These Are Your Favorite Car Advertisements

Erin Marquis

May 25, 2023 at 6:30 AM·4 min read

Two red cars--a Dodge Challenger Hellcat and a Dodge Charger Hellcat--drifting and kicking up smoke from their tires in front of a port entrance.

OK you jamokes. I asked for your favorite car advertisements and you delivered. I expected the usual, flashy Super Bowl ads, but what I got was a mix of nostalgia, laughs, and surprisingly moving moments I have yet to recover from. I may never.

I just quit coffee and today, instead of caffeine, I’m starting my day off bleary eyed and listening to Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon” while considering contacting my local Volkswagen dealer today.

An illustration from the 1970s of a bunch of people in bell bottoms partying on the edge of a cliff with a Toyota Land Cruiser in the background. Two climbers are peaking over the edge of cliff one says to the other "You've got to be kidding Hilary. Been climbing all day for this and [Swear words]"

From HammerheadFistpunch

That Time Great Music Wasn’t Ruined By A Commercial

Volkswagen “Pink Moon”

Though this one might be the best. And....it introduced a new generation to Nick Drake.

And

The all-time winner. Not a word of dialog, and you barely see the full car, but tell me it doesn’t tell a great story and make you want a freaking VW convertible.
Was scrolling down before posting because I knew someone would have already hit it.

From Xanthophyll, bfred and others.

An Unforgettable Nissan Ad From The ’90s

Nissan 300zx Commercial from 1995

From FutureDoc

So Early 2000s It Hurts

Volkswagen: Un-pimp Your Ride, compilation.

Time to un-pimp ze auto.
Stormare makes everything better.

and

I never got tired of these commercials. These are my favorites.

From Harmon20, BrianMadigan, others

Leave The Sports Car, Take The Turbo Wagon

Volvo 740 Turbo Intercooler Wagon Ad (1986) - Until Ferrari Builds a Wagon, This is It!

From Lark Hawk, Earthbound Misfit I

Nothing Beats A Jetta

Synchronicity

This commercial still comes to mind today. At the time, I really wanted a Jetta, but as a recent Uni grad, had no money. This commercial didn’t help, because it was so cool.

From dolsh and 17 Seconds

Just A Gorgeous Ad

There are a lot that I really love, but one that stands out as being pure, wholesome excellence.

And

And the subsequent version 2, now with 100% more HondaJet:

Honda - Impossible Dream 2. Versiyon

From AKBrian

The Phil Collins Song Turns This One Up A Notch

Dodge Predators - Commercial (US)

The aesthetic, the sound, the feeling, the music. You have to be a bit dead inside not to feel something from this ad. Dodge, love or hate them, and Chrysler/FCA/Stellantis know how to make good commericals:

From Bengal55 and Milky

Mercedes Reborn

Mercedes Benz Soul Reincarnation 4K HD Original Audio Restoration

I’ll drop one more in here, though there are tons of fantastic car ads out there, many of which are below. Mercedes Reincarnation ad is from a line of Benz ads that celebrated their history and the classics. This one is particularly sweet.

From Bengal55

Alternate History Anyone?

Collision Prevent | Spec Ad | Mercedes-Benz (2013)

You said student films... I LOVE this.
Mercedes safety system. Senses danger and reacts appropriately. It’s... dark.

From JohnnyWasASchoolBoy

Retro Ad From Volvo

It was on the back of one of my auto show programs from when I was a kid, and always stuck with me - a lot of Volvo’s advertising up through the 90's seems like it was inspired by the DDB VW ads from the 60's.

From Maymar

Horses And Hares Are All RWD

I always loved BMW’s rear-wheel-drive ads. Shame they abandoned that real hard.

From TheSchrat

The Chevy Silverado Was Miles Ahead Of The Matrix

Honda - Impossible Dream (2005, UK)

Cynical adult me only remembers commercials that are easy to make fun of (i.e. “Real People”, actors shilling cars they’d never themselves drive, etc.) But adolescent me fondly remembers these two ad campaigns from the ‘90s:

The New Dodge Commercial (1996)

And then the Chevy Silverado ads from 1998-1999 (doing “bullet time” before The Matrix):

Chevy Silverado 1999

That last one had a special impact on me because at the time, we had a 1984 C10 Silverado and my grandpa seriously considered getting one of these for a while before he got sick.

From dbeach84

A Hilarious Local Dealership Entry

Trunk Monkey Complete Commercial Collection

Back in the 00s, there was the Suburban Auto Group in the Portland Metro area that had a wonderful series of commercials for the “Trunk Monkey.”

From Knyte

The Song Of The Summer

Volkswagen Da Da Da Commercial Spot

Volkswagen is well-represented here. And I’ve got another one. From 1997, the Da Da Da chair ad. It was so popular when it came out, everyone was talking about it. Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer even did a parody of it for a Microsoft conference.

Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer Da Da Da Commercial

From Lark Hawk

A Most ’70s Advert