1970 Saab Viggen Ad, Viggen

There’s almost no glamour to be found in flying these days. The events of September 11, 2001, certainly complicated the process of getting through an airport and onto a commercial flight, but even before that horrible day, flying was becoming more of a grind than an adventure for most travelers. We’ve all heard plenty of jokes about airline food…

There was a time, however, when airplanes represented everything that was wonderful about travel. It was for this reason that planes became a regular feature of print advertising, even if the product being touted had little if anything to do with booking an airline ticket. Planes were once especially popular in auto advertising.

Early on, airplanes in car ads represented the freedom of travel and the promise of adventure. Later, after World War II, planes came to represent science, technology, and performance.

We don’t see many planes in advertising anymore, probably because their novelty has long since wore off and few people make positive associations with air travel these days.

Collected here are a dozen car ads, each of which includes the image of at least one airplane. If you can identify any of these planes, please do. The place to leave comments is down below.

(Oh, and take note of the Cessna ad—it’s a plane ad that includes a car!)

More classic car ads

 

Planes in Car Ads

1930 Marmon

1930 Marmon Ad
1930 Marmon Ad

Market Crash Madness! A Gallery of Depression-Era Car Ads

 

1938 Redline Petrol

Redline Petrol Ad
1938 Redline Petrol Ad

Travel Madness! A Gallery of Classic Rental Car Ads

 

1941 Pontiac

1947 Pontiac Ad
1941 Pontiac Ad

Memory Lapse Madness! A Gallery of Forgotten Car Ads

 

1951 Nash

1951 Willys Ad
1951 Nash Ad

Pigskin Madness! A Gallery of Football-Themed Auto Ads

 

1952 Willys

1952 Willys Ad
1952 Willys Ad

Performance Madness! 10 Classic Car Ads Featuring Horsepower Numbers

 

1956 Chrysler Corporation

1956 Chrysler Corporate Ad
1956 Chrysler Corporation Ad

Model-Year Madness! 12 Classic Ads From 1985

 

1956 Chrysler Corporation

1958 Chrysler Corporate Ad
1956 Chrysler Corporation Ad

Model-Year Madness! 15 Sporty Car Ads from 1984

 

1959 Oldsmobile

1959 Oldsmobile Ad
1959 Oldsmobile Ad

Cocktail Madness! A Gallery of Cars in Liquor Ads

 

1965 Rambler

1965 Rambler Ad
1965 Rambler Ad

What Was the Deal with Car Ads and Swimming Pools…and Golf Courses…and Airports?

 

1969 Cessna

1969 Cessna Ad
1969 Cessna Ad

5 Reasons Why You Still Need to Learn to Drive Stick

 

1970 Saab

1970 Saab Ad
1970 Saab Ad

A Used Car Dealer Gallery

 

1973 Mercury

 

1973 Mercury Ad, Planes in Car Ads
1973 Mercury Ad

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Planes in Car Ads

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