Vintage Car Ads

(December 11, 2014) The compact Chevrolet Corvair was a truly revolutionary car when it hit the market as a 1960 model, the first modern American car powered by a rear-mounted air-cooled horizontal six cylinder engine made almost entirely of aluminum driving the rear wheels.

The unique design was conceived by Chevrolet Chief Engineer Ed Cole and became an instant success selling more than 200,000 in its first year. In fact, sales exceeded 200,000 for six straight years.

(November 4, 2014) Although the 1957 Chevrolet was a carryover from the 1955-56 iteration, some key styling changes including a new chrome headlight enclosure, a wider grille, and a new dashboard, has made the '57 model highly collectable.

General Motors initially wanted an all-new car for 1957, but production delays necessitated postponement until the 1958 model year.

(October 3, 2014) Oldsmobile introduced its Rocket engine in 1949, an overhead valve V8 design the took the place of the aging flathead straight-8, which was popular in the 1940s. The engine produced considerably more power than the flathead engines putting Oldsmobile at the forefront in performance.

(September 15, 2014) This classic Esso gas commercial from 1938 is rather interesting giving us a peak into the American service station in the late '30s. Nice theme too — giving a little something extra.

It was a time before such government entities became concerned with leaded gasoline. And note the rather weird and spooky cartoon at the end.