It’s a maxim, a song title, and something your friends might have tried to tell you before a blind date: It’s what’s inside that counts. For a car dealer trying to maneuver a would-be car buyer into a test drive, it’s all about the cabin experience.

But long before a shopper shows up at a dealership, he or she needs to be sold on a given car or truck’s exterior design, which is why few car ads devote much space to images of the vehicle’s interior. There’s a process to selling cars, and in past decades, plush seating was typically lower on the priority list than was sexy sheetmetal.

Still, there were a good number of print ads that focused—at least in part—on cabin finery. We’ve collected a few of those ads here.

Our question for you is: Of the vehicles you’ve driven, which one had the nicest interior? Leave a note in the comments section down below.

Oh, and yes, we did notice that Ricardo Montalban is sitting in a car with velour seats, not Corinthian leather. What gives?

More classic car ads

Classic Auto Interiors

1953 Kaiser

Photo Feature: 1953 Kaiser Dragon

 

1954 Dodge

Photo Feature: 1954 Hudson Jet-Liner Convertible Prototype

 

1954 Hudson Hornet

Photo Feature: 1954 Hudson Jet-Liner Convertible Prototype

 

1955 Chevrolet

Any Cabin Color You Want…

 

1956 Plymouth

Forward Look Madness! A Gallery of Classic Plymouth Ads

 

1960 Lincoln

Luxury Madness! A Gallery Of Classic Lincoln Ads

 

1961 Oldsmobile Starfire

Piano-Black Interior Trim? Skip It

 

1965 Ford Mustang

Pony-Car Madness! 10 Classic Mustang Ads

 

1966 Cadillac

Designer Madness! Fashion in Classic Car Ads

 

1972 Ford Thunderbird

Photo Feature: 1966 Ford Thunderbird

 

1973 Buick Century Regal

Dynaflow Madness! A Gallery Of Classic Buick Ads

 

1974 Mercury Cougar XR-7

Feline Madness! A Gallery of Mercury Cougar Ads

 

1976 Chevrolet Nova Concours

NOVA(S): The GM Compacts of 1975

 

1978 AMC Gremlin

Photo Feature: AMC 1972 Gremlin X

 

1979 Oldsmobile 88

Rocket Madness! 10 Classic Oldsmobile Ads

 

1980 Chevrolet Camaro Berlinetta

Review Flashback! 1982 Chevrolet Camaro

 

1982 Buick Skyhawk

Ladder to Oblivion: The 1982 General Motors J-Cars

 

1984 General Motors

What is General Motors’ Omega Architecture?

 

1984 Chrysler Fifth Avenue

Review Flashback! 1989 Chrysler Fifth Avenue

 

1987 Sterling

What Was Sterling?

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Classic Auto Interiors

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