Classic Ads: 1971 Buick Skylark Custom

In 1971, Buick advertised their cars as "Something to believe in". Apparently believing in your Buick will make you a surfer and more popular with the ladies. Or at least you can trust that it won't rust underneath from being parked on wet sand 30 feet from the ocean.
The '71 Skylark Custom was marketed as a luxurious midsize car at a relatively low price point. Being based on the low-priced Chevelle probably helped keep costs down. The Buicks were available in a variety of trims and powertrain combinations, and offered features not available on other cars in its class. What do you think? Does Buick give better reasons to buy a new car than anybody else?

This ad appeared in the Feb 5, 1971 issue of Life magazine.

Classic Ads: 1962 Chevrolet Genuine Parts

Isn't it annoying sometimes when something breaks on your car and you have to make a decision? Do you go to the nearest auto parts store and pick up whatever part is cheapest or make the drive to the dealership for a 'genuine' part? Obviously the manufacturer would prefer that you get their part, and in late 1961 General Motors made that fact known to the general public. Mind you, dealership technicians are not gifted with some magic talent. Most everyone has some kind of horror story about cheating dealerships and defective parts. My mom's Saturn Vue has a 3.5 liter Honda engine and we found that it's cheaper to buy Honda fluids because our local GM dealer buys the same things from the Honda dealer and marks up the price. It's also true that the auto parts store sometimes stocks inferior garbage made in third world countries. You have to be careful when you're shopping for parts. Cutting corners on steering or brake parts, not a good idea. Sometimes visiting the dealer's a necessity, especially if your car is only a year old when you crash into something and you can't get junkyard parts yet.
Keep your Chevy the Chevy-est, kids!

This ad appeared in the October 27, 1961 issue of Life magazine.

Classic Ads: 1962 Buick LeSabre

In today's world, a flat interior floor is a rare and desirable thing. It makes it easier to move around in the cabin and gives the middle passenger(s) more legroom. Usually it's a sign that the vehicle has front-wheel-drive or is high enough that the drivetrain could be packaged below the floor without the need of a tall transmission and driveline hump. The 1962 Buick full-size line trumpeted this feature, apparently achieved by moving the engine further forward. The other feature advertised that year was the so-called 'Advance Thrust' of the Wildcat V8 engine. Advance Thrust sounds like a condom brand or something, but it was supposed to convey the immense power of the engine that could flatten hills - or at least climb them quickly.

This ad appeared in the October 27, 1961 issue of Life magazine.

Classic Ads: 1966 Lincoln Continental Coupe

I get a very East Coast vibe in this 1966 ad for the Lincoln Continental coupe. The lighthouse, people shooting clay pigeons, it all shouts Martha's Vineyard to me. And that's fine, because rich people live there and those are the sort of buyers who would drive a big Continental luxury coupe in 1966. When was the last time you saw a man with a gun in a luxury car ad?
The '66 Continental's biggest update was of course the handsome new coupe body, but it received a refresh front and rear and a new engine displacing 462 cubic inches. An 'automatic temperature control system' (air conditioning?) and stereo tape (8-track?) AM/FM radio were now available.
Now that I look at it, the Continental coupe has a passing resemblance in profile to a Ford Galaxie. This would be remedied in 1968 when the car got a more formal roof with smaller quarter windows. In my opinion, this early coupe style is far more attractive.

This ad appeared in the March 4, 1966 issue of Life magazine.

Classic Ads: 1961 Oldsmobile F-85

I must confess I have a bit of a soft spot for the 1961 Olds F-85. It was the baby Oldsmobile, but it was named like a jet fighter plane and bore a close family resemblance to the larger Dynamic 88. Perhaps my favorite part about it though, is that where the 88 has the 394 cubic-inch "Rocket" V8, the F-85 could be had with a little 215 cubic-inch aluminum V8 dubbed the "Rockette". That's just cute. And the little car puts on such a serious face as it goes about its business, riding on its perimeter frame with "Twin-Triangle Stability" on the rear axle.
When's the last time you saw a '61 F-85 wagon? Probably not that many of them around these days. The F-85 would later become the Cutlass, which went on to be America's best selling car a number of times in the following decade.

This ad appeared in the February 3, 1961 issue of Life magazine.

Classic Ads: 1971 Volvo 144

This is a pretty famous ad. In 1971 Volvo created this publicity photo by stacking seven Volvo 144 sedans very carefully with what looks like specially designed pallets between them. The point was to demonstrate the roof strength of their cars as evidence both of their safety and durability. Volvo ads of this era love to mention that in their home market of Sweden, Volvos lasted an average of 11 years. Modern American cars, not that long ago, were built to have a useful life of about seven years. It's a testament to Volvo reliability that many of their older models are still running around decades after they were built.

This ad appeared in the January 22, 1971 issue of Life magazine.

Classic Ads: 1961 Buick Special

When you view old ads for cars, take a look at who's driving to figure out who that model's marketed toward. This ad for the 1961 Buick Special, their compact model, makes a big deal about the availability of Easy Power Steering. The driver of the car in the illustration is a woman with two children in the passenger seats. Is this a commentary on the sexism of the 1960s that, now with the addition of power steering and a smaller car, parallel parking was now so easy a woman could do it?
Perhaps I'm reading too far into it. Perhaps General Motors simply felt that the compact Special with easier steering effort would appeal to women, many of whom no doubt wanted a car that was more practical, easier to drive and park than the boats their husbands drove. Nothing wrong with that.

At any rate, I'd love to know exactly how power steering makes a car like this more agile at speed. Maybe it's like my dad's truck - almost no steering resistance; you just crank the wheel enough times fast enough and it usually goes where you point it, unless you're going too fast for the tires to grip. With narrow 1960s bias-ply tires, though, your handling limits are going to be pretty low.

This ad appeared in the February 3, 1961 issue of Life magazine.

Classic Ads: 1961 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88

The right tag line means everything. In the early 1960s, Oldsmobile played it up to the hilt. The full-size model wasn't just an 88, it was a Dynamic 88. It wasn't just a V8 engine, it was a Rocket V8. The pair of steel bracing members on the rear axle were a Twin Triangle. And as with many General Motors ads in that era, regular photography wouldn't do. Artists were hired to paint a photorealistic illustration of the vehicle, but with the people and surroundings a bit more impressionistic to call more attention to the car. This method produced some of my favorite advertisements of all time, and the GM illustrators were true masters of their trade.
This ad features a Dynamic 88 four-door hardtop sedan in front of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, built in 1959. I suppose it was chosen as a very distinctive modern structure of the time that represented a place successful, cultured people - just like you, the prospective Olds buyer! - would go.

 This ad appeared in the March 3, 1961 issue of Life magazine.

Classic Ads: 1966 Ford Mustang

If you want to sell a car to a person who doesn't like cars, play up its practicality. And boy do they ever in this Ford ad. Instead of publishing a full-page airbrushed beauty shot of a stripey red GT fastback on a beach surrounded by beautiful women playing volleyball, we have a rather average-looking young lady up to her eyeballs in grocery bags in front of a sedate Nightmist Blue six-cylinder coupe. The ad calls attention to the base Mustang's fuel economy, but reminds us of the car's famously extensive options list that allowed thousands of combinations from mild to wild. Among the many options were a vinyl roof and wire wheel covers, which cost $74.36 and $58.24 respectively.
This ad appeared in the March 4, 1966 issue of Life magazine.

Classic Ads: 1966 Dodge Rebellion

There's a lot in here that Dodge would probably like to forget. Bigger big cars! Bigger small cars! Bigger everything! Women brandishing guns in a car ad and talking about how swingers are hip to Dodge. What are we rebelling against? Boring cars, apparently.

Fight boredom by threatening someone with a relic of the Civil War. Sprawl all over a car hood in provocative poses. Then throw some money at your neighborhood Dodge dealer and be awesome until OPEC takes away all our nice things.

This 4-page spread appeared in the November 8, 1965 issue of Life magazine.

Classic Ads: 1966 Dodge D-Series Camper Special

In the mid-1960s Detroit truck manufacturers found a way to capitalize on the American pastime of camping, with pickups that were designed to pull double duty hauling cab-over campers. Ford had an F-Series Camper Special, Chevy had a C/K Camper Special (or Custom Camper) and Dodge also offered a D-Series Camper Special. Now outdoorsmen could go do manly things like hunting without dragging the whole family along in the station wagon with a trailer.

This ad appeared in the November 1, 1965 issue of Life magazine.

Classic Ads: 1966 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa

Sex sells. Sexism? Not so much. But in the 1960s world of advertising as depicted in "Mad Men", sexism was the norm. Here we see "Trudy", an attractive young lady who the ad wants you to believe is a Corvair Corsa owner. She didn't like driving because driving was boring. But then along came the Corvair Corsa and now driving is just swell. Because it's a car marketed toward young people, the ad uses key terms like "became hip to", "she dug its tenacious rear-engine traction", and "she was a real swinger at the wheel". It gives me a mental picture of a middle-aged man in an ad agency, with a comb-over, thick rimmed glasses and a starched white shirt with a skinny black necktie reading the ad copy aloud in a dull voice. What exactly does it mean to be a swinger at the wheel? Does Trudy mess around in the front seat? At least it doesn't play the "So easy to drive, even your wife can do it" card.

This ad appeared in the March 4, 1966 issue of Life Magazine.

Classic Ads: 1973 Chrysler Newport

It's been the same old story for decades. What's an innovative luxury feature one year frequently becomes mainstream standard equipment in another year or two. In 1973 Chrysler trumpeted their new electronic ignition system, digital clock and additional sound deadener which contributed to a quieter ride. Other quality construction details included rustproofing body dips and more welds instead of bolts. Chrysler would perhaps do well to remember their slogan of the time: "Extra care in engineering... it makes a difference." Indeed it does. Maybe Chrysler wouldn't have needed that bailout if they had kept those words at heart.

This ad appeared in the December 1, 1972 issue of Life magazine.

Classic Ads: 1966 Ford Cortina GT Mk1

If you've ever wanted to know who sold English Fords on the West Coast, now you do. This is the new, 32 mpg Ford compact for you rally fans out there who don't want a Falcon. Just $24.95 for whitewall tires! What a deal. Honestly, this is about the only English Ford I can think of that was desirable in the States in that era.
This ad appeared in the October 8, 1965 issue of Life magazine. It seems odd to run an ad for the 'new' Mk. I Cortina in October when the Mk. II Cortina was already coming out for '66. Apparently the two versions were sold at the same time for a little while.

Classic Ads: 1962 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk

The Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk is a fascinating study in what can be done with a nearly 10-year-old body and chassis and a limited budget. The GT Hawk was based on the 1956 Hawk, which was in turn based on the 1953 Commander. Brooks Stevens fashioned a "European" body for it and it was marketed as a family sports car. This was fairly unique since at that time a sports car was usually a two-seater with rough suspension, electrical problems and a leaky roof. The GT Hawk was available with a V8, a 4-speed and bucket seats. Perhaps you could call it an early muscle car.

This ad ran in the October 27, 1961 issue of Life magazine.

Classic Ads: 1973 Chevrolet Camaro Type LT

The seventies were not kind to the muscle car. Emissions laws and the fuel crisis led to a focus more on personal luxury than outright performance. Reflecting the changing times and taste of customers, Chevy introduced the Type LT (Luxury & Touring) trim level on the Camaro. If that trim name sounds familiar, it's still used on Chevys from the Cruze to the Suburban. And it pretty much means nothing now except "mid-level".

This ad ran in the December 8, 1972 issue of Life magazine.

Classic Ads: 1961 Cadillac Coupe de Ville

This is just a beautiful ad. The 1961 Cadillac Coupe DeVille was advertised in the January 20, 1961 issue of Life magazine. All 1961 Cadillac print ads were color-coordinated with each vehicle matching a beautifully decorated luxury item that made up the background - this one is a Matador's cape that was on display at the Brooklyn Museum. The jeweled Cadillac crest and V symbol superimposed over the cape were created by famous jeweler Harry Winston. Cadillac didn't mess around -- Winston was the owner of the Hope Diamond before the Smithsonian got it; the man knew jewelry. The Coupe DeVille appears to be finished in lovely Lexington Green Metallic.

Classic Ads: 1971 Mercury Montego

Better ideas make better cars. That's true, and better marketing helps even more. This lovely color ad appeared in the November 27, 1970 issue of Life magazine to advertise the 1971 Montego MX coupe. When your better idea is a slightly less attractive Ford Torino with a beak and a body from 1969, you may be in trouble. I'm not sure if I've ever seen one of these cars, at least not in recent memory.

The fact that the ad is worded as "Mercury makes better cars to buy, rent, or lease" hints that the brand was perhaps on a slow downward spiral a lot longer than most of us thought.

Classic Ads: 1966 Renault 8

A few years ago I came across a pile of old magazines in a book arts class in college. They had been donated for use in book-making projects and were 40-50 years old. Seeing that they were doomed to be cut up anyway, I rescued every ad for cars and automotive products.

This print ad for the Renault 8 appeared in the June 3, 1966 issue of Life magazine. How can you consider buying an economy car without at least considering the new Renault 8? Who wouldn't love that scowling face and "rough, tough engine that makes it from 0 to 60 in mere seconds" (as opposed to... minutes?) I'm sold!