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Curbside Classics Archives
vintage ads and brochures Archive
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![It may seem difficult to conceive today, when even a Prius has close to 200hp and will do 0-60 in a tick over seven seconds, but a car’s ability to […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/1950-Nash.jpeg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Ad Tropes: Hill Climbing")
Vintage Ad Tropes: Hill Climbing
Posted on February 2, 2023 | 63 CommentsIt may seem difficult to conceive today, when even a Prius has close to 200hp and will do 0-60 in a tick over seven seconds, but a car’s ability to […] -
![Action! For almost as long as there has been the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, automakers have been trying to get some of that movie magic to rub off on […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1939-De-Soto-Myrna-Loy.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Ad Tropes: Cars on Movie Sets")
Vintage Ad Tropes: Cars on Movie Sets
Posted on January 29, 2023 | 30 CommentsAction! For almost as long as there has been the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, automakers have been trying to get some of that movie magic to rub off on […] -
![The germination for our next trope came from some comments made on my sliding sunroof history post a while back. To draw attention to the then-new sliding sunroof, advertisers would […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Golde-Scheibedach.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Ad Tropes: People Standing in Sunroofs")
Vintage Ad Tropes: People Standing in Sunroofs
Posted on January 24, 2023 | 52 CommentsThe germination for our next trope came from some comments made on my sliding sunroof history post a while back. To draw attention to the then-new sliding sunroof, advertisers would […] -
![Time for another look at cars in ads appearing in places they clearly don’t belong. Today, we’re looking at another trope (age-old, as it turns out), cars parked/driving on golf […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Jeep-1984-Grand-Wagoneer-ad-a1.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Ad Tropes: Cars Parked on Golf Courses")
Vintage Ad Tropes: Cars Parked on Golf Courses
Posted on January 19, 2023 | 30 CommentsTime for another look at cars in ads appearing in places they clearly don’t belong. Today, we’re looking at another trope (age-old, as it turns out), cars parked/driving on golf […] -
![Trope: a convention or device that establishes a predictable or stereotypical representation of a character, setting, or scenario in a creative work (dictionary.com) For almost as long as there have […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1962-Studebaker-poolside.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Ad Tropes: Car Parked Poolside")
Vintage Ad Tropes: Car Parked Poolside
Posted on January 14, 2023 | 28 CommentsTrope: a convention or device that establishes a predictable or stereotypical representation of a character, setting, or scenario in a creative work (dictionary.com) For almost as long as there have […] -
![We’re all familiar with the Studebaker Scotsman, that ultra-stripped thrift-mobile. But Studebaker wasn’t the only one playing to that stereotype. This Chevy ad doesn’t come out and actually say the […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/6160822210_a9d672c3bf_h.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Ads: Reinforcing Stereotypes")
Vintage Ads: Reinforcing Stereotypes
Posted on January 11, 2023 | 52 CommentsWe’re all familiar with the Studebaker Scotsman, that ultra-stripped thrift-mobile. But Studebaker wasn’t the only one playing to that stereotype. This Chevy ad doesn’t come out and actually say the […] -
![It was the that fine old Italianate house that caught my eye, but then I’d also forgotten that the Corvette’s fiberglass body was built by MFG (Molded Fiber Glass) there. […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/6247255453_d793fe12e7_h.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Ad: “Italy Doesn’t Have A Thing On Ashtabula, Ohio”")
Vintage Ad: “Italy Doesn’t Have A Thing On Ashtabula, Ohio”
Posted on January 8, 2023 | 30 CommentsIt was the that fine old Italianate house that caught my eye, but then I’d also forgotten that the Corvette’s fiberglass body was built by MFG (Molded Fiber Glass) there. […] -
![When people think about Volkswagen’s GTI, several models likely come to mind: the original European Golf GTI, the fun 1983-84 North American Rabbit GTI, or many of those cars’ successors. […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Ad-1980-Volkswagen-Rabbit-GTI-Featured-Image.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Ad: 1980 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI – Good Try Imitation")
Vintage Ad: 1980 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI – Good Try Imitation
Posted on January 4, 2023 | 27 CommentsWhen people think about Volkswagen’s GTI, several models likely come to mind: the original European Golf GTI, the fun 1983-84 North American Rabbit GTI, or many of those cars’ successors. […] -
![We’ve had a lot of Australian car covered here over the years, but one has never made it here before, the Chrysler Centura. Like a fair number of other Australians, […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/52299543446_e302d27258_k.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Ad: 1975 Chrysler Centura (Australia) – The Forgotten Australian?")
Vintage Ad: 1975 Chrysler Centura (Australia) – The Forgotten Australian?
Posted on December 11, 2022 | 24 CommentsWe’ve had a lot of Australian car covered here over the years, but one has never made it here before, the Chrysler Centura. Like a fair number of other Australians, […] -
![(first posted 12/1/2016) Back when I was a kid in New Orleans, Archie Manning (of the Saints football team) and Oldsmobile cars were both phenomenally popular. One of the […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Archie-Manning-Football-Showroom.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage TV Ad: 1979 Oldsmobiles – Archie Manning Suits Up For Royal Oldsmobile")
Vintage TV Ad: 1979 Oldsmobiles – Archie Manning Suits Up For Royal Oldsmobile
Posted on December 1, 2022 | 67 Comments(first posted 12/1/2016) Back when I was a kid in New Orleans, Archie Manning (of the Saints football team) and Oldsmobile cars were both phenomenally popular. One of the […] -
![This would have been a nice upgrade fromo my ’68 Dodge A100 van. It only had a bed, a couple of windows and…a cooler. But this ambitious motor home has […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/52493578368_7d639a677c_k.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Ad: 1967 Globetrotter – An Upgrade From My A100 Van")
Vintage Ad: 1967 Globetrotter – An Upgrade From My A100 Van
Posted on November 23, 2022 | 18 CommentsThis would have been a nice upgrade fromo my ’68 Dodge A100 van. It only had a bed, a couple of windows and…a cooler. But this ambitious motor home has […] -
![Johannes Dutch has made us aware of the popularity of these kind of “vans”; SUVs with their rear windows blanked out and no back seat, so that they are taxed […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/52298029197_536b82903a_k.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Ad: Toyota Land Cruiser – “The Tax Man Thinks It’s A Commercial Truck”")
Vintage Ad: Toyota Land Cruiser – “The Tax Man Thinks It’s A Commercial Truck”
Posted on November 19, 2022 | 11 CommentsJohannes Dutch has made us aware of the popularity of these kind of “vans”; SUVs with their rear windows blanked out and no back seat, so that they are taxed […] -
![This has to be one of the oddest PR/ad shots ever, especially for such an exclusive car: a “1960 Cadillac Estate Carriage by Stengel Carrossier”, of which this is the […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/52353581032_b222bf698b_k.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage PR Photo: 1960 Cadillac Estate Carriage by Stengel Carrossier – A PR/Ad Shot Without Wheelcovers?")
Vintage PR Photo: 1960 Cadillac Estate Carriage by Stengel Carrossier – A PR/Ad Shot Without Wheelcovers?
Posted on November 17, 2022 | 19 CommentsThis has to be one of the oddest PR/ad shots ever, especially for such an exclusive car: a “1960 Cadillac Estate Carriage by Stengel Carrossier”, of which this is the […] -
![Yutaka Katayama (“Mr.K”) was a driving force behind such exceptional Nissans like the 510 and the Z. Back in the early ’50’s, he had something more basic in mind: […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/51778093560_d55412ffcc_k.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage PR Shot: 1954 Flying Feather – “Mr. K” Builds A Microcar")
Vintage PR Shot: 1954 Flying Feather – “Mr. K” Builds A Microcar
Posted on November 9, 2022 | 10 CommentsYutaka Katayama (“Mr.K”) was a driving force behind such exceptional Nissans like the 510 and the Z. Back in the early ’50’s, he had something more basic in mind: […] -
![When I first looked at this, I thought where did they go to?, including the female passenger that left her shoes behind. Did they jump off the cliff, in a […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/3822469708_b4ae0f30a5_k.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Rendering: 1964 Chrysler Silver 300 – Lovers’ Leap Or The Love Shack?")
Vintage Rendering: 1964 Chrysler Silver 300 – Lovers’ Leap Or The Love Shack?
Posted on October 30, 2022 | 12 CommentsWhen I first looked at this, I thought where did they go to?, including the female passenger that left her shoes behind. Did they jump off the cliff, in a […]
