ad could be worth some money!!