RETAIL / TOURISM : 16-Year-Old ‘Prize’ Was Just the Thing in Brea Mall Drawing

People love a prize drawing. But forget new cars or boats, or even a set of steak knives.

What would happen if the giveaway was for a 16-year-old car--and an ugly one at that?

Well, when the Brea Mall decided to give away a 1974 Volkswagen Thing in a prize drawing, 60,000 entrants bid for the car.

As its name implies, the Thing was not one of the more glamorous cars of its era. Its slab-sided, utilitarian look made it appear as if it just drove off the screen of an old German war movie.

But painted bright red and equipped with fancy chrome wheel covers, it proved to be the perfect “sled” for a California version of Santa Claus that was displayed in the mall’s food court.

The drawing’s winner: Lea Mitchell of La Mirada, who was quoted by mall officials as saying: “I can hardly wait till it’s summer so I can drive it with the top down.”