JSwain: Advertising the 1950s: These 60-Year-Old Car Ads Are Undeniably Cool

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Advertising the 1950s: These 60-Year-Old Car Ads Are Undeniably Cool

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In the earliest years, this magazine hewed so tightly to the interests of sports-car owners that it was called Sports Cars Illustrated. Appropriately, most of the advertisements featured in these pages were for brand-new sports cars, ways to modify your sports car, what to wear in your sports car, how to maintain your sports car, and the little race car to buy/build if you demanded even more thrills than your sports car could provide.

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Here we present a collection of some of our favorite ads that featured in the pages of SCI from our first issue in 1955 through 1959. Many of the best ones ran on the back cover or on the inside of the front cover, taking advantage of the rare chance to utilize color in the printing process. Jaguar, Porsche, and Triumph had such consistently strong efforts that we struggled to narrow it down to just two ads from each maker, and, as they are today, hair loss, humor, muscles, and the thrill of motoring were common themes. Enjoy this stroll through the postwar sports-car scene. Note: You can click or tap the ads to enlarge.

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Porsche – July 1955

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Chrysler 300 – August 1955

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Austin-Healey 100 – September 1955

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Vibra Brush – September 1955

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Home Gym Co. – September 1955

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Sunbeam Rapier – June 1956

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Citroën DS19 – July 1956

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Sports Cars Illustrated – September 1956

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Porsche 1600 coupe – October 1956

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READ MORE: Our Original 1956 Porsche 1600 Speedster Road Test

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Devin Fibreglass Body – November 1956

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Virginia International Raceway – February 1957

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READ MORE: Lightning Lap 2014: We Attack VIR with 25 of the Year’s Hottest Performance Cars

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Motoralls – March 1957

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Ed Iskenderian Racing Camshafts – April 1957

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READ MORE: What I’d Do Differently: Ed Iskenderian

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MGA – September 1957

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READ MORE: Our Original 1957 MGA Road Test

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Jaguar XK150 – October 1957

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READ MORE: Our Original 1955 Jaguar XK140 Road Test

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Castrol Oil – November 1957

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MG Mitten – December 1957

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Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster – January 1958

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READ MORE: Our Original 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Road Test

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Diners’ Club credit card – February 1958

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Chevrolet Corvette – March 1958

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READ MORE: Our Original 1958 Chevrolet Corvette Road Test

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Panhard Dyna – March 1958

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Plymouth Golden Commando V-8 – April 1958

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Volvo PV444 – May 1958

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Michelin – May 1958

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SEE MORE: Vintage Michelin Ads

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Triumph 4-door Sedan (TR10) – July 1958

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Judson Superchargers – August 1958

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Fiat – August 1958

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Kearfott Rally Computer – October 1958

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Transporter Sports Car Trailer – October 1958

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Exide Batteries – November 1958

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Škoda 440 – November 1958

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Abarth Free-Exhaust System – December 1958

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Lancia – April 1959

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Triumph TR3 – May 1959

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READ MORE: Our Original 1958 Triumph TR3 Road Test

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Mercedes-Benz – May 1959

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Goodyear – June 1959

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Toyota Toyopet – June 1959

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NSU Prinz – June 1959

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DKW 3=6 – July 1959

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Lotus Elite – September 1959

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Jaguar 3.4 Sedan – September 1959

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Peugeot 403 – October 1959

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Chevrolet Corvair – December 1959

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Simca Elysee – December 1959

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