Historic Car Commercials

Honda have had a number of clever and highly memorable television commercials, often focusing on their engineering led approach 

As a perennial car enthusiast, I tend to keep a keen eye on the goings on in the motor industry. The cars of today as well as future automotive trends and challenges are constantly evolving. To me, there is never a dull moment.
Automotive history also intrigues me greatly. Looking back, I reckon one aspect of the motor industry that has gone downhill is that of the traditional car commercial. Of course, this is just my opinion and I only make this observation on a general basis. Is it me though or are todays crop generally rather forgettable compared to those from a few years ago?
Naturally there are some bright sparks here and there but few will stick in the mind. Power and speed are seldom touched upon, mainly due to safety legislation and concerns of irresponsibility. Humour is rare and originality rarer still.

Like the DS that proceeded it, the 1974 Citroen CX was a technologically advanced car featuring a distinctive aerodynamic design, hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension, speed adjustable power steering and a modern interior control layout. Despite this space age take on mid 70's motoring and an equal 'out of this world' advertising campaign, Citroen sold nearly 1.2 million CX's over its 16 year production run   

Certain car adverts have been memorable thanks to famous faces. The weirdest has to be that of Grace Jones and the Citroen CX - I can't think of another piece where the character eats the car and finishes off with a burp. Other far more agreeable examples for British audiences included Sir Nigel Hawthorne promoting the 1990's Vauxhall Astra in a series of comic pieces, Ronnie Corbett doing the same for the early Ford Escorts and Noel Edmonds waxing lyrical over the Austin Rover range.
High end celebrity endorsements are seen as key to selling cars. Citroen, (who evidently saw the error of their ways following the mid 80's CX ad) hired Claudia Schiffer to help shift the Xsara in the 90's. Footballers have also been involved with Thierry Henry fronting the Renault Clio VaVaVoom campaign and Christiano Ronaldo doing a similar job for Suzuki and their Swift supermini. Even Victoria Beckham was enlisted by Land Rover to increase the allure of their Evoque.
My opinion is that famous faces may help at the time but won't necessarily stick in people's minds as well as a thoughtful, clever and perhaps emotional advertising campaigns. Using Renault as an example, their 1990's series for the Clio featuring Papa and Nicole is far more memorable compared to the later ones with Thierry Henry.

Mercedes created one of the most memorable car commercials of all time in the 90's. The surprising thing is that it wasn't for anything visual. Thank the score 'Oh Lord Won't You Buy Me a Mercedes-Benz' for that 

A decent soundtrack is a highly important part of any car commercial in order to create an emotional attachment. Normally these are in the background; however, occasionally the music is what makes a great car advert stand out.
Mercedes has to take the honours as far as this is concerned. Following the German giant's quality control issues in the 1990's, they needed something to remind people of the allure and provenance of the 'three pointed star'. Instead of focussing on their past however, they kept attention on their then current range featuring the soundtrack of Janis Joplin's classic.
Peugeot also had considerable success in the 90's with their campaign for the 406. A rather emotional piece with the backing of the M People hit 'Search For The Hero' made it an ad that made a connection with people who saw it.
Something that I have noticed is how the message of a car commercial has changed over the years. It used to be all about the practical benefits of a model such as its list of standard equipment or price. Today it's more about the lifestyle choice of a car or its brand statement.

Peugeot really went to town with its promotional activity for the 205GTI in the 80's. James Bond style action sequences were fantastic to watch

I've scoured YouTube and listed some well known car commercials from years gone by. Some are clever, some rely on action and suspense whilst others are now rather dated but show the clear messages of what a motor manufacturer was trying to get across. Better with sound - enjoy...

Honda Accord
This has to be one of the cleverest commercials of all time. Filmed in 2003 in two sections, each section took two days to film and get right. 'Cog' has won numerous awards - it isn't hard to see why. Click here
     
Peugeot 205 GTI
Filmed in 1984 as part of a launch campaign for this most classic of hot hatches, the 205 GTI ad shows off the car's nimbleness and power to great effect. Beware, the main desert sequence is 5mins in length but features great Bond-like action. Click here

Austin Metro
The Metro was a very important car for the British motor industry as it was due to replace the Mini. The Mini ended up outliving it and the Metro ended up with an image problem, not helped by the fact it became far too long in the tooth. This launch ad is extremely patriotic and is interesting for directly communicating the tough competition the Metro had to beat. Click here

Volvo 340
Volvo's are famed for being safe in an accident. The Volvo 340 was certainly a solid car, even if an uninspiring one. This 1987 ad directly communicated the safety positives better than most. Click here     

I have a soft spot for the Triumph Dolomite Sprint although many cars from British Leyland were mediocre at best. Their flagship commercial didn't do them any great favours either (see below)

British Leyland
This commercial from 1975 is very dated now but demonstrated the supposed value of BL products. The vast range of brands under one umbrella, with many competing against each other meant that failure was imminent. Click here

Ford Puma
The Ford Puma was a great car in the 90's; a sporty and nippy coupe based on more humble Fiesta underpinnings. This ad is clever as it uses footage of Steve McQueen and references the Ford Mustang from Bullitt and the motorbike from The Great Escape. Click here

Honda
Another Honda ad, this time referencing the brand through its history to the current day. Love the score, The Impossible Dream. Click here

Fiat Ritmo/Strada
This advert was a well remembered one from the late 1970's. Rowan Atkinson and team did a spoof of it on their popular programme Not the Nine O'clock News where they altered it to fit the Austin Ambassador. Their slogan was 'Hand built by Roberts'. Click here

Peugeot 406
Stirring commercial with a great soundtrack. Click here

Many commercials were made by Land Rover during the iconic first generation Range Rover's 26 year run

Skoda Fabia
A rather clever and I'm sure labour intensive commercial to make. Also one that makes me hungry! Filming took place at Shepperton Studios and the finished model was all made of cake including headlamps comprising Fox's Glacier Mints, the timing belt being made of liquorice and the rear light being a jelly mould. Click here

Mercedes-Benz
Janis Joplin backed piece. Click here

Range Rover
The Range Rover is well known as a luxurious car that has the ability to undertake some serious off-roading. This 1985 advertisement demonstrates the point well with a rather regal backing track. Click here