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newVideoPlayer("/61_Renault_Automation_Alexeieff_494.flv", 506, 423,""); Here we've got a seriously avant-garde animated ad for the '61 Renault Dauphine, with artwork by Alexandre Alexieff and an electronic music soundtrack by the enigmatic Van Thienen. We're reminded of the Louis Barron soundtrack to What's The Big Hurry , but in this case a car is being born rather than being crushed.
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newVideoPlayer("/Opel_GT_Germany_476.flv", 506, 423,""); Opel's German marketers apparently figured that the German target market for the GT had to be skinny Teutonic Manson Family followers , so it made sense to show how fat, well-heeled, vaguely perved-out old car geeks would be kept away from the GT by its hopelessly cramped sporty small size. Here we see a grizzled Stalingrad survivor, wishing only for a brief moment of happiness to distract him from the waking nightmare that has been his life since 1942... happiness DENIED!
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newVideoPlayer("/63_Chevrolets_494.flv", 506, 423,""); Who in September 1963 would have predicted the crazy shit that was about to go down in this country, starting with Dallas in November, continuing through all the riots and wars and madness, and culminating in the 1910 Fruitgum Company becoming one of the most popular acts in the country? Not this wholesome stick-figure couple, who express themselves via 1890s-snake-oil-ad fonts as they enthuse over the idea of camping out at their local Chevy dealership in hopes of seeing the new Corvair.
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newVideoPlayer("/82_DominionMotors_494.flv", 506, 423,""); Say it's 1982. Would you buy a '61 Studebaker Lark wagon with "family rust" and "factory air in the tires" from this man? By comparison, Dominion Motors in Winnipeg could give you a better buy on that car, and all with 6.25% interest! Actually, we'd really love to have that very wagon right now, but it's probably just a reddish stain in a Canadian field at this point.
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newVideoPlayer("/69_AMC_Rebel_494.flv", 506, 423,""); Back in the late 1960s, American Motors didn't just focus on cheapness in their ads. Oh no, they wanted potential car buyers to realize that you could beat the living crap out of their cars and they'd still stay in- more or less- one piece. We think the actor playing the driving instructor here should have won an award for the "I can't turn while you're looking at me" sequence!
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newVideoPlayer("/60s_SuBARu_476.flv", 506, 423,""); Back when Malcolm Bricklin decided to import the 66 MPG Subaru 360 to the United States, there was just one selling point: cheapness! This trio of ads, featuring a bell-bottomed babe and painfully dated flute-and-harpsichord soundtrack, gave no hint that one day SOO-bar-oo would sell huge quantities of somewhat less tin-can-esque vehicles in North America. When was the last time you saw a car ad trumpeting the cheapness of spare parts? Thanks to SOS10 for the tip!
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newVideoPlayer("/63_Toyopet_Crown_JDM_476.flv", 506, 423,""); We've always loved Toyota's name for their Powerglide-based automatic transmission , but "Toyopet" just doesn't sound like the kind of name you'd use when you're planning to dominate the automotive world a few decades hence. The Crown got a lot more luxurious later on, but even in '63 it had a certain boxy presence... and look, no clutch pedal!
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newVideoPlayer("/Opel_GT_Screaming_Germans_476.flv", 506, 423,""); Not speaking German, we're probably more frightened by this ad that might be warranted. Perhaps the target market of the Opel GT wasn't really German-style Manson Families looking for some quick, sporty wheels with which to hunt victims in preparation for the final days of Hëltër Schkëltër. Maybe it was all about good, wholesome autobahn hijinks. Thanks to Franzouse for the tip!
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We've been running the Classic Ad Watch series for years now, and we've seen some pretty entertaining car commercials along the way. Since the Fourth of July week is all about the frenzy of consumption that is the American Dream, we'll be taking a look back at some of our most beloved ads from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Best of all, we're letting you vote on which is your favorite from each decade! First up is that most beloved decade of the Baby Boomers, who will ensure that the rest of us get to hear "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" an average of 5.5 times per day for the rest of our lives: the 1960s! Make the jump to check out and vote on the ads, featuring stars such as Abe Vigoda and Petula Clark hawking the products of Detroit, Wolfsburg, Longbridge, Kenosha, and Göteborg. 10: 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Super Sport Emerging from an an eruption of foam rocks and dry-ice smoke, the '67 Camaro SS 350 roared out of the cheapest special-effects house...
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newVideoPlayer("/Honda_1300_JDM_476.flv", 506, 423,""); The Coupe 9 version of the Honda 1300 now resides in the Jalopnik Fantasy Garage (as well as in Junkman's garage ), but the standard 1300 sedan was a pretty interesting car as well. You got an air-cooled engine with four carbs and dry-sump oil system sending 100 horses to the front wheels and styling that must have made Soichiro proud (though maybe he wasn't so proud of this headache-inducing TV ad).
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newVideoPlayer("67_Camaro_SS350_476.flv", 506, 423,""); Chevrolet's Mustang fighter was a big deal when first unveiled, and The General figured they'd need to break out the big guns when it came to advertising the new '67 Camaro. Spare no expense! So, of course, they hired a crew of cut-rate special-effects technicians from the set of a made-for-TV monster movie and put together this fine advertisement. Make the jump to experience some more Cheepnis, courtesy of Mr. Zappa.
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newVideoPlayer("60s_Mini_Deluxe_476.flv", 463, 387,""); "No more sliding windows for Australians considering buying a MIni! Not only that, you can go into multiple spins on wet pavement and recover cleanly- it shows it right there in the ad! We're a little puzzled by the the conversation between the swimsuited man and woman at the beach; we get the "up and down" double entendre, but are we supposed to think that there's some longing for the old sliding Mini windows here?
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newVideoPlayer("69_Impala_5thDimension_476.flv", 463, 387,""); We thought it couldn't have been possible for a car commercial to out-cheeze Ford's '69 Torino ad , but we may have a contender here from The General. The Fifth Dimension, of "Up, Up, and Away" and "Age of Aquarius" fame, have put on their flammable outfits and are ready to move some iron off the lot. Move along with Impala by Chevrolet!
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newVideoPlayer("63_Studebaker_Avanti_476.flv", 463, 387,""); Since we're in a Studebaker mood today, let's see how the doomed South Bend automaker tried to pitch their products during their last year building cars in the United States. You can get a flat floor and lots of rear seat room in the Lark, or the fastest production car in the world when you got the Avanti. What's it gonna be? Either way, we strongly recommend the disc brake option. And let's not forget the crazy Studebaker Wagonaire!
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newVideoPlayer("60s_VW_Bug_Cheapskate_476.flv", 463, 387,""); Thanks to a basic design that didn't change much for decade after decade, VW was able to slap ridiculously cheap price tags on their clattery little air-cooled machines. Sure, the heaters never worked and the valves wouldn't stay adjusted, but who cared? Cheap is smart!
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