Carl Fiisher Car Promotions

By Sigur Whitaker.
 
Fisher loved promoting bicycles and when he converted his bicycle shop to an automobile agency (dealership), the promotions became even more outlandish.
 
He reached back into his playbook and resurrected throwing a bicycle off a building in downtown Indianapolis. In the initial stunt, whomever picked up the crumpled bicycle and brought it to his bicycle shop would receive a new one. This time, he promised to push a seven-passenger Stoddard-Dayton automobile off a seven-story building downtown. With the help of his brothers, newspaper men, and some friends in the police department, he advertised the stunt. Anticipation grew and as the crowds assembled, the police kept the crowds well away from the building. At the appointed hour, Fisher appeared on the rooftop next to the Stoddard-Dayton automobile. The police made a show of going up the stairs to stop the stunt, but “Crazy Carl” had nailed the door to the roof closed.
 
The car’s frame had been structurally reinforced and the tire pressure lowered so that when the car landed, hopefully right side up, it wouldn’t bounce. The car was pushed from the building and fell….and landed right side up. Much to the amazement of the crowd, one brother jumped into the driver’s seat and his other brother turned the crank. The car started up. Because of the cheering crowd, it couldn’t be driven away.
 
On another occasion, Fisher convinced his friend George Bumbaugh to pilot a balloon with a twenty-four horsepower Stoddard-Dayton automobile attached instead of the basket. The car was stripped of all unessential weight—bumpers, lights and even the engine.  On October 30, 1908, Fisher and Bumbaugh entered the 100,000 cubic feet of gas balloon “Chicago.” With around 8,000 people gathered near the 21st Street gas plant, the balloon left earth around 4:20 p.m. With little air current, the balloon floated lazily over Indianapolis to the southeast as thousands craned their necks to see it.  It landed about two hours later in Beech Grove. Fisher promised to drive the vehicle back to his dealership.
 
Without headlights, the car could not have made the trip in the dark. Fisher had posted several identical white Stoddard-Daytons in the surrounding countryside. When Fisher and Bambaugh landed, Fisher simply got into a nearby auto and drove it back into his dealership where he was greeted by a large, cheering crowd.
 
The balloon ride did exactly what Fisher wanted—additional exposure for Stoddard-Dayton and his automobile dealership. In an advertisement, Fisher said, “Stoddard-Dayton is the first car to fly over Indianapolis, it should be your first car.”