Oh, classic car ads. You're amazing because you give us a glimpse into another time and place, ones that were filled with massive American land-boats, bad jingles, awkward testimonials, and occasionally, lasers.
But sometimes, that place isn't so nice, as we saw in yesterday's Dodge ad from 1967. Or at least, they show things that probably wouldn't go over all that well today. Take this ad for the 1964 Buick Wildcat, which shows a cowboy driving through the desert in a Wildcat convertible before he gets waylaid by some Mexican banditos.
Of course, this being the mid-60s and all, they play up some fairly offensive stereotypes of Mexicans. They are portrayed as stupidly trying and failing to get the Wildcat's fanciful features to work, which I guess is what passed for humor back then.
I would argue that beyond the stereotyping, it's not that great an ad. It doesn't even explain the car's features at all, it just shows these guys fiddling with them. "And above all, it's a Buick." Yeah, and...?
Of course, maybe I'm just ruined because whenever I hear the word "Wildcat," this is all I can think of. Thanks, Wes Anderson.