The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile has been dogged by some thieves in Las Vegas.
The 27-foot hot-dog-shaped vehicle was in Sin City this past weekend for a series of events tied to Super Bowl weekend, but early Friday morning the Wienermobile’s catalytic converter was stolen, according to Las Vegas CBS affiliate KLAS TV.
As a result, the Wienermobile’s engine just couldn’t cut the mustard, so it had to be towed to a local truck rental facility to the shock of employees.
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Joseph Rodriguez told the station he was surprised by what he saw when he got to work.
“A hot dog truck, no way,” Rodriguez told KLAS. “Imagine like a huge hot dog in the middle of your bay. There’s all these other trucks and you got to work on this.”
The crew did a minor repair to fit the Wienermobile with a “temporary” catalytic converter that allowed it to make a previously scheduled 10 a.m. appearance.
However, Rodriquez noted that there’s a four-month waiting list for catalytic converters.
Metro Police told KLAS that it has not yet received a theft report, but the hotel where it was parked said its corporate division is investigating.
Thefts of catalytic converters, a car part that filters out pollutants, have increased in recent years. According to the Los Angeles Times, Toyota Priuses — not novelty meat vehicles — are a typical target, as their catalytic converters can be resold for more than $1,000.
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The Wienermobile first hit the road in Chicago in 1936, and has since expanded to a fleet of six, each traveling about 1,000 a week.
