Strap in for this one. On August 12, Ram issued a press release stating that its “bold symbol of horsepower and rebellion,” the so-called Bucking Hemi, had been stolen. This “symbol of protest” is a one-of-a-kind mechanical bull, done up with a ram’s head and V8 engine graphics on the body, put together to help publicize the Hemi V8’s return to Ram’s pickup truck lineup. Two days later on August 14, Ram released another press release saying it had been recovered, thanking the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office for its assistance.
However, it seems the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office might not feel the same way. In fact, they wonder whether some intentional shenanigans were behind this whole saga. Frankly, it’s bizarre enough to wonder if it was all just a silly publicity stunt.
Ram’s Claim
The claim from Ram was that the “symbol of protest” was stolen at the Roadkill Nights event in Pontiac, Michigan on Saturday, August 9 at approximately 9:45 pm local time. In Ram’s official press release about the theft, CEO Tim Kuniskis said, “This is bull****. Our Bucking Hemi was taken on Saturday evening. The search is officially on and we won’t stop searching until we get him back.”
It wasn’t a long search. The second Ram press release says that after “67 hours of uncertainty and a 1,200-mile roundtrip journey to and from North Carolina, Bucking Hemi has returned.”
Ram goes on to say that Bucking Hemi was mistakenly taken by one of the show’s contractors. It claims that the contractor “realized the error after media coverage brought it to their attention.”
The case is solved. Or is it?
Here’s where things get particularly spicy. The Oakland County Sheriff’s office, which was called on to investigate the situation, is now investigating whether this was all a ploy to begin with. According to the Detroit Free Press, Sheriff Michael Bouchard expressed some doubt that this was a simple miscommunication.
“The company never actually lost the bull. I find this to be very frustrating and a tremendous waste of valuable investigative time. Now, we’re pivoting to see if a crime was committed by the filing of a false police report.”
– Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
If Ram did file a false police report, that’s a felony. According to the Michigan Legislator’s website, it’s a crime punishable by imprisonment of up to four years or a fine of not more than $2,000, or both. If the sheriff follows up with proof of his claim, filing a false police report for a mechanical bull as a publicity stunt could turn out to be the most absurd criminal prosecution of an automaker yet. We would likely hear the laughter from John Delorean’s grave.
A Publicity Stunt Gone Wrong?
We reached out to Ram for comment and clarification, but were directed back to the official follow-up statement thanking police for assistance in the matter. That does little to temper the strangeness of it all, though we are left pondering the potential consequences of this being a stunt versus the payout in publicity. Everyone is already well aware that Hemi is back at Ram. Orchestrating some big stunt, involving police, and getting your CEO to cuss out potential thieves is a bold step for a little extra media coverage.
Perhaps it really is just what Ram states – a miscommunication among contractors that, through the help of some tremendous media attention, was resolved without issue. Ram’s anomalous actions surrounding this saga have certainly sparked debate, but Kuniskis doesn’t exactly have a track record for doing things like a typical automotive CEO.
The Real Question Here
If Ram has gone so far as to file a police report just to get stories published for some brand (and Hemi) recognition, that could ultimately hurt the company’s credibility and possibly end with some legal action. If not, then Sheriff Bouchard may have opened Oakland County up to a potential lawsuit. But the real question we want answered is this: Exactly when did a freaking mechanical bull become a “bold symbol of horsepower and rebellion”?
Source: The Detroit Free Press