Politically Incorrect Car Ads from Yesteryear

Historic Vehicle Assoc. ^

[Impala64ssa]

Mad Men fans know women took a lot of sexist hits in the past when it came to advertising. Here’s a look at some of those cringe-worthy classics from the automobile world, along with some others that might make you question whether the good old days were always so good.

[VerySadAmerican]

A ‘69 Dodge Charger R/T or a woman. Tough choice.

[tomkat]

ma'am, i'd trust you to medivac my philistine carcass anyday .. seriesly

[cynwoody]

There was that VW commercial from 2004, which demonstrated that the Polo is tough enough to convert a suicide bombing into a mere work accident:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnL-7x4n4d8

VW was not pleased and threatened to sue the makers of the ad.

But then, we know VW are stupid capitalists, having recently favored the UAW organizing their Tennessee plant, which their workers proved smart enough to reject.

[boop]

Yeah there's one commenter on that site that berates the "old people" who don't get into a lather over the 1940 Plymouth ad.

In fact he says "I can't wait for these kind of old people to die off, so that there will be more tolerance".

Yeesh.

WTF is wrong with the ad?

That a black man points at the car admiringly?

I'm in my late 40s and I've NEVER seen a non-black skycap.

Those guys make good money and rake in the tips.

Is hard work something to be ashamed of? I think not.

[CatherineofAragon]

No head cover

[right way right]

Yes, that is in a real chevy truck ad.
Boycott GM.

[mrsmith]

People today misunderstand why women are so prominently featured in old car ads.
Until electronic ignitions came along a cold engine could be hard to start. a concenient way of avoiding starting problems was for a girl to sit on the hood and use her subcutaneous fat layer to keep the engine from cooling.

Etymologists agree this practise was the origin for the phrase "hot" girl: a girl who could well keep a motor warm.

[petercooper]

[Sherman Logan]

? Has there ever really been a woman outside a dime-store romance novel who yearned to be tamed?

Who the hell does the author think buys 95% of those dime store romances? Women may or may not yearn to be tamed, but there sure are a lot of them who enjoy fantasizing about it.

Note the massive success of 50 Shades, as a somewhat more aggressive example. Vast majority sold to women.

[mrsmith]

That reminds me. I was just telling someone yesterday that it was bucket seats that killed the drive-in movies.

It should be mentioned here that many of the old car ads were made to appeal to women...

[Kirkwood]

I have no problem with any of those ads.

[bicyclerepair]

Still have my 73 Duster with a few original framed magazine ads for it.

One shows girls moving, using the “Space Duster” as a moving van. That’s a Duster with a fold-down backseat like mine.

Mine has every factory option except sunroof. Lives in my garage covered most of the time.

[petercooper]

[wally_bert]

Don’t see many Scout IIs nowadays. I’ve may have seen a half dozen in my life. A big improvement over the Scout I in the looks department.

[nascarnation]

Nicely done...did she date Bill Clinton when he was at Oxford?

[Slyfox]

The commercial was part of compilation featuring numerous groups of people. If you weren't really paying attention you would of missed it.

I have always owned Chevy's. As a kid I went with my family to the September unveiling of the new cars. I wish they would not inject stuff that most people find reprehensible and repulsive.

[Rodamala]

[niteowl77]

The Dodge La Femme! One of my uncles was a partner in a Dodge dealership in those days, and I still have a dealers' color sample model (by AMT) of a '56 Dodge Royal Lancer that differs from the La Femme in that the pink is more of a "rose" color. Even without considering the La Femme, some of the dealer lit for '55 and '56 was pretty heavy on scrupulously well groomed and elegant women posing behind the car, or their slender, manicured hands reaching out for the Dodge automatic transmission's tantalizing and oh-so-easy pushbuttons…

Mr. niteowl77

[who knows what evil?]

There are many books on that subject that support what I said.

There certainly is no shortage of books (or religions) that address what their authors believe the Bible 'says' about a myriad of topics. For me, it says what it says.

Flight deck? I wasn't addressing flight decks or emergency medical procedures...not terribly interested in studying about either, truth to tell.

[who knows what evil?]

...so who’s got that Chase and Sanborn “If your husband ever finds out...” ad. Classic.