Print Car Ads From The 70s and 80s

I recently discovered a box of old magazines in my basement.  Included in that box were issues of Car & Driver and Motor Trend from 1976 through 1984.  It was fun to go through them to see the vehicle test results.  Coverage was mostly of vehicles from the Detroit 3, but coverage of the imports increased each year.

One of the magazines was Cars Hi-Performance, which focused mainly on performance upgrades to older cars. It did not have any new car ads, but it did run a feature on the cool 1980 Camaro Ultra Z. I covered that in a separate article.

Related article:  Inspiring Concept Cars:  1980 Camaro Ultra Z

Not Just The Test Drives

Once you finish reading about the test drives, it is fascinating to see the car ads.  These had a special vibe to them, unlike today’s ads.  They were also more informative than modern print ads.

Shown below is a sample of the print ads I found in my treasure chest of magazines. They are arranged chronologically by model year. Before 2000, we relied on magazines because there was no internet to browse for details; the ads lacked needed information.

Check out the level of features and specifications, then compare it to ads you’ve seen recently.  Some of these vehicles were even shown with head-to-head comparisons with their competitors.  Inches and horsepower mattered!

With the crowded new car market today, modern ads need to grab your attention to bring awareness of the brand.  If it did its job, you then go to the manufacturer’s website for more detail.  Where is the fun in that?

Final Thoughts & Questions

While not included in the samples above, I do remember removing ads for Corvette, Camaro and Trans Am to pin to my bedroom wall.  I found a few of those tucked back into the magazines.  That was a real trip down memory lane!

Let me know your thoughts on the old school ads, and if you pinned them to your bedroom wall (next to the Farrah Fawcett poster!).  Personally, I liked those highly detailed ads from the 70s and 80s.