Model-Year Madness! 10 Classic Ads From 1958

Jul

Model-Year Madness! 10 Classic Ads From 1958

Written by Tom Appel in Buick, Chevrolet, Classic Car Ads, Classic Cars, DeSoto, Dodge, Edsel, Ford, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Video

1958 Dodge Ad

Question: What do the Turkish passenger ship Üsküdar, United Airlines Flight 736, and Ford have in common? Answer: All three were involved in disasters in 1958.

The Üsküdar sank during a storm in the Sea of Marmara, Flight 1958 collided with a fighter jet with dire consequences for the passengers and crew, and Ford launched Edsel, a medium-price car line that hit the market just as its target segment was drying up.

But while ’58 wasn’t a great year for mass transportation or launching new car brands, it was a pretty great year for print car advertising. For that reason we’ve collected ten especially great examples for your consideration. We’ve also selected one cool TV ad to share.

It’s worth noting that 1958 was an interesting year in auto advertising as manufacturers seemed split on whether to use drawings or photography to represent their products in print. Among the ads we’re sharing here, four make use of photography.

More classic car ads

Buick