Oprah Winfrey's famous 2004 Pontiac giveaway left 276 studio audience members with new cars, and some with tax bills of as much as $7,000 (£5,290). The moment became one of American television's most replayed surprises, but the cars were never entirely free.
For context, Winfrey handed every person in her studio audience a Pontiac G6 sedan on 13 September 2004. She described it as one of her 'all-time favourite happiest moments ever', while viewers saw the now-familiar chant: 'You get a car, you get a car, you get a car.'
