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
Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast, Episode 19: C8 Corvette, RIP Holden
1958 Ford Zephyr-Six
1958 Volkswagen
Review Flashback! 2009 Pontiac G8
1964 Chrysler Valiant
Aussie Madness! 12 Classic Ute Ads
1964 Ford Falcon Squire
Future Collectibles: 2014-2016 Chevrolet SS
1964 Datsun Bluebird
Aussie Unicorn: What, Exactly, Was The Kelpie Kargo?
1965 Ford XP Falcon
Meet The Last Aussie-Built Holden Commodore
1969 Mazda R100
Asian Invasion! Five Classic Japanese Car Ads
1970 Holden Monaro GTS
1975 Toyota Crown
Goodbye Holden: GM Aussie and Kiwi Brand Going Sales-Only
1976 Holden Gemini
Cop-Car Walk-around: 2012 Chevrolet Caprice PPV
1978 Chrysler Sigma Scorpion
Chevrolet Captiva Sport: You Can’t Buy One (New)
1978 BMW 320i
Consumer Guide Picks the 15 Best-Looking Cars of All Time*
1984 Holden VK Commodore SS
Listen to the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast
Australian Car Ads Gallery
(Click below for enlarged images)
Australian Car Ads
Australian Car Ads
