
1984 VK Commodore SS
For the month of March 2021, not one American-brand vehicle was reported among the top-ten best-selling vehicles in Australia. For folks not in the know, that might not seem so strange. Australia is a long way from the U.S., and very close to Japan, a country known for its automobiles. And in fact, except for a single Hyundai model, every vehicle on the Australian top-ten list is Japanese.
However, the Australian auto market wasn’t always like this. There was a time when all of the “Big 3” American automakers not only sold vehicles Down Under, they built them there as well. And, to the delight of auto geeks, those Australian-market cars and trucks were not clones of U.S. models.
Because we miss the diversity that Australian-made cars once brought to the automotive world, we’re looking back at some vintage Aussie machines. Below please find 15 classic car ads, all of which appeared in Australian magazines and newspapers. If you have a favorite Australian car model, tell us about it. The place to leave comments is down below.
Australian Car Ads
1956 Ford V8 Customline

1956 Ford V8 Customline Ad
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1958 Ford Zephyr-Six

1958 Ford Zephyr-Six Ad
1958 Volkswagen

1958 Volkswagen Ad
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1964 Chrysler Valiant

1964 Chrysler Valiant Ad
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1964 Ford Falcon Squire

1964 Ford Falcon Squire Ad
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1964 Datsun Bluebird

1964 Datsun Bluebird Ad
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1965 Ford XP Falcon

1965 Ford XP Falcon
Meet The Last Aussie-Built Holden Commodore
1969 Mazda R100

1969 Mazda R100 Ad
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1970 Holden Monaro GTS

1970 Holden Monaro GTS
1975 Toyota Crown

1975 Toyota Crown
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1976 Holden Gemini

1976 Holden Gemini Ad
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1978 Chrysler Sigma Scorpion

1978 Chrysler Sigma Scorpion Ad
Chevrolet Captiva Sport: You Can’t Buy One (New)
1978 BMW 320i

1978 BMW 320i
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1984 Holden VK Commodore SS

1984 Holden VK Commodore SS Ad
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Australian Car Ads Gallery
(Click below for enlarged images)
- 1956 Ford V8 Customline
- 1958 Ford Zephyr-Six
- 1958 Volkswagen
- 1964 Chrysler Valiant
- 1964 Datsun Bluebird
- 1964 Ford Falcon Squire
- 1965 Ford XP Falcon
- 1969 Mazda R100
- 1970 Holden Monaro GTS
- 1975 Toyota Crown
- 1976 Holden Gemini
- 1978 Chryser Sigma Scorpion
- 1978 BMW 320i
- 1984 VK Commodore SS
- 1984 VK Commodore SS
Australian Car Ads
Australian Car Ads