Yahoo Autos Great Classic Car Commercials You Need to Watch
- 1/15
From the bizarre, to the inspired, these are some of the best vintage car commercials, according to you.
m35a2 - YouTube - 2/15
1996 Nissan 300ZX
This stop-motion mini action flick featuring a toy 300ZX with Van Halen playing in the background was the perfect way to brainwash '90s kids into loving Nissan. Considering how cool the 300ZX is today, we think it might've worked.
yt20052005@Youtube - 3/15
1980s Isuzu
Isuzu's "Joe Isuzu" ads were a straightforward yet clever way to show off some of the company's quirky offerings in the 1980s.
Richard Arnold@Youtube - 4/15
1983 Porsche 911
Porsche has always made it clear that it uses its racing expertise to develop its road cars, and this trio of television ads really drives the point home. Porsche's tagline, "Nothing even comes close," seems on-point.
Simon Kelly@Youtube - 5/15
1991 Alfa Romeo SZ
If you love weird artsy 1990s videos, this six-minute Alfa SZ promotional film is definitely worth a watch. Full of strange scenes and action-packed panning shots, it matches the car's oddball looks perfectly.
Trent Chellingworth@Youtube - 6/15
1960 Ford Falcon
Before scores of classic holiday specials, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang first appeared on TV shilling the Ford Falcon. This 1960 commercial is cheesy, but charming.
D Heine@Youtube - 7/15
1960s Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen's 1960s and 1970s ads for the air-cooled Beetle are perfect. They strike a great balance between self-effacing humor about the Beetle's oddball status in the U.S., and touting the superiority of its German engineering. VW ads from this era are so pivotal, they're taught to beginning advertising students to this day.
King Rose Archives@Youtube - 8/15
1960s Volkswagen Beetle
VW made so many clever ads back in the day, it's hard to choose just one. This one, first aired in the '60s, throws shade at the broken promises made at the 1949 auto show, displaying the Beetle as a working, dependable car rather than a trendy fad.
Hannah Gabrielle@Youtube - 9/15
1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS
The first commercial for the mighty Camaro is spectacularly overwrought. There's a volcano, cheesy scary music, a narrator with a deep voice, and of course, a Camaro SS. What more could you want?
Paddock Chevrolet@Youtube - 10/15
1968 Citroën DS
To promote new corner-following headlights on the iconoclastic DS, Citroën came up with a perfectly avant-garde commercial. There are no voiceovers, and hardly any beauty shots of the car: Just neat camera work, and hip jazz.
FCIA FrenchCars@Youtube - 11/15
1971 Honda N600
Just a few years after its famous "you meet the nicest people on a Honda" campaign for its scooters and bikes, Honda struck a similarly cheery tone with its early U.S. car commercials. The little N600 was wildly different from the cars Americans were used to, a fact that Honda played up in this ad.
Old Cars in Cyprus@Youtube - 12/15
1975 Chrysler Cordoba
No one knew what "soft Corinthian leather" was, but it didn't matter when intoned seductively by Ricardo Montalban. Is this the most 1975 car commercial ever? It might be.
Bionic Disco@Youtube - 13/15
1980 Datsun 280ZX Tenth Anniversary
This commercial is so absurd and perfect, words can't do it justice. Just watch and revel in the 1980s-ness.
Stewart Vidmar@Youtube - 14/15
1984 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI
To introduce the Rabbit GTI to American consumers, Volkswagen had a band record a Beach Boys-esque song in German. Fun, just like the car.
buggiez811@Youtube - 15/15
1980s Porsche 944 Turbo
Porsche's best commercials have always demonstrated confidence with a sense of humor. This 1980s 944 Turbo ad features a string quartet version of Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze and some shots at Ferrari and the Corvette.
PeteOlson@Youtube
Some of our favorite ads starring some of our favorite cars.
