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Hot Deals Madness! A Gallery of Classic Dealer Ads

Fun fact: Most car dealers pay a small amount into a regional advertising fund for each vehicle they sell. That money is spent on ads and promotions tailored to reach would-be car shoppers in a given area. In many cases, manufacturers contribute additional cash to the fund. And, depending on the franchise, some of that money may be spent by the dealer on store-specific ads.

Up until relatively recently, much of that funding was spent on newspaper ads. Those of us of a certain age well remember the Saturday automotive section in local newspapers. Here in Chicago, the auto sections of the Tribune and Sun-Times were often the thickest parts of the paper.

What made these sections so much fun to peruse was that the ads were entirely unlike the professional, high-quality brand campaigns being implemented at the national level. Instead, the local print ads (most of which consumed a quarter page, though bigger dealers often shelled out the money for full-page ads) were packed with oversize-typeface prices, gaudy graphics, and sensational promises.

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Back then, watching a national-market Ford television commercial and then seeing a local Ford dealer ad in the paper was not unlike leaving a church service and walking directly into a gentleman’s club–though not quite as subtle.

Here, we’ve collected a dozen vintage dealer print ads, all of which were found in local newspapers. If you recall any great dealer ads, tell us about it. The place to leave comments is down below.

More classic car ads

Classic Dealer Ads

1950

1950 Studebaker

Stop-and-Go Madness! A Gallery of Classic Car Ads Featuring Brakes

1958

1958 Edsel

Rand Road Revisited: A Used Car Dealer Gallery

1962

1962 Dodge

Classic (C)architecture: Chicago’s Historic Motor Row

1967

1967 Volkswagen (Canada)

You’re on Your Own: How Your New-Car Salesman Gets Paid

1970

1970 Ford

Model-Year Madness! 10 Luxury-Car Ads From 1979

1977

1977 Buick

Remembering My Old Chryslers: The Infallible Coronets and the ’70s Cars with the Crooked Parts

1977

1977 Mercury

Canadian Confusion: GM’s Short-Lived Passport Dealerships

1979

1979 Chevrolet

Favorite Car Ads: 1949 Ford

1983

1983 Datsun/Nissan

A Brief History of Car Radio

1988

1988 multi-dealer ad

Wreath and Crest Madness! A Gallery of Classic Cadillac Ads

1991

1991 Chevrolet

What is the Destination Charge?

1993

1993 Dodge

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Classic Dealer Ads Gallery

(Click below for enlarged images)

Written by: Tom Appel on August 30, 2021.

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Performance Madness! 10 Classic Muscle Car Ads

1970 Buick GSX

Per Wikipedia, “Muscle car is a term for high-performance American coupes, usually but not limited to rear-wheel drive and fitted with a large displacement V8 engine. General Motors introduced the first proper muscle car in 1949. The term originated for 1960s and early 1970s special editions of mass-production cars which were designed for drag racing.^”

Wiki continues with this list of typical muscle-car attributes:

A large V8 engine in the most powerful configuration offered for a particular model
Rear-wheel drive
Being manufactured in the United States in the 1960s or early 1970s (the specific year range of 1964–1973 is sometimes used)
A relatively lightweight two-door body (opinions vary as to whether high-performance full-size cars, compacts, and pony cars qualify as muscle cars, as it is sometimes claimed that only mid-size cars can be considered muscle cars)
An affordable price
Being designed for straight-line drag racing, while remaining street legal

This list will, no doubt, be disputed by some readers. Regardless, I think we can all agree that muscle cars occupy an outsized space in the pantheon of automotive history, especially considering the relatively short time span of the original muscle-car era.

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For this ad collection, we hewed close to the muscle-car definition as outlined above. Expect to see more liberal interpretations of “muscle car” in future ad posts (think 1977 Pontiac Cam Am).

If you’ve ever spent time with one of these brutes, tell us about it. The place to leave comments is down below.

More muscle-car fun

Muscle Car Ads

1971 AMC Hornet SC/360

1971 AMC Hornet SC/360 Ad

Rides and Rock: 5 Car Commercials with Great Music

1970 Buick GSX Ad

1970 Buick GSX Ad

The 15 Fastest Cars of 1982*

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 Ad

Garage Space: 25 Late-Model Collectible Cars

1968 Dodge Charger R/T

1968 Dodge Charger R/T Ad

Photo Feature: 1970 Dodge Coronet Super Bee

1969 Dodge Dart Swinger 340

1969 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 Ad

Model-Year Madness! 12 Sporty Car Ads from 1989

1970 Mercury Cyclone GT

Car Spotter: 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator

1970 Oldsmobile 442

1970 Oldsmobile 442

1970 Plymouth Road Runner

12 Memorable Machines from the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals

1969 Pontiac GTO

1969 Pontiac GTO “The Judge”

Review Flashback! 1974 Pontiac GTO

1971 Pontiac GTO

1971 Pontiac GTO Ad

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Muscle Car Ads Gallery

Muscle Car Ads

Naked Aggression: A Gallery of Stripped-Down Muscle Cars

Written by: Tom Appel on March 22, 2021.

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Streamline Madness! A Gallery of Automotive Aerodynamics in Print Ads

1932 Rockne

Instead of fumbling with task of explaining the concept of aerodynamics myself, I will simply lift some copy from the Porsche 924 ad seen below. Per Porsche:

Air resists the movement of a vehicle passing through it. Resistance increases with the square of the vehicle’s speed: twice the speed produces 4 times the resistance. The engine power required to overcome this drag increases with the cube of the vehicle’s speed: twice the speed requires 8 times higher power. Thus, even a small reduction in drag can result in a large increase in fuel economy. Dr. Ferdinand Porsche was among the first to reduce drag through body design. The Porsche 924 benefits from 70 years of Porsche aerodynamic development. It’s drag coefficient is a low .36. And it requires only 15 hp to cruise at 55 mph.

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Two observations about the Porsche text. First, it’s clear Porsche copywriters don’t like commas. Second, this blurb ignores the 1921 Rumpler Tropfenwagen—a vehicle largely understood to be the first intentionally aerodynamic car. And, it boasted a better coefficient of drag than the 924. You can read all about the Tropfenwagen here.

The 1921 Rumpler Tropfenwagen is generally understood to be the first intentionally aerodynamic automobile.

Looking back, it’s clear that long before carmakers were making effective use of aerodynamic design, they were laying claim to having harnessed the virtues of low-drag silhouettes. For your consideration, we have amassed a gallery of classic ads, each of which touts the benefits of streamlining and aero design in some fashion. Check them out, and let us know which is your favorite. For the record, the Tatra ad—which is an ad, not a brochure—is absolutely my favorite.

More classic ads

1930 Tatra

1930 Tatra Ad

The Cars of Metropolis

1932 Rockne

1932 Rockne Ad

Market Crash Madness! A Gallery of Depression-Era Car Ads

1934 Chrysler Airflow

1934 Chrysler Airflow Ad

Amazingly Innovative Cars . . . And Why They Failed

1934 Kestrel

1934 Kestrel Ad

Eclectic Collectibles: 2018 Mecum Chicago Auction Gallery

1934 Hupmobile

1934 Hupmobile Ad

Photo Feature: 1933 Hupmobile K-321 Convertible Coupe

1935 LaSalle

1935 LaSalle Ad

Designer Madness! Fashion in Classic Car Ads

1949 Nash

1949 Nash Ad

Plaster Master: Salvaging a Nash Styling Model

1952 Willys

1952 Willys Ad

Photo Feature: 1941 Willys 441 Station Wagon

1956 Plymouth

1956 Plymouth Ad

Photo Feature: 1960 Plymouth Fury Hardtop Coupe

1968 Chevrolet

1968 Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette Ad

1976 Plymouth

1976 Plymouth Arrow Ad

Forgotten Functionality: Recalling the 1994 Eagle Summit Wagon, Mitsubishi Expo, and Plymouth Colt Vista

1978 Toyota

1978 Toyota Celica Ad

Aichi Madness! 10 Classic Toyota Ads

1980 Porsche

1980 Porsche 924 Ad

Review Flashback! 1973 Porsche 911

1981 Buick

1981 Buick Regal Ad

Cheap Wheels: 1979 Buick LeSabre Palm Beach

1981 Buick

1981 Buick Regal Ad

Dynaflow Madness! A Gallery Of Classic Buick Ads

1983 Pontiac

1983 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Ad

5 Most-Powerful American Cars of 1980

1983 Mercury

1983 Mercury Cougar Ad

What Was the Mercury Cougar Bostonian Edition?

1984 Audi

1984 Audi 5000 Ad

Gallery: Cool Cars at Fun Places

1985 Ford

1985 Ford Thunderbird Ad

Review Flashback! 1984 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe

1986 Ford

1986 Ford Aerostar Ad

Click below for enlarged images

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Listen to the very entertaining Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast

Automotive Aerodynamics Gallery

Written by: Tom Appel on November 11, 2020.

Rear-View Madness! Classic Ads Featuring the Backs of Cars

1991 Oldsmobile Toronado Troféo

What would be the the automotive equivalent of a leg man? I’m guessing it’s a wheel-and-tire guy. But whether or not your type is brunettes or redheads, you have to admit it’s always fun to admire the things we love from a new perspective.

For the most part, I’m not sure car marketing types would agree with me on this point. Of all the ads I perused looking for the best rear-end shots, roughly one in 20 actually featured the backside of the vehicle.

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There are probably plenty of reasons for this. Back when cars were substantially changed on an annual basis, there wasn’t enough time to devote to showcasing a car from any perspective but the traditional front-three-quarter angle–as the car was likely to be updated again in just a few months. Of course, the tail-fin era sort of put the emphasis back on the hind quarters.

Today we invite you to reconsider some of your favorite rides while paying attention to the back ends. If you’ve got a favorite automotive rear view, tell us about it. The place to leave comments is down below.

More classic car ads