Vintage Car Ads

Compilation of 1950s car and truck commercials

(July 31, 2022) It's interesting to learn what manufactures thought were the top selling points of their vehicles in this compilation of car commercials from the 1950s.

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Chevrolet proclaims 'The Balanced Car' — in 1935

(October 10, 2019) This Chevrolet advertising film from 1935 is interesting if for nothing else its first-hand look at such things as the famous Bluebird's effort to set a land speed record at Daytona Beach and a bad accident during an Indy-style car race.

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Visiting a Chevrolet service department in 1950

(July 25, 2019) A 1950 Chevrolet video depicting a visit to a Chevrolet dealership for oil changes, tune-ups and other diagnostic tests shows that things 70 years ago are not so much different than today. What is not realistic in our modern automotive world — and probably a bit of hype even in 1950 — is an impromptu visit to the service department in the morning and getting an oil change, a tune-up and a paint touchup in the bodyshop all accomplished before 5 p.m.

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Ford's 1936 'Rhythm of the Road' musical

(November 9, 2018) Automobile advertising has certainly evolved over the years as dramatically pointed out by this 1936 Ford movie clip that depicts beautiful tree-lined English scenery and what presumedly are Ford vehicles equipped with Ford V8 engines.

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Chevrolet pictches short-lived Turboglide transmission in 1957 ad

(March 9, 2017) Chevrolet pitched its new 3-speed Turboglide transmission in the V8-equipped 1957 Chevrolet in this 90-second TV ad. It was a $50 option over the standard Powerglide 2-speed automatic transmission and was available from 1957-1961.

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A Chevrolet lesson in automotive technology —80 years ago

(October 25, 2016) The automotive differential has been around as long as the automobile, first used on a car in 1897, according to historians. The differential allows the outer drive wheel to rotate faster than the inner drive wheel during a turn. This is necessary when the vehicle turns, making the wheel that is traveling around the outside of the turning curve roll farther than the other.

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GM highlights its new 1955 'Motoramic Chevrolet' in a series of ads

(August 11, 2016) 1955 was a big year for Chevrolet with an all-new car and a new V-8 engine called the "Turbofire V8." And taking the name of its well-received annual touring display of concept and showcars called "Motorama," General Motors tagged the new car as the "Motoramic Chevrolet," denoting perhaps that the future is now.

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"The Human Bridge' depicts the development of the revolutionary '49 Ford

(July 12, 2016) The 1949 Ford is considered the first "modern car" from Ford. Its development started in 1946 according to a 1949 promotional film from Ford, "The Human Bridge," depicting the building of the car from start to finish.

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1948 Oldsmobile: 'The last word in luxury'

(January 27, 2016) Oldsmobile called the 1948 model the "Car of Tomorrow." Although it didn't have a new engine, the Futuramic 98 carried a sleek, new style. The flathead straight 8-cylinder engine did get a slight gain in horsepower from 110 to 115.

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Bizarre advertisement highlights the build quality of the 1935 Plymouth

(December 23, 2015) Plymouth created one of the most bizarre advertising films in 1935 for the all-steel 1935 Plymouth entitled "Trial by Torture." Before the Plymouth comes into the picture, the audience must sit through about 10 seconds of a rather surreal flashback to the torture chamber of the Spanish Inquisition.

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