Company chairman Lee Iacocca talks straight to viewers in this 1983 Chrysler commercial. This and many more are in the section below.
The internet is such a great resource to find television advertisements of all vintages. So many great car commercials exist there that it’s easy to spend a whole afternoon jumping from one to another. So I’ve provided direct links to some favorites. I’m always updating this list, so check back regularly.
Some of the commercials below were funny on purpose. Some were not meant to be funny originally, but will make you laugh in retrospect. And others meant serious business. I hope you enjoy them, and if you don’t see your favorites on here there’s a very good chance you will easily find what you’re looking for. Don’t hesitate to check out our Youtube “Classic Car commercials” page directly, and follow us if you enjoy what’s on there.
-Sean
Click on each year/model underlined in purple below to view commercials directly. This list is updated regularly and filed chronologically by year.
1950 VOLKSWAGEN BUS (1950-67 design) One of the best classic VW ads that helped make their advertising famous during the 1950s and ’60s. When it debuted for the 1950 model year, the “Bus” was such a new, off-the-wall idea that Volkswagen had to really sell people on the idea. These days, people would line up for chance to own one. VW is proud to present the shoebox shape Transporter!
1955 CHEVROLET BEL AIR (and 210 SEDAN) (1955-57 design) Life just seemed more magically wonderful during this time. Advertising narrators took their job with the seriousness of national newsreel commentators. Music had a happier tone and even the most basic features on the car had grand names. There’s also a BEL AIR CONVERTIBLE commercial and a 1955 Chevrolet promotional video showing various cars and trucks on the assembly line.
1955 FORD THUNDERBIRD (1955-57 design) Power seats, telescoping steering wheel, power windows – the new-for-1955 Ford two-seater sports car was a true luxury whip, and we get to see it emerging brand new from Ford Motor Company’s Dearborn, Michigan headquarters here.
1957 FORD THUNDERBIRD (1955-57 design) Introduces the ’57 Ford Thunderbird in an airfield in front of an airplane hangar. A very ‘50s-sounding narrator comments on the ‘Bird that “a classic design is ageless, it remains permanently new and exciting.” He sure got that right.
1957 CHRYSLER CORPORATION 5 MODELS (1957-61 design). This introduces all 5 versions of Chrysler’s larger “forward look” bodies: the Plymouth Fury, Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler, and Imperial. Although manufacturers tended to describe everything each year as “new”, Chrysler claimed these are the “newest new cars in 20 years”.
1958 PLYMOUTH FURY (1957-61 design) This is the make and model that starred in the Stephen King film “Christine”. Salesman shows a Plymouth “value finder” comparison chart found in showrooms. But the slogan they had at the end is unforgettably good – “More car for your money today, more money for your car tomorrow”. It’s always enjoyable to see features we take for granted today treated as a big deal then…such as “full-time power steering”. I sure hope so.
1958 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE This commercial shows German VW execs meeting with a renowned Italian auto designer and asking him what changes would he make to the Beetle. The only design improvement he could come up with was to make the rear window larger. We are reminded, “A Volkswagen is never changed to make it look different. Only to make it work better.”
1960 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE This one poses some tough questions to American car owners, with the example of a frustrated Plymouth driver seen suffering a boiling radiator, stuck in the mud, and feeling a wallet punch as he pays over 6 dollars for filling his gas guzzler’s tank. Naturally, a VW won’t have any of these problems. And it took less than $3 to fill up!
196? VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE #1 Staunch, German engineers disassemble a Beetle in 40 seconds. Buyers are reassured simple engineering is better, and are encouraged to believe VW will always “carry all the parts for your car you’ll ever need”. Another 1960s Beetle ad demonstrates how quick and easy it is to fix a Beetle after its front fender and headlight are damaged. “Right now somewhere, somebody is driving their car into the garage”. The sped up film footage is amusing.
1961 FORD THUNDERBIRD (1961-63 design) Introduces the sleeker, Lincoln-esque T-Bird that replaces the square, unloved design of 1958-60. Features an innovative swing away steering wheel. And wow…a rearview mirror! “You can feel the eager might of the new T-Bird…”
1964 FORD MUSTANG (1964-66) “Coming just days away April 17th!” This first-run Mustang commercial introduces the brand new model during the middle of the ’64 model year. Mentions the lack of affordable sports cars in this day and accurately predicts how this car will be one that appeals to all types.
1970 DODGE CHALLENGER (1970-74 design) Jackie Gleason’s sheriff character from “Smokey & The Bandit” had to have been inspired by this commercial. A driver gets pulled over for driving what appears to be an unregistered race car by the sheriff. He tries to argue it’s the new production Challenger, but the sheriff isn’t convinced. As he points out the features on the car in defense, he only ends up making himself look guiltier. The video quality is poor on this one, but it’s still worth watching.
1970 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE Commercial opens with the narrator (a deceased billionaire) reading his will as we see a funeral procession full of luxury limousines such as Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Rolls-Royces. We are taken inside each limo where wife, sons, business partner, and others are left mere pennies because they spent money without regard. The last car in the procession is driven by the deceased’s nephew who valued frugality and bought a Volkswagen. He is rewarded with the fortune. This ad is truly a classic!
1971 FORD LTD (1969-72 design) Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling stars in this commercial. Mr. Serling points out how hard it is to find peace and quiet anywhere, even in the middle of a desert. He finally finds all the quiet he’s looking for in a ’71 LTD. Countless 1959-64 Twilight Zone episodes featured characters in desert wasteland situations, and this is a good tribute for fans of the show.
1973 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE This ad from England features kids playing soccer commenting on various improvements on that year’s Beetle parked on the street. “So many improvements its beginning to show” is the perfect narrative. Humorous, especially as the owner of the car pulls off in it.
1974 CADILLAC MODEL RANGE (1971-76 design) This, and the next ’74 Cadillac Sedan De Ville commercials are both must see footage. The announcer’s tone of voice may be a little on the stale side, but that only contributes to the strong classic appeal of both of these. As befitting to a luxury car, conservative music and vehicle attributes are stressed providing a bit of kitch for enjoyment now. Eldorado, Fleetwood and Coupe De Ville models make an appearance.
1974 SEDAN DE VILLE (1971-76 design) Seeing the perfectly white, clean cement highway in the commercial will bring you back in time – most cement roads around us were built in the 1970s and it’s been forty years since any of them were this clean.
1975 CHRYSLER CORDOBA (1975-79 design) Actor Ricardo Montalban may be most remembered for his role in these commercials speaking of optional “corinthian leather”. The commercial has background music that inspires false imagery of Spain, bullfighters, and gold coins from lost cities. “I could ask for nothing beyond the quality of Cordoba’s workmanship, the tastefulness of its appearance…” – priceless!
1976 VOLKSWAGEN MICROBUS (1968-79 design) Portrays Dr. Frankenstein and entourage of monsters in the process of escaping from an angry mob attacking their castle. “If you’ve created a rather large family, and have an awful lot to carry ..and you want to get away from it all, chances are a conventional station wagon won’t be large enough.” After packing up the Bus frantically and jumping in, the good Doctor and monsters all get away just in time. Very funny.
1976 AMC PACER (1975-80 design) “If you want room and a stable ride, and really only believe you’ll get it in a bigger car, you’re in for a pleasant surprise.” In this 1976 commercial, two guys are driving in what seems like an ungainly-proportioned 1973-74 Ford LTD. Then, they remove body panels to reveal a Pacer, “the first wide small car”. Just seeing the bogus “big car” LTD is worth watching.
1976 CADILLAC ELDORADO CONVERTIBLE This factory commercial lets buyers know in no uncertain terms that this year’s 1976 Eldorado will be the last produced. More specifically, “only” 14,000 of these collector items will be produced with a limit of two per customer.
1976 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS S (1973-77 design) For 1976, a Cutlass “S” (Sport) model debuted, and is shown in this commercial with crisp square-headlight styling and a 5-speed manual transmission (available with a 260-cubic-inch V8). During 1976-77, the Olds Cutlass was the number one selling car in the United States. Here, a 1977 CUTLASS SUPREME commercial shows a final year ’77 model.
1976 FORD LTD COUNTRY SQUIRE WAGON (1973-78 design) I had one of these growing up, and this design run made the car such an American icon that I feel it cannot be left out.
1977 CADILLAC SEDAN deVILLE (1977-92 design) This ad which ran in the fall of 1976 poses the questions, “How do you improve a car that consistently has the highest repeat ownership of any U.S. luxury car make? How do you improve a Cadillac?” The commentator introduces the new-for-1977 downsized Cadillac standard cars, informing you everything about the new generation is an improvement – even if you’re disappointed they are no longer as wide and long as Lincolns.
1977 LINCOLN MARK V (1977-79 design) The distinctive, curmudgeonly voice of actor John Houseman narrates this commercial from Autumn 1976 introducing the Mark V at the New York Museum of Modern Art. The way he emphasizes “Mark FIVE” twice is trademark Houseman. Note the vehicle shown in this “modern art” theme is not equipped with vinyl roofs that 99% of Mark Vs featured. Here’s a 1979 MARK V commercial, with designer editions.
1977 CHEVROLET CAPRICE (1977-90 design) Good, serious commercial featuring a young Jerry Orbach demonstrating how the downsized, new-for- ’77 Caprice has five more cubic feet of interior room than older Ford LTDs (see directly below) and Dodges that wouldn’t see similar redesigns for another two years. This body style proved so popular it ran virtually unchanged through the 1990 model year.
1977 FORD LTD (1973-78 design) News anchor Hugh Downs hosts this commercial and pitches a rebuttal to the downsized-for-’77 General Motors full-size cars against the (still XL sized) Ford LTD. Fans of traditional big cars were put on notice that the LTD now offered the same length and wheelbase as the reduced Cadillac Fleetwood while being priced the same as the even smaller Chevrolet Caprice.
1977 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX (1973-77 design) I was always a big fan of mid-size Pontiacs from the 1970s, and wondered why the V-shaped hood design was not retained. “Some say it’s the most beautiful car in America…it’s already inspiring legends.” Hard to tell what the price shown at the end is about though.
1977 FORD THUNDERBIRD (1977-79 design) – This introduces the moderately downsized T-Bird that began its twenty-year brotherhood with the Mercury Cougar platform. One listen will bring back memories of the announcer’s voice that did all Ford commercials of this vintage. I enjoyed the theme of the car taking off, flying, and landing with applicable sales pitching details. Does anyone else remember seeing the “O” in Ford spelled with a light bulb like I do? “When America needs a better idea, Ford puts it on wheels” slogan was a good one. This one is worth watching for nostalgia.
1978 AMC PACER (1975-80 design) – A funny comparison to other competitors. American Motors knew the Pacer was a bit eccentric, and they seem to put a positive spin on that fact. For example, to point out its width, a Ford Granada mid-size car is driven inside a hollowed out Pacer shell. It fits! And who knew the passenger side door was longer than the driver side on these cars.
1978 CADILLAC FLEETWOOD (1977-92 design) After a long workday, a Cadillac Fleetwood owner is seen enjoying his new car’s features on his way home in the evening. After owning a 1979 model myself, I can truly agree that driving the car home sometimes was the most rewarding part of the day.
1978 MERCURY COUGAR (1977-79 design) One our favorite car commercials ever. Featuring Cheryl Tiegs, disco, a pimp-tight ride with whitewalls, and a wild jungle cat the car was known for…advertising simply does not get better than this!
1978 PLYMOUTH VOLARE (1976-80 design) William Christopher (Father Mulchahey from M*A*S*H) and Richard Kline (Larry from Three’s Company) star in this Volare commercial about what they have and haven’t given up when purchasing one. Even though the “Volare” song is not featured this is still one of the better Volare commercials.
1979 VOLKSWAGEN RABBIT (1975-84 design) Shown here are two commercials for the ’79 Rabbit (otherwise known as the Golf Mk1). In the second, a pompous-looking art dealer loading some frames into his Rabbit poses the question, “What fool would own a copy, when you can own the original?”. I had a 1979 Rabbit in the ‘80s and seeing this one really took me back. While I don’t often see Rabbits on the road anymore in the Northeast, it’s been an even longer time since I saw one with hubcaps intact.
1980 CHEVY TRUCKS (1973-87 pickups, 1973-91 Suburbans + Blazers). “Saturday night beautiful, Monday morning tough” theme is backed up with slices of life trucks endure. Double-walled construction is highlighted. Strong Americana value, as ’73 GM trucks defined the basic look of all American pickups for the following twenty-plus years.
1981 CHRYSLER IMPERIAL “Frank Sinatra edition” (1981-83 design). During this time, Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca was struggling to keep Chrysler out of bankruptcy by lobbying the government for a bailout. Frank Sinatra was so inspired by his fellow Italian’s heroic mission, he volunteered to be in advertisements with Iacocca at no charge for the sake of the company. They appeared together in a commercial introducing the new-for-’81 Imperial. “Frank Sinatra” packages were offered for 1981-82. I could not locate that commercial, but this is the next best thing featuring Sinatra singing “It’s Time”… for Imperial. Even though the Imperial is based on a Cordoba body frame and borrowed all its styling from Lincolns and the ’80 Cadillac Seville, it’s still a must see.
1981 MERCEDES 240D (1976-85/86 design) This Mercedes-Benz USA commercial features a 240D 4-cylinder diesel sedan. Frugal MPGs are discussed, as well as some great performance handling scenes, even though these were relatively slow.
1981 DELOREAN DMC-12 (1981-83 design) The first DeLorean commercial introducing the DMC-12, available with a 5-speed manual or 3-speed automatic. See our article on the new DeLorean Motor Company.
1982 CHRYSLER LEBARON CONVERTIBLE (1982-86 design) Lee Iacocca introduces Chrysler’s new small LeBaron lineup for 1982, based on the K-car platform introduced a year earlier. I feel the LeBaron convertible of 1982-86 is significant because in ’82 it was one of the first two American models to re-introduce a convertible again since the ’76 Eldorado. Plus my mother also bought one new in ’86 and it’s still in the family today.
1982 MERCEDES 300D / CD TURBODIESEL (1976-85/86 design) This Mercedes USA commercial introduces the 300D sedan and 300CD coupe, both of which received an upgraded turbodiesel engine for 1982 – joining the 300TD wagon which received that engine a year earlier.
1983 MERCURY COUGAR (1983-88 design) My parents owned one and it’s sometimes hard to remember these were among the sleekest-looking cars on the road when introduced. Many 1983-88 Cougars were sold because they also did handle and perform well.
1983 HONDA PRELUDE COMMERCIAL (1983-87 design) Simply one of the best car commercials ever, with Burgess Meredith narrating. Even though the volume level is low and out of one side only, it’s still worth a watch.
1984 CHRYSLER Lee Iacocca talks directly to the American public in this one. Commercials featuring Iacocca since 1980 were received so well by viewers, he gradually became a major pitchman for the company himself. This is a great example, with Iacocca’s no-nonsense commentary about the company’s turnaround and its focus on product. “…Not bad for a company that had one foot in the grave”. It’s eerie how his message applies today more than ever, and I don’t know how much Chrysler remembered it. I always enjoyed Lee in the old commercials, when he talks it’s comfortable listening…much like hearing a favorite uncle storytelling.
1984 MERCEDES 190E (1984-93 design) This introduces the new-for-1984 Mercedes 190E series to the Japanese market. At the end, it pulls up in front of S-class and E-class sedans of that same model year as a bonus.
1984 CHEVROLET CORVETTE (1984-96 design) I actually remember this commercial from spring of 1983 introducing the new ’84 Vette, thinking “awesome” at the time. That was the theme this commercial strove for in every angle with music, special effects, and wow features inspired by “Knight Rider” tv show. I really enjoyed finding this one, as now it seems a bit kitchier than I remember. I used to work on these at a GM dealership in the late 1980s, and this generation Corvette is still one of my favorites.
1985 CADILLAC ELDORADO (1979-85 design) This ad starts with a man in his 40s flashing back to his first summer job as a valet. Driving a then-new ’67 Eldorado, the young man dreams of owning his own. And now that day has arrived in 1985.
1985 HONDA PRELUDE COMMERCIAL (1983-87 design) Like all Honda commercials from this era, this one features the great storyteller’s voice of Burgess Meredith telling us,”The best way to experience the Prelude Si is by the seat of your pants”.
1986 MERCEDES 190E (1984-93 design) This is an example of how serious Mercedes advertising used to be before the company shifted focus in the mid-1990s. Just about every Mercedes commercial from then shows cars tearing through wooded forests with a narrator saying their great tagline “engineered like no other car in the world”.
1986 MERCEDES 300E (1986-95 design). This commercial introduces the new-for-’86 300E midsize series lineup.
1986 MAZDA RX-7 (1986-91 design). Introduces the new-for-’86 sports car. Actor James Garner was Mazda’s pitchman at the time and, as always, his style adds a bit of enjoyable dry humor.
1987 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS SUPREME (1978-88 design) Great action scenes and angles of a Cutlass Supreme in motion. This ad dates back to a time when the now-defunct GM brand had some of the number-one selling models, the Cutlass Supreme being one of them.
1988 MERCEDES S-CLASS (1980-91 design) – A quick look back at earlier S-class models. Worth watching because the black-on-gray color of the S-class featured is captured best.
1989 CADILLAC (all models) The first half of this video reminds viewers that “The only way to travel is Cadillac style”
1989 MERCEDES S-CLASS (1980-91 design) Skip to :40 to begin this commercial, which focuses on M-B safety advancements over the years. Great view of an S-class at the end.
1991 MERCEDES S-CLASS (1980-91 design) This commercial highlights M-B’s ASR anti-slip wheelspin traction control option which debuted as an option on 1991 models.
1997 SATURN – I enjoyed this grassroots testimonial commercial from a travelling salesman. “Chicks love it” was a great line.
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