Simpler Times for Automotive Ads

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Nov 25, 2024

The 90-year-old British car company, Jaguar, unveiled a rebrand last week. The good news: the 30-second campaign launch video quickly racked up 200M+ views on social media. The bad news: the brand’s new direction was met with a tidal wave of ridicule.

Maybe controversial is the goal in an era where attention is everything? I’m not sure, but that sounds exhausting. Let’s appreciate a few automotive ads from an era that feels a whole lot more simple.

Porsche – July 1955

‘Years ahead in Engineering. Miles ahead on the road.’ is a startling good tagline. The thought of buying a 1955 Speedster new is about enough for me to start building a time machine in my garage.

FIAT – August 1958

‘Italy’s Great Economy Car’ offers Americans Italian style at the bargain brice of just $1,743 (roughly $18K in 2024 adjusting for inflation).

Jaguar XK150 – October 1957

Elegance and dependability, available with “automatic or manual shift.” Not a ton of nuance needed to sell an XK-150.

Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster – January 1958

You’ll likely need a 30-year mortgage to buy a 300 SL Roadster today, but they weren’t cheap in 1958 either. This ad gets more technical than I expected, touting compensating springs, a single joint rear swing axel, and a 250 hp fuel injection engine. A rare combination of road performance and luxury indeed.