Top Five Automotive April Fools

If you’re a regular reader of this fine publication then you’ve probably come to realise that we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Our vibe is very much a chatting down the pub with your mates kind of a deal and that’s the way it will always be; unpretentious and friendly. Don’t get us wrong, we’re deadly serious about providing you with the very best platform for buying and selling classics but when it comes to dicking around, we like to have as much fun as the next person and that extends to the annual April Fools shenanigans.

It was with this in mind that we were racking our brains trying to come up with a suitable gag for April Fool’s Day today but after careful consideration (we couldn’t be bothered dealing with all of the predictable complaints from those with a distinct lack of a funny bone, frankly) we decided it’s all been done before, and probably better, so instead we thought we’d pick some of the best automotive April Fools moments from the past. It has to be said, car companies do like a good dad joke so without further ado, here are our five fave farces.

1) BMW’s Rain-Proof Convertible

One of the first to play the game, and a company that would continue the theme with various other April Fools japes over the years (including its magnetic towing technology gag from 2009), BMW would attempt to convince the more gullible among us in 1983 that it had developed a sunroof that could be kept open in the rain and even at the car wash.

Lending some perceived credibility to the claim, the Bavarian blaggers claimed that Hans Blöhn, head of the Aerodynamic Development Centre in Munich, had created an artificial airflow at low driving speeds that would effectively blow any water over and away from the open roof. Further leaning into the validity of the claims BMW would utilise such terms as “experts” and “scientists”, as well as providing completely fabricated engineering figures. It was only when those seeking more information were directed to query a “Miss April Wurst” that things become painfully apparent. Not bad BMW, not bad at all.

2) Cater-Ham

As well as British manufacturer Caterham selling cars that you can build yourself, it would also claim in 2022 to now offer snacks in the same vein. Ingeniously labelled as Cater-ham Sevenses, the self-assembly snack kit apparently contained crackers, ham and cheese in the shape of the company’s iconic sports car that customers could build themselves.

According to Caterham, the cheese would differ depending on the market with the French getting Brie and the Dutch being furnished with Gouda for a snack that Caterham claimed could “fuel a human being for 24 hours”. Utterly ridiculous but highly entertaining nonetheless.

3) Voltswagen

The most effective April Fools gags are the ones that could perceivably actually happen. Those certain jokes that aren’t so far out of the realms of possibility as to not be believable. It’s patently obvious that Honda were never going to start using emoji number plates and MG hadn’t actually built an invisible car but Volkswagen announcing that it was changing its name to “Voltswagen” amidst the furore of the EV revolution in 2021 is distinctly plausible, at least as a marketing shtick.

Whether this was an intentional ploy to drum up interest or a genuine announcement that was leaked and then retracted is uncertain as there seems to be some confusion as to the actual intention but whatever the case it makes for a great April Fool’s stunt.

4) Hyundai Click to Fly

With the proliferation of drones and playing on Amazon’s dropshipping delivery system nomenclature, South Korean Car manufacturer Hyundai would attempt to fool us into thinking that it had developed its “Click to Buy” online ordering system into a “Click to Fly” initiative whereby customers could apparently purchase their vehicle on Hyundai’s website and have it delivered in under two hours by a team of HY-drones using Mars rover tracking technology.

Hyundai’s hoax may have been pie in the sky in 2017 but is it totally unfeasible for a scheme such to be practically plausible in the future? Just look at the aforementioned Amazon who already offer a drone-based shipping scheme in some areas of the US.

5) Mazda MX-5 Four-Seater

To be fair, if Mazda did develop a four-seater version of its perennially popular sports car we would probably give it a go. Back in 2014 though, the Japanese giant did indeed try to pull the wool over our eyes and make April fools of us all when it jokingly announced a family version of the MX-5, much to the chagrin of many fans of the original.

The Tweet from Mazda’s official Twitter account simply stated “We’re excited to share with you the first picture of the all-new Mazda MX-5 4 seater” alongside a Photoshopped mock up of what this fictional family version would look like. Guffaw, guffaw.