1984 Chrysler Fifth Avenue
1984 Chrysler Fifth Avenue

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?

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Classic Auto Interiors

1953 Kaiser

1953 Kaiser
1953 Kaiser Ad

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1954 Dodge

1954 Dodge Ad
1954 Dodge Ad

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1954 Hudson Hornet

1954 Hudson Hornet Ad
1954 Hudson Hornet Ad

Photo Feature: 1954 Hudson Jet-Liner Convertible Prototype

 

1955 Chevrolet

1955 Chevrolet
1955 Chevrolet Ad

Any Cabin Color You Want…

 

1956 Plymouth

1956 Plymouth Ad
1956 Plymouth Ad

Forward Look Madness! A Gallery of Classic Plymouth Ads

 

1960 Lincoln

1960 Lincoln Ad
1960 Lincoln Ad

Luxury Madness! A Gallery Of Classic Lincoln Ads

 

1961 Oldsmobile Starfire

1961 Oldsmobile Ad
1961 Oldsmobile Starfire Ad

Piano-Black Interior Trim? Skip It

 

1965 Ford Mustang

1965 Ford Mustang Ad
1965 Ford Mustang Ad

Pony-Car Madness! 10 Classic Mustang Ads

 

1966 Cadillac

1966 Cadillac
1966 Cadillac Ad

Designer Madness! Fashion in Classic Car Ads

 

1972 Ford Thunderbird

 1972 Ford Thunderbird
1972 Ford Thunderbird Ad

Photo Feature: 1966 Ford Thunderbird

 

1973 Buick Century Regal

 1973 Buick Century Regal
1973 Buick Century Regal Ad

Dynaflow Madness! A Gallery Of Classic Buick Ads

 

1974 Mercury Cougar XR-7

1974 Mercury Cougar XR-7
1974 Mercury Cougar XR-7 Ad

Feline Madness! A Gallery of Mercury Cougar Ads

 

1976 Chevrolet Nova Concours

1976 Chevrolet Nova Concours Ad
1976 Chevrolet Nova Concours Ad

NOVA(S): The GM Compacts of 1975

 

1978 AMC Gremlin

1978 AMC Gremlin
1978 AMC Gremlin Ad

Photo Feature: AMC 1972 Gremlin X

 

1979 Oldsmobile 88

 1979 Oldsmobile 88
1979 Oldsmobile 88 Ad

Rocket Madness! 10 Classic Oldsmobile Ads

 

1980 Chevrolet Camaro Berlinetta

 1980 Chevrolet Camaro Berlinetta
1980 Chevrolet Camaro Berlinetta Ad

Review Flashback! 1982 Chevrolet Camaro

 

1982 Buick Skyhawk

1982 Buick Skylark Ad
1982 Buick Skyhawk Ad

Ladder to Oblivion: The 1982 General Motors J-Cars

 

1984 General Motors

1984 General Motors Ad
1984 General Motors Ad

What is General Motors’ Omega Architecture?

 

1984 Chrysler Fifth Avenue

1984 Chrysler Fifth Avenue Ad
1984 Chrysler Fifth Avenue Ad

Review Flashback! 1989 Chrysler Fifth Avenue

 

1987 Sterling

1987 Sterling Ad
1987 Sterling Ad

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Classic Auto Interiors

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