The 1998 Collectible of the Year honors the re-introduction of the Zippo Car . During the late 1940s and early 50s the Zippo Car won America's heart, appearing in parades, expos, and fairs in all 48 states. It disappeared under mysterious circumstances in the early 1970's. In 1996, Zippo commissioned a replica of the original Zippo car, and in 1998 the second Chrysler Saratoga - New Yorker, complete with two giant lighters with windproof "flames" stretching above the roof line, was unveiled at the Zippo/Case Visitors Center.

The Zippo Car commemorative features a brushed chrome lighter with pewter emblem replicas of the Zippo car on the lower half of the case, and its original Bradford, Pennsylvania "ZIPPO" license plate on the lid. The commemorative set includes a pewter "ZIPPO" license plate key ring, and is packaged in a custom tin depicting nostalgic scenes of the many places visited by the car.