Classic Ads: 1961 Renault Dauphine

"Economy seems to be the fad right now," trumpets this ad for the plucky little French Renault Dauphine. Economy has been the 'fad' for a long time now, and I don't see it fading away anytime soon as talk of peak oil and climate change continues. And in the United States, a lot of manufacturers toss the magic 40 MPG number around when advertising their compacts. The Dauphine claimed to be able to do that back in the early 1960s - and had the Mobil Mileage Rally numbers to prove it.
This ad appeared in the January 20, 1961 issue of Life magazine.

Junkyard Find: 1950s? Renault Dauphine

I spotted this severely stripped Frenchie in a wrecking yard in the process of being cleared out in early 2012. Not much is left of it, its color and stripes tell me that it was once a Gordini, but the few parts remaining looked to be usable.

The car was probably crushed shortly after this.

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!