Porsche

Playboy Oct. 1964

Only $4200!  Lie still my beating heart! That works out to ~$32,000 in 2015 money.

That's SUPER cheap for a Porsche.  Different times, I guess.

Mr. Wrangler Gives Away a Mustang

Playboy Sept. 1966

Suzuki Two-strokes

Playboy Sept. 1966

STP Oil

Playboy Nov. 1967

Suzuki

Playboy Sept. 1966

Ford Performance Buyer's Digest

Playboy Jan. 1969

I'd personally love to get my hands on some of the illustrations from an old Performance Digest.  

Bonus Friday - Cars and Shoes

Playboy Oct. 1968

   Once again I give you a nice half-page double ad from a vintage Playboy.  I've got a soft spot for Datsuns, so I am drawn particularly strongly to the classic Fairlady Roadster on the top there.  As usual, I like to point out the power figures on old sports cars like this: 96 horsepower from a 1.6 liter engine. (135 with the 2.0)  Synchros were new enough that they still advertised them.  Also note that "the works" included such options as a clock and defrosters.  For less than $3000 no less!

But let's not ignore this nice ad for luxurious shoes for pampering your feet!  Do I detect the scent of subtle sexism?  Women don't normally nuzzle my feet, so maybe I just need some French Shriners to get some of that foot-fawning action.

New Thunderbird

Playboy Nov. 1967

     Ad text:
     New and bound to create a storm: 429 exciting cubic inches of new Thunder Jet V-8.  More power than ever for the Bird, available now to people who can't wait to escape the ordinary.  What else?  A dazzling range of options, everything from Automatic Climate Control to AM/FM Stereo Radio (with lots of great etcetera in between!)  Even the Bird has never been the well built before!  Up, up, and away!
     Any way you want to fly this year, the Bird is there, one step ahead.  Standard this year: Flight Bench Seats, which means 6 people can fly in total comfort. (A new engineering achievement gives the man in the middle unprecedented leg room.)  You prefer buckets?  You may have them.  And 4 doors.  Or 2 doors, if you wish.  Don't wait.  Fly Thunderbird...  Unique in all the world.

1969 Harley Davidson

Playboy Jan. 1969

     I promise, this is not the same ad as this one I ran a couple weeks ago.  But it appears that HD ran a series of similar ads over the years each featuring a different bike.  This one is for the 1969 Sportster.

Harley Davidson

Playboy Oct. 1968

Ad text:  The new Rapido explodes into 1969! Here's a  125cc stick of dynamite that weighs in with the 80's and 90's, but accelerates past the 175's.  This year, Rapido comes in two models - a swinging street version and this hot new scrambler with high pipe, perforated heat shield, large sprocket and special off-the-road tire.  Either way, Rapido will turn out the crowd and turn in the winning performance.  Low end torque, wheelies and effortless top speed - $400 in the street version.  This is the one they'll be talking about all year long.  Get in on the conversation.  Your Harley-Davidson dealer has the cycle, low-cost financing and insurance. Harley-Davidson Motor Co., Milwaukee, Wis.

Remington Auto-Home Shaver and AMX

Playboy Jan. 1969

     I found this one right after I showed you this last week.  I've been giving American Motors a hard time, so here's a pretty harmless ad for an odd pairing of razors and sportscars.

     What is interesting is the razor pictured above was apparently printed in several positions, and you won the car by comparing that picture to one in an AMC dealership.  I'd be curious to see what the winning ads looked like.  Anyone out there have a similar copy of this ad we could compare this one to?

American Motors AMX

Playboy Jan. 1969

     This ad is another in the same series as this one I showed a while back.  It follows the formula of comparing one of American's offerings to it's competitors.  Last time, I bashed the Javelin for being compared to the Mustang, which history proved to be the better (or at least more popular) car.  This time, I don't know what to say.  There isn't a car to compare the AMX to.  I'm sure the ad is trying to say "the AMX is like no other car out there!" but I'm really getting a "we didn't want to bother finding a car to compare it to" vibe here.  As I recall (readers feel free to correct me), the AMX was intended as a competitor for the souped-up Mustangs and Camaros that Ford and Chevy were putting out in those days.  Again, it lost the war as time saw American Motors bellyup and Ford and Chevy still chugging along.

1964 Thunderbird

National Geographic 1964

    It's good sometimes to take a minute to appreciate the simple things in life, and to remember that things haven't always been so easy.  Take this Thunderbird for example.  The car was considered luxurious and well-optioned when it had a padded armrest, seat belt and fuel-level and door-ajar warning lights, and retractable seat belts.  Nowadays we'd be astounded should they be absent.  Yet, they were once features to be advertised. Oh, how times have changed.

Toyota Corona

Playboy  Oct. 1968

    Toyota has always been a producer of small, cheap, reasonably reliable cars for the masses.  Some of them are now collectible and I've personally seen a Corona or two at shows and featured in magazines.  This is actually the third generation of Corona.

1964 Cadillac

National Geographic 1964

Although the term "six-fo" usually refers to a lowrider '64 Impala, here's a six-fo I'd prefer.  Cadillac's offering in 1964 had those tail-fins we all know and love, and was "tucking rim" well before the Volkswagen and Honda scenesters were.

Though I want to know how he managed to park his car in the middle of the street at 4:40 p.m. (see the clock in the background). Where's the New York traffic at?

Honda 90

Playboy  Sept. 1964

     Man, that girl loves tubas.  That man loves that girl.  They both love that scooter.  That girl is riding sidesaddle, which seems precarious.  Why is she in a bathing suit?  Was she at the beach, and if so, why does she have the tuba?  Was the man at the beach in a suit?  These are some of the questions that pop into my head as I look at this ad.  Introducing the Honda 90.

Firestone

Playboy Sept. 1964

The first time the Indy 500 was driven on one set of tires.  Continuously.  That's pretty impressive, but I'd like someone with a better knowledge of Indycar history to weigh in on this.  Particularly, because I'm pretty sure that most Indy races nowadays aren't run on one single set of tires.  I may be wrong, but I think this is true.

AMC Javelin

Playboy Nov. 1967

Here we see the classic American muscle car.  It's got a timeless shape, and a reputation for performance to back up that mean facade.  It's one of the most sought-after cars amongst hot-rodders and gearheads, but is equally well known by non-car-folk.  It's been the car of choice for both movie stars and the characters they play.  It is the feature car in one of the greatest car chases in film history.  Your dad tells stories of his college buddies that drove this car.  Heads turn when one drives by.  In fact, it looks so good that when the fifth redesign came out, they tried to make it look like the old one. It's as much a part of American culture as baseball and apple pie.

The Ford Mustang.

Also shown is a competitor's vehicle that was only sold for 8 years, with a redesign in the middle.  The company that built it went on to go out of business.  Yeah.  Hot stuff.

To be fair, the Javelin is pretty collectible, and a lot of people do seek them out and restore them.  You do get a lot of people reminiscing about them.  There were Javelins in Hollywood flicks. They're not terrible looking cars.  I don't personally dislike the Javelin; it's rather attractive.  But one of those cars is still for sale, in one form or another.  And it's not AMC's offering.