14 Classic ’70s Car Ads From Magazines

You laugh… but the ’70s were a golden era for car design. Scratch that—bold car design.

Everything felt heavier back then. The features were outrageously clunky, and the print ads made the average American look like they were either gearing up for a cruise around the world or a shootout with fugitives at a sketchy truck stop. And honestly, it was all so cool.

Why ’70s Cars Had So Much Personality

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Maybe you were crammed into a Chevy wagon for a family road trip, zigzagging down Main Street in your Pinto, or dreaming of the day you’d pick up Marsha in your Camaro after band practice. Cars of the ’70s had a lot of attitude—and so did the print ads (the kind you’d find in your dad’s magazines hidden out in the woodshed).

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Back in the gritty ’70s, safety features were minimal at best, gas was relatively cheap, and the family car not only had wood paneling, but it also had no cup holders (that was what your little brother was for) and a back seat where only pesky Cousin Oliver was allowed to sit.

Sure, the vehicles of today may be sleeker, and even drive themselves (but they still don’t fly!), but not unlike your average McDonald’s, they’ve lost a little bit of that flair that made cars ’70s cars so, well, ’70s.