Category: Vintage Racing Advertising

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Vintage Racing Advertising

The Most Exacting Requirements of the Motoring Enthusiast


From the Lotus Eleven Sales Brochure:

Lotus Eleven Le Mans. Lotus Eleven Club. Lotus Eleven Sports.
THE LOTUS ELEVEN is a sports-racing car designed to meet the most exacting requirements of the motoring enthusiast. It combines a maximum speed well over 130 m.p.h. (209 k.p.h.) with a rate of acceleration not equaled by any production sports car, yet it can compete favourably with the smallest cars for economy, achieving 65 m.p.g. (4.4 litres per 100 km.) at moderate speeds. The Lotus Eleven is designed entirely for an unrivalled standard of all round performance; its road holding qualities and braking abilities have been proved time after time under racing conditions.
LOW WEIGHT and low drag, mechanical and structural refinement contribute to this paradox of performance. A programme of race development has been pursued over the years following the principles of simplicity and efficiency. The result is a roomy sports two-seater with a performance unequalled anywhere else in the world.
PARTICIPATION with success in such strenous events at the Le Mans 24 hours, the TT, the Sebring 12 hours and literally hundreds of minor events has produced the stamina essential for any successful high performance car. The Lotus offers the essence of motoring sport in all its aspects. Service and spares are readily available throughout a world-wide network of distributors and dealers.
THE LOTUS ELEVEN is available in three versions: the Le Mans model attains the highest standards of performance and is recommended for international competition; it is powered by the Coventry Climax engine has has disc brakes and a de Dion final drive. The Club model is basically similar, having the same engine driving a live axle; it has drum brakes. It is recognized by the S.C.C.A. as a productions sports car. The Sports model has a similar specification to the Club model but it is powered by a Ford 100E 1172 cc. engine. It is eligible as a series production sports car for the Autosport Championship.
In accordance with the company’s progressive policy, the right to alter specifications without notice is reserved.
Hard Top available on all models.
Lotus Engineering Co. Ltd.
Tottenham Lane, London, N.8
Telephone: Mountview 8363 and 4044

via

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Vintage Racing Advertising

Siata. Craftsmanship, Elegance, and Speed with Safety

Siata. Twenty-five years of skillful craftsmanship, elegance, and speed with safety.
The Siata 1400 GRAND SPORT, sketched above by Farina, is available in a 96-inch wheelbase powered with the “Siata-Fiat 1400 cc” engine and weighing 1650 pounds. The 1390 cc engine develops 65 hp at 5000 rpm. Watch the performance of this car today.

Siata is ready to supply a smaller body and chassis, in this country, without an engine. This automobile is ready for you to install your own Crosley 27 hp engine in it.

Other fine automobiles, pictured below, are available through Siata’s United States distributor.

The Siata engineers have developed a rugged yet light frame, as seen in these pictures of a Diana chassis with the famous Siata-Fiat 1400 cc, 4 cylinder engine with a bore and stroke of 3.22 x 2.59 inches, while the rear is a 3/8 inch narrower. Its fuel tank holds over 14 1/2 gallons. The coupe and convertible models have a five-speed transmission (this fifth speed is overdrive), while the sports model is furnished with a four-speed transmission.
Diana Coupe. Diana Convert. Siata 750. Siata Rally. Siata Competition.
Siata. Tony Pompeo, Fergus Motors, 444 West 55 Street, New York

Via Cliff’s updated and expanded Siata page at Etceterini.

Google shows that this address is the current location of Hutter Auction Galleries, and the building sure looks less glamorous than it must have with Siatas pulling in and out of the showroom. Take a look.

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Vintage Racing Advertising

Don’t try a Lotus until you have obtained the approbation of your present mistress

“trio Lotus!
Lotus seven America: Leading Lightweight (900 lb) sportscar in the British tradition.
Lotus formula junior: Undisputed world champion of the class, replicas now available to a favoured few in the USS.
Lotus Elite: World’s first and only unit-construction glass-fibre car, legendary speed and handling with unrivaled elegance.
The Lotus Lines is available for your examination at a steadily-widening selection of specialized Dealerships throughout the Country. A word of warning, however—don’t try a Lotus until you have obtained the approbation of your present mistress – a demonstration run will create a desire to possess brooking no delay…”

don’t try a Lotus until you have obtained the approbation of your present mistress!!! I am in love with that line. It has to be the pinnacle of cheesy sportscar copywriting. At least until I find the next one.

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Porsche Vintage Racing Advertising

Racing—The Ultimate Proof

“No proving ground can duplicate the elements which make competition the final test of a car’s performance. The rivalry of premier drivers, the unexpected moments, the constant stress on the entire machine, and the incentive to win are present only in racing.

Research, not publicity, has been the prime objective of Porsche’s competition program since the firm’s founding. Win or lose, Porsche races to prove our engineering and design concepts under the toughest of all possible conditions.
Take one example. The Sportomatic semi-automatic transmission was installed in a Porsche 911 and raced in the Marathon de la Route, 84 hours over the demanding Nürburgring course. It met the test. The car won.

Porsche prototype racers, last year, won the Daytona 24-hour, Sebring 12-hour, Targa Florio, Nürburgring 1000 kilometer and other major races. The earlier developments perfected in these unique cars brought victory to virtually stock Porsche sedans in the Trans-American championship and to hundreds of amateur owner-drivers who race their own Porsches.

Not all Porsches are raced, of course. But the Porsche you drive is raceworthy; able to take the punishment of high speed racing. Engine, brakes, suspension, electrical systems—the total design—are based on race-bred research and built to racing standards.

Can a car be built too good for everyday use? Porsche doesn’t think so.
If you’re serious about your driving, you can have a lot of fun driving a Porsche, the car that’s good enough to race.

Prices start at about $5,100, East Coast P.O.E. See your Porsche dealer or write to the Porche of America Corportation, 100 Galway Place, Teaneck, NJ 07666″

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Vintage Racing Advertising

Marchal pour vous

Translated (roughly): “The best in competition. The best for you. S.E.V. Marchal equipment. 35 times winner at Le Mans.“

In so many ways the pre-photography era of print advertising ages so well. The bold graphics and colors in this Marchal ad hold up today so much better than today’s overly-flamed-and-chromed-and-checkered racing ads will in 30 years’ time.
Love that cat.

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Vintage Racing Advertising

Maserati’s Sheer Sensual Pleasure

“The sheer sensual pleasure of handling it simply cannot be put into words.
This was John Bolster’s reaction, after his Autosport road test on the Maserati Merak. We agree. Its handling qualities have to be tried to be believed.
Merak comfort is easier to explain. Unlike some mid-engined cars, the Merak is designed with comfort in mind. The quietness of the ride is exceptional. Instrumentation is easy to read: one glance tells all.
The 2965cc V6 Merak is a classic investment. See your dealer for a Merak, Bora, Khamsin or Citroen SM test drive. Or write: Maserati, Dept H1, Mill St, Slough SL25DE”

Good to know that Maserati trusted their 1970s advertising copywriting to a 14 year old boy.

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Vintage Racing Advertising

Austin Healey… For the Man in Command

“Talk to the man in the Austin Healey. He’s a real guy. “A man of parts,” as Commander Whitehead might say. A gent with a flair for living, if you please.
And live he does in his Austin Healey. A tromp on the loud-padal and his AH hums to 60 in 11 seconds or so. That’s performance.
You know, of course, that the AH holds more than 100 American and International records. In fact, every record in its class.
Pray, sir, when will you drive your Austin Healey.”

I just never get tired of hyperbolic advertising copy.

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Vintage Racing Advertising

Morgan Girl

“Speed, she likes. Comfort, she appreciates. She admires men sensible enough to choose the rather exclusive Morgan Plus Four Plus—and occasionally let her drive. 2138 c.c. TR4A engine. 110 m.p.h. Front Disc Brakes. And superb Morgan controllability. Try one for ever—this week.”

Definitely a Morgan Girl. I love that this reads like an installment of What Sort of Man Reads Playboy? but in reverse.

(found in MotorSport, April 1966)

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Vintage Racing Advertising

Lotus Ad: Faster Than You Think

“I feel that the Lotus is the best attempt yet to provide the enthusiast with a competition car at a price he can afford to pay. In essentials, it is just as sound an engineering job as the most expensive sports car, and the economy is only brought about by the clever adaptation of mass-produced components.”

Sounds to me like J. V. Bolster was on to something. This Lotus 6 looks every bit as desirable today as it did when Autosport wrote this glowing review in 1953.

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Vintage Racing Advertising

Austin Healey Sprite, Now with Girlings

“The disc brakes fitted to the Sprite were masters of the situation under all conditions and their high speed behaviour was beyond criticism”

Call me crazy, but I actually find the hyperbole of this ad copy charming. Not to mention the tremendous graphic fantasticness of the Girling “G” logo.