Retrotisements — 1972 Pontiac New Car Lineup

For the 1972 model year, Pontiac had ten models for sale in the US, covering six types. Those types and models were compact (Ventura II), mid-size (LeMans), full-size (Catalina, Catalina Brougham, Bonneville, and Grand Ville), station wagon (Safari and Grand Safari), personal luxury (Grand Prix), and muscle car (GTO and Firebird). In addition to the various print and TV ads for those models, Pontiac seemed particularly proud of its bumpers this year.

Here is a gallery of advertisements and advertising images for each of those models, as well as some generic ads.

1972 Pontiac (general)

1972 Bonneville

1972 Pontiac Bonneville dealer postcard

1972 Catalina

1972 Pontiac Catalina print advertisement

1972 Firebird

1972 Pontiac Firebird print advertisement

1972 Firebird Formula 455

1972 Pontiac Firebird Formula 455 print advertisement

1972 Grand Prix

1972 Pontiac Grand Prix print advertisement
1972 Pontiac Grand Prix print advertisement

1972 Grand Ville

1972 Pontiac Grand Ville print advertisement

1972 GTO

1972 Pontiac GTO print advertisement

1972 LeMans

1972 Pontiac Le Mans print advertisement
1972 Pontiac Le Mans print advertisement

1972 Luxury LeMans

1972 Pontiac Luxury LeMans advertisement
1972 Pontiac Luxury LeMans advertisement

1972 Safari

1972 Pontiac Safari and Ventura print advertisement

1972 Ventura Sprint II

1972 Pontiac Ventura Sprint II print advertisement

Retrotisements — 1979 Station Wagons

For my latest gallery of vintage car ads I’m going to focus on one particular segment, in this case it’s station wagons from the 1979 model year. Having never owned one I can’t speak to the experience of what it’s like, but I always crack a smile whenever I see a classic family truckster still on the road.

So in the spirit of old school station wagons, let’s take a look from what was hot off the assembly line 40 years ago from a sampling of American and foreign automakers.

Chrysler

The seventh-generation Town & Country was in its second year as the mid-sized LeBaron wagon. It had formerly been the company’s full-size station wagon.

1979 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country wagon ad

Pontiac

The 1979 Safaris were available in several trim packages. This ad highlights the mid-size Grand LeMans Safari and the full-size Bonneville Safari.

1979 Pontiac Safari ad

Oldsmobile

This Cutlass Cruiser, Oldsmobile’s mid-size wagon, features a diesel engine. 1979 was the company’s second model year with a diesel engine for its wagons.

1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser ad

And here is the full-size Custom Cruiser.

1979 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser ad

Ford

All four of Ford’s wagon models for 1979 are on this beauty of an ad, including the Club Wagon van. We’ve got the Pinto, LTD, and Fairmont wagons all out for a nice day at the lake.

1979 Ford Wagon ad

Chevrolet

1979 was the second model year for the Malibu wagon, then in its fourth generation. It was Chevy’s mid-size wagon entry.

1979 Chevrolet Malibu ad

Here’s Chevy’s full-size wagon, the Caprice Classic.

1979 Caprice Classic wagon ad

Dodge

Dodge offered three wagon models in 1979 — the Colt, Aspen, and Diplomat. Here is the largest of the trio, the Diplomat.

1979 Dodge Diplomat ad

Volkswagen

We can’t forget our imports now can we? Here is the 1979 Volkswagen Dasher, known back home as the Passat.

1979 Volkswagen Dasher

Nissan

The subcompact Nissan Sunny (sold in North America as the Datsun 210) was in the second year of its fourth generation in 1979. In 1982 it was replaced by the Sentra.

1979 Datsun 210 ad

Subaru

The Subaru Leone went by many names in America in the late ’70s, including the Subaru GL or L Series. Whatever you call it, it clearly stands out from the station wagon crowd of 1979.

1979 Subaru station wagon ad

Retrotisements — 1958 Plymouth New Car Lineup

Print advertisements, brochures, and TV commercials help give us a glimpse into the automotive past. Today’s ad collection shines a spotlight on the 1958 Plymouth domestic American car lineup, which featured three main models — the Plaza, Savoy, Fury, and Belvedere — as well as the Suburban station wagon.

The full-size Belvedere, introduced in 1954, was in its third generation for ’58, and was available as a 2-door hardtop, 4-door sedan, 2-door Club Sedan, and convertible. It was demoted from the top of the Plymouth line in 1956 to make room for the Fury.

The Savoy, also in its fifth year of production, was Plymouth’s mid-line priced vehicle. Three trims were available in 1958 — 2-door and 4-door hardtop, and a 4-door sedan. And then there’s the Plaza, which was the entry-level model for 1958 (its last year of production). Buyers had a 2-door Club sedan or 2-door Business Coupe to choose from, as well as a “Silver Special” edition with a custom silver paint job and silver spear.

Last but not least, there’s the 1958 Plymouth Fury. Immortalized in Stephen King’s Christine, the Fury was limited to around 5,000 units in 1958. Nevertheless, it was clearly the marquee model in the ’58 Plymouth lineup. Around two dozen Furys — along with some converted Belvederes and Savoys — were reportedly destroyed to make Christine. King fans should note that the 1958 Fury was not produced in red, as Buckskin Beige was the only color available that year.

In terms of advertising, Plymouth’s print ads tended to focus on the make in general as opposed to specific models. But when one is clearly shown I’ll point it out.

(To see other car lineup advertisement galleries, click here. Got a request for other years and makes? Let me know in the Comments section.)

1958 Plymouth — General

Plymouth ad, 02-17-1958
Plymouth ad, 12-16-1957

1958 Plymouth "Money-Ahead" Contest Form

1958 Plymouth "Money-Ahead" Contest Form

This is for the same contest mentioned in the TV spots below. It’s the “Money-Forward” contest, where you can win either a 4-door hardtop Belvedere or a Motorola transistor radio. Neat!

1958 Plymouth contest ad with Bob Hope

Here are some in-show advertisements for Plymouth, who sponsored the short-lived ABC sitcom Date with the Angels (starring Betty White and Bill Williams). I wonder who won the $500 a month for life, and if they’re still around to collect. I really dig the road test with the tray full of food.

Plymouth ad, 5-19-58 feat. the Belvedere

Featured in this ad: the 2-door hardtop Belvedere

Simoniz ad, 03-03-1958

This Simoniz ad features a beautiful red Belvedere.

The quality on this TV spot isn’t the greatest, but it’s worth it for the jingle at the end.

1958 Plymouth station wagon brochure cover

Suburban Station Wagon brochure cover

1958 Plymouth station wagon newspaper ad

1958 Plymouth Suburban station wagon ad

1958 Plymouth Cabana station wagon concept car

1958 Plymouth Cabana station wagon concept car

What strangeness is this? If you haven’t ever seen this on the road, there’s a good reason. This is the 1958 Plymouth Cabana, a concept car in the form of a station wagon. Pretty swell, if you ask me.

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1960 Ford Motor Company New Car Lineup brochure

Retrotisements — 1960 Ford Motor Company New Car Lineup

1960 Ford Motor Company New Car Lineup brochure

Print advertisements, brochures, and TV commercials help give us a glimpse into the automotive past. Today’s ad collection shines a spotlight on the 1960 Ford Motor Company domestic American car lineup, which featured four main models — the brand-new, compact Falcon, full-size Fairlane and Galaxie, and the second-generation, luxury Thunderbird — as well as the usual assortment of wagons and trucks.

1960 was a fairly significant year for Ford in terms of change. On the consumer front, the recently introduced Galaxie was completely remodeled, while the Falcon made its debut. The Falcon represented Ford’s entry into the compact car market, and its development was spearheaded by company president Robert S. McNamara — who in 1961 became United States Secretary of Defense under President John F. Kennedy. The Falcon was marketed along with the third-generation Fairlane as Ford’s “Economy Twins.”

One of the curious things about Ford’s 1960 campaign is their use of the Peanuts characters to sell cars. They showed up both in print ads (see one of the Falcon entries below) and TV spots. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since Snoopy’s been hawking life insurance for years, but still, it’s pretty bizarre to see Charlie Brown and his friends smoking cigars to celebrate new Fords.

(To see other car lineup advertisement galleries, click here. Got a request for other years and makes? Let me know in the Comments section.)

1960 Ford — General

1960 Ford ad - Wonderful New World of Fords for '60

1960 Ford Falcon/Fairlane 2-page ad



1960 Ford new car lineup ad

1960 Falcon

1960 Ford Falcon brochure pag
1960 Ford Falcon advertisement
1960 Ford Falcon wagon advertisement
1960 Ford Falcon ad feat. Snoopy
1960 Ford Falcon 2-page advertisement
1960 Ford Falcon ad feat. Peanuts
1960 Ford Falcon Wagons ad feat. Alice in Wonderland
1960 Ford Falcon wagon ad feat. Peanuts

1960 Fairlane

1960 Ford Fairlane brochure page
1960 Ford Fairlane 500 Town Sedan

1960 Galaxie

1960 Ford Galaxie ad

1960 Ford Galaxie advertisement

1960 Thunderbird

1960 Ford Thunderbird brochure page

1960 Ford Thunderbird 2-page Marines ad

1960 Ford Station Wagons

1960 Ford Station Wagons brochure
1960 Ford Country Squire wagon advertisement

1960 Courier

1960 Ford Courier Sedan Delivery advertisement

1960 Ford Pickups

1960 Ford pickup truck ad feat. F-100 and Ranchero
1960 Ford Pickups 2-page ad

1960 Ford farm pickups advertisement

1960 Ford Trucks

1960 Ford Trucks ad

1960 Ford Trucks Brochure - 4-wheel drive models

1960 Ford Trucks Brochure - medium duty models

1960 Ford Trucks Brochure - super duty models

1960 Ford Trucks Brochure - tandem axel models

1960 Ford Trucks Brochure - school bus chassis

1960 Ford Trucks Brochure - parcel delivery chassis

(Some brochure images sourced from The Old Car Manual Project.)

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