
Old Car Brochures - smacktoward
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/
======
smacktoward
I feel like the 1974 Lincoln/Mercury brochure
([http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Lincoln/1974_Lincol...](http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Lincoln/1974_Lincoln/1974_Lincoln-
Mercury_Brochure/dirindex.html)) may represent peak '70s salesmanship...

 _> Last year 44 out of 50 airline pilots rated a 1973 Marquis Brougham more
comfortable to drive than a $31,000 European town car._

 _> We've demonstrated the excellent ride of a 1973 Monterey Custom in a
dramatic test: a vial of nitric acid was safely suspended over a $50,000
natural Russian sable coat on loan from Maximilian of New York, while
traveling over rough and irregular road surfaces._

 _> Sexy European cars with great style and superb performance have had, all
too often, prices that run into five figures. Until Capri that is._

... not to mention Detroit's bizarre '70s fascination with what to the modern
eye are unbelievably tacky materials:

 _> The [Lincoln Continental] Mark IV instrument panel is simulated cashmere
walnut woodgrain matina and burl walnut woodgrain applique._

 _> For 1974, the Mark IV has new, sophisticated insulation against outside
sound, thick 25-ounce shag cut-pile carpeting enhancing the luxurious
interior, further hushing the ride._

 _> Overhead rich vinyl sheathes sun visors and headlining. Super-soft,
expanded vinyl covers the European-influenced bucket seats and even door
panels. There are rich tones of woodgrain vinyl along the dash. Touches of
European luxury everywhere._

A word I was unable to find anywhere in the brochure: "mileage."

A word I only came across on the last page of the brochure, down with the fine
print: "safety."

~~~
throwaway2048
Fake wood grain is one of the enduring mysteries, not only is it gross, tacky
and objectively uglier than real wood, its not even any cheaper!

~~~
mc32
I think the deal with a lot of those materials is that at the time they were
seen as “new” and “modern” and “synthetic”.

Kind of like when aluminum became a du jour metal and things traditionally
made from other metals suddenly had to be made with aluminum —nowadays we
think of aluminum as cheap and disposable (depending on application), but for
s time it was the “Titanium” of its day, and the same for those other
materials.

~~~
mikestew
I was a kid in the 70s, but even at that tender age I thought the synthetic
substitutes looked like shit. They didn’t look “new and modern”, they looked
cheap and like someone was trying to make do with the economical alternative.

So don’t be fooled by the brochures. We weren’t.

~~~
mc32
They didn’t have to appeal to everyone. I don’t think it’s much different from
the novelty of “clear acrylic” telephones.

What I really don’t get is how anyone would want this station wagons with the
fake wood paneling and obtrusive fake trim on things like the Chevy
fleetmaster. But I think it’s just one of those incomprehensible fads.

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ian0
I cant help but thinking from these brochures that people had more picnics in
the 50s/60s than we do now. Perhaps it was a trend for awhile. Or maybe
related to the fact people couldn't easily live together before marriage :P

~~~
duxup
Maybe it is like how you might think there are a lot of Americans who are
frequently hauling things and going off road in their pick up trucks ... but
they probably aren't ;)

Not unreal, but perhaps the volume of depiction and such was more aspirational
than reality.

~~~
Waterluvian
I think you're on to something.

The picnic scene is a lot like the picket fence suburb scene. Iconic atomic
family American dream.

~~~
taborj
I just realized that I own a pickup, have a white picket fence around my
suburban home, and enjoy picnics.

To be fair, though, my pickup is a 1946 Dodge.

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inferiorhuman
While looking for some proprietary hose fittings I came across back issues of
an automobile trade mag. Here's one from 1964. What a time to be alive.

[http://www.ai-
online.com/Adv/catalog/downloadCatalog.php?id=...](http://www.ai-
online.com/Adv/catalog/downloadCatalog.php?id=1093)

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anonu
>
> [http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Ford/1924_Ford/1924...](http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Ford/1924_Ford/1924%20Ford%20Freedom%20Mailer/image2.html)

Funny how this Ford was marketed only as a "summer and fall" car... Forget
about the winter...

Also - interesting to note that I see no car model years between 1941 and
1945. WWII I suppose...

~~~
smacktoward
Yes, all civilian car production in the U.S. was suspended for the duration of
the war so the auto plants could be used to produce military trucks, tanks and
aircraft.

~~~
Aloha
I'm astounded sometimes how little people know about history anymore.

~~~
ashtonbaker
Well, nobody can know everything.

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maqdoom
good to see But some links are misdirecting

[http://oldcarbrochures.org/index.php/index.php/Canada](http://oldcarbrochures.org/index.php/index.php/Canada)
\--> [http://oldcarbrochures.org/Canada/](http://oldcarbrochures.org/Canada/)

and

[http://oldcarbrochures.org/index.php/Australia-2](http://oldcarbrochures.org/index.php/Australia-2)
\-->
[http://oldcarbrochures.org/Australia/](http://oldcarbrochures.org/Australia/)

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wimagguc
An 1924 Ford cost $265 (In this Freedom Mailer:
[http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Ford/1924_Ford/1924...](http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Ford/1924_Ford/1924%20Ford%20Freedom%20Mailer/image2.html)),
which in today's money is only $3,968 (based on
[https://www.usinflationcalculator.com](https://www.usinflationcalculator.com)).
Is that true? Why didn't _everybody_ have a car?

~~~
read_if_gay_
Employee wages were lower as well I suppose.

~~~
wimagguc
Wouldn't that be incorporated in the inflation though?

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obituary_latte
Man the 87 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z[0] is still such a beautiful vehicle. So
much fun having a 5.7 liter 8 cylinder as an underachieving 16 year old newly
minted driver!

[0][http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Chevrolet/1987_Chev...](http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Chevrolet/1987_Chevrolet/1987_Chevrolet_Camaro_Brochure/1987%20Chevrolet%20Camaro-03.html)

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kreetx
These are always really interesting! I wish they had a better UI though since
often the collectors appear not to be web devs (and we all are - here on hn
:p).

~~~
dewey
Honestly, most of the time these simple websites are way nicer to use than
what "web devs" put out these days.

~~~
kreetx
I totally agree with you. For this site I would just wish it had the images to
either full with or height mode and a next/previous button at exactly the same
position to flip through the brochures. But I hear you on the js insanity
front -- been there, suffered that. :p

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jedberg
This is amazing. I found the brochure for both my parents' first cars. My dad
had his first car until I was 13, so I most definitely remember riding around
in it.

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hwj
You might also like visiting the ZeitHaus in Wolfsburg, Germany. It's a museum
packed with old cars.

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RickJWagner
Love it! I had to go lookup some of my old rides.

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dhbanes
I clicked a few links and got 404 every time.

~~~
King-Aaron
I didn't have this experience, i.e.
[http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/Australia%20and%20New%...](http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/Australia%20and%20New%20Zealand/Holden/1970%20Holden%20Torano%20GTR-X%20Concept/image1.html)
resolves for me

~~~
js2
If you’re on an iPhone the site redirects to
[http://oldcarbrochures1.bmobilized.com/](http://oldcarbrochures1.bmobilized.com/)
which doesn’t resolve.

~~~
bdcravens
Bypass with “Request Desktop Site” in Safari

~~~
js2
The links on the site redirect before there's a chance to do that.

~~~
bdcravens
Do it on the home page. Worked for me.

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iamspoilt
This is gold!

