Jalopnik Ad Watch
May 17, 2008 12:33 PM Subscribe
Feeling nostalgic for cheap gas and and a "poke-through air cleaner that jumps when the engine cries"? The Mustang Mach I was the way to swing in '69! But 9 years later, the Cougar XR-7 was the 1978 choice of Cheryl Tiegs for her midnight driving. Speaking of women, what if your wife has to drive alone? It's a shocking concept, sure, but when a woman's at the wheel, you need Polyglas tires. Yep, crazy things used to happen. Heck, Pontiac even sold this thing for a few years. All that and more at Jalopnik's classic ad watch.
jalopnik might be the one thing I read more than metafilter. and i read metafilter way too much.
posted by ninjew at 1:01 PM on May 17, 2008
posted by ninjew at 1:01 PM on May 17, 2008
REASON FOR DELETION: The ads are interesting, but they can also be found on YouTube. Nick Denton gets enough web traffic.
posted by Smart Dalek at 1:12 PM on May 17, 2008
posted by Smart Dalek at 1:12 PM on May 17, 2008
Whoa - does the Aztec really have tent attachment?
posted by forallmankind at 1:24 PM on May 17, 2008
posted by forallmankind at 1:24 PM on May 17, 2008
It was tough to pick the best ones for the FPP. If there are too many links, then the "filter" aspect of MetaFilter gets lost. But here are some more of my faves:
Why Wilt Chamberlain prefers his VW Rabbit to his Rolls Royce.
The 1978 Ford Granada is dang-near identical to a Mercedes.
This 1970 Chevelle SS ad is clever in the way it toys with car ad conventions.
The 1942 Olds B-44, which the ad refers to as a "bombshell."
And for personal reasons, an ad touting the 1981 Ford Escort as a "world car."
My first new car was a 1982 Ford Escort. Ford was really pushing to compete against Japanese quality and value. I fell for it, and it was the worst car I have ever owned. I paid over $8,000 for the thing, ignoring Japanese models out of misguided patriotism. A couple weeks after I bought it, my neighbor bought a new Sentra. It was obviously superior in every way, including build quality and features, and was over $1000 less. The Escort transmission never worked right. It was 18 months before they figured out what was wrong with it (mine and thousands of others had an incorrect part installed, causing the automatic transmission to drop into neutral without warning, and usually while accelerating to merge onto the freeway.) The dealer-installed air conditioning unit blew fog into the car through the vents, and dripped water onto the passenger's foot. After only 2 years and 40k miles, it started habitually overheating, and even a $700 engine repair did not fix it. I dumped it for a great 84 Civic. (Closes diary, puts it back under mattress.)
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 1:26 PM on May 17, 2008
Why Wilt Chamberlain prefers his VW Rabbit to his Rolls Royce.
The 1978 Ford Granada is dang-near identical to a Mercedes.
This 1970 Chevelle SS ad is clever in the way it toys with car ad conventions.
The 1942 Olds B-44, which the ad refers to as a "bombshell."
And for personal reasons, an ad touting the 1981 Ford Escort as a "world car."
My first new car was a 1982 Ford Escort. Ford was really pushing to compete against Japanese quality and value. I fell for it, and it was the worst car I have ever owned. I paid over $8,000 for the thing, ignoring Japanese models out of misguided patriotism. A couple weeks after I bought it, my neighbor bought a new Sentra. It was obviously superior in every way, including build quality and features, and was over $1000 less. The Escort transmission never worked right. It was 18 months before they figured out what was wrong with it (mine and thousands of others had an incorrect part installed, causing the automatic transmission to drop into neutral without warning, and usually while accelerating to merge onto the freeway.) The dealer-installed air conditioning unit blew fog into the car through the vents, and dripped water onto the passenger's foot. After only 2 years and 40k miles, it started habitually overheating, and even a $700 engine repair did not fix it. I dumped it for a great 84 Civic. (Closes diary, puts it back under mattress.)
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 1:26 PM on May 17, 2008
I've listened twice and the quote is definitely transcribed wrong. It should be "...jumps when the engine growls". Given the historic importance of the clip, it was necessary to point this out, and I'm sure everyone will agree that the ad-copy reads a lot better than way. Crying is for girls.
Irrelevant disclaimer: I rode shotgun several times in a Mach I back in the early '70s.
posted by mdevore at 1:28 PM on May 17, 2008
Irrelevant disclaimer: I rode shotgun several times in a Mach I back in the early '70s.
posted by mdevore at 1:28 PM on May 17, 2008
"...jumps when the engine growls"
Yeah! I just listened again, and I think you are right. That makes more sense. Thanks for the clarification.
A later model Mach I parked near my house in Detroit when I was a kid. It looked like this one. I had to walk by it every time I went to the store and I wanted nothing else ever in life.
I've never owned one.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 1:37 PM on May 17, 2008
Yeah! I just listened again, and I think you are right. That makes more sense. Thanks for the clarification.
A later model Mach I parked near my house in Detroit when I was a kid. It looked like this one. I had to walk by it every time I went to the store and I wanted nothing else ever in life.
I've never owned one.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 1:37 PM on May 17, 2008
Jalopnik is my home. And Murilee Martin is my mom. No, wait, my dad. I think.
posted by cyclopticgaze at 2:10 PM on May 17, 2008
posted by cyclopticgaze at 2:10 PM on May 17, 2008
I rahter liked the Aztec. Seriously. Though I never bought one.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 2:14 PM on May 17, 2008
posted by ZenMasterThis at 2:14 PM on May 17, 2008
Rather.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 2:14 PM on May 17, 2008
posted by ZenMasterThis at 2:14 PM on May 17, 2008
I remember as a kid trying to find out whether the Mustang Mach 1 could really go the speed of sound, or whether Speed Racer's Mach V could go five times the speed of sound.
As I was the only person my age who could even define the speed of sound, and there was no Wikipedia back then, getting this answer proved quite difficult.
posted by dhartung at 2:32 PM on May 17, 2008
As I was the only person my age who could even define the speed of sound, and there was no Wikipedia back then, getting this answer proved quite difficult.
posted by dhartung at 2:32 PM on May 17, 2008
I believe that any woman OR man would have trouble driving during that crazy montage, Polyglas tires or no.
posted by Aquaman at 4:02 PM on May 17, 2008
posted by Aquaman at 4:02 PM on May 17, 2008
I believe that any woman OR man would have trouble driving during that crazy montage, Polyglas tires or no.
Ya, that's irritating music and those... signs and... potholes and stuff.
The ending of that ad is great. "Scooch over, it's man-driving time."
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 5:40 PM on May 17, 2008
Ya, that's irritating music and those... signs and... potholes and stuff.
The ending of that ad is great. "Scooch over, it's man-driving time."
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 5:40 PM on May 17, 2008
The 1969 Mustang Mach I (with the 428) was the first new car my parents ever bought. Red, with the black racing stripe, black interior. It was a badass car (but not nearly as badass as the 68 Shelby Cobra 500KR my Dad sold the Mach I to my Uncle in order to buy in '71--we called that one "Thunder" ).
posted by Chrischris at 5:47 PM on May 17, 2008
posted by Chrischris at 5:47 PM on May 17, 2008
I thought I told that dumb bitch to stay in the house!
posted by photoslob at 6:47 PM on May 17, 2008
posted by photoslob at 6:47 PM on May 17, 2008
Can You Tell The 1978 Granada From a $20,000 Mercedes 280SE?
Yes.
I worked for a big web shop a while back that had the Ford contract. During a production meeting for the new Fairlane, the Ford marketing folks were convinced that their campaign "Give the chauffeur the day off" (or some such) was going to take buyers away from BMW and Benz.
It took every client maintainin' bone in my body to keep me from blurting - "People, are you kidding? It's a freaking taxi!"
posted by mattoxic at 8:02 PM on May 17, 2008
Yes.
I worked for a big web shop a while back that had the Ford contract. During a production meeting for the new Fairlane, the Ford marketing folks were convinced that their campaign "Give the chauffeur the day off" (or some such) was going to take buyers away from BMW and Benz.
It took every client maintainin' bone in my body to keep me from blurting - "People, are you kidding? It's a freaking taxi!"
posted by mattoxic at 8:02 PM on May 17, 2008
I remember going to the Detroit Auto show one year and being very disappointed when they turned the Mustang into a gelding.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 8:19 PM on May 17, 2008
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 8:19 PM on May 17, 2008
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posted by raywert at 12:49 PM on May 17, 2008