30 of the Most Creative and Hilarious Vintage Car Ads We’ve Ever Seen

In our lifetime, we’ve probably seen hundreds, if not thousands, of car ads. Most of them blend together. How creative can a car advertisement really be?

You would think that showing off your positive features would be the best way to sell yourself, but Porsche took the opposite approach with this ad for one of their older models. They listed off all the things the car lacks.

If the movie Gremlin taught us anything, then we know not to add water to gremlins. This is probably still the case even if “Gremlin” is just the name of a car. They sued this ad to show that the Gremlin is deceiving.

This is one of the most creative car ads we’ve seen from Hyundai. They’re not offering a 2 for 1 discount, although that would be amazing. They’re showing that you get double the incredible features in one car.

We would never encourage you to lie to the bank, but this vintage ad might. The Daytona ES is advertised here as an economy car that still has all of those amazing features of a flashy sports car.

We’re not sure how the Fiat team came up with the idea to use animals for all their ads but they’ve become synonymous with these kinds of marketing techniques. It’s pretty ingenious that the car that claims to be more environmentally friendly would use animals to deliver its point.

This is not the last hysterical Harley ad you’ll see here today, but it is certainly one of our favorites. This gentleman seems to have gotten himself in quite a pickle which has forced him to have to sell his bike.

Porsche is well-known for promoting luxury with its car brand. But, to switch things up, they made the “car young people could afford”. It keeps the exclusivity of the brand while inviting more people to afford it.

This is one fo the most confusing ads we’ve seen. They describe the car’s color, features, etc. but then close the advertisement by saying it’s not for sale. <aybe this person just really likes their car and wanted to show it off a bit.

They say all is fair in love and war. Maybe the same goes for car advertisements, or else MNW just has a lot of guts. They really target their competitors with this one. We don’t think they’ll be making too many friends this way.

We have to admit this is something of a failed attempt from Volvo. They are using Lamborghini as a point of comparison. Essentially, they are trying to convince the consumer that there is no difference between a Lambo with a trailer and a Volvo.

It might seem totally silly to think of policemen riding around in Volkswagon bugs, but they were actually used just for this specific purpose in one town in Alabama. Can you imagine a criminal being squished into the back of one of these cars to be booked?

This ad includes a joke that might take a little bit of car knowledge to really understand. This model was made primarily by M<itsubishi motors in Japan. 

“They said it couldn’t be done. It couldn’t”. We love this strategy of admitting their shortcomings. So, you might not be able to fit into the Bettle if you’re a 7‘1 basketball player like the legendary Wilt Chamberlain.

We have to assume the first Colt ad performed well because they brought it back and doubled down on the joke. Again, they plug in some Japanese to let the consumer fill in the gaps in the ad.

This Dodge is the mullet of cars. By that, we mean that there is all this “business in the front and party in the back”. The Dodge Shadow 1992 is basically 2 cars in 1.

While other cars sell luxury, style, etc. the ‘66 Impala is selling something else entirely and they‘re doing it with humor. They selling the extra space. 

This ad is proving to us that life is all about balance and choosing what kind of love is most important to you. We know that people who love bikes really love bikes.

Most car companies that boast about their speedy engines talk about how quickly their vehicle can go from 0 to 100 MPH. It’s one of the standards that people base their opinions of different cars on.

This ad isn’t for a car specifically, but is one of the most creative car-related billboards we’ve seen. It’s being used to warn against tailgating. Turning any car into a convertible might sound great.

This is another amazing example of a perfect billboard ad. This one is one of the most inventive ads we’ve seen. The Smart car is not only one of the smallest cars on the road but it is also a very cost-effective vehicle.

Citroen might hold the title for the boldest car ad. They are really looking their competition dead in the eyes and comparing themselves flat out. How do they measure up to these other cars?

Subaru sets itself apart by congratulating its competition on fighting for beauty. Meanwhile, they’re focusing on their engine and making their car the best possible.

Apparently, a great way to sell cars is to remind everyone of their favorite movie. This ad involves 2 people impersonating Jack and Rose from the Titanic in the iconic scene. But, why did this sell cars?

This one involves so many car ads it’s hard to keep track. But if you’re good at Chess, you might be able to see what is really going on here. There’s a car billboard in the back there which BMW outshines with their “Checkmate” board.

We hate to think that anyone would get divorced when they enter a marriage, but in the case that you do go separate ways, you want to make sure to protect your assets.

This ad is a perfect message to all criminals in Germany. There is no getaway car when the police are driving Porsches. In other words, you won’t be able to outrun them.

According to this ad, size isn’t everything. And outside of the insinuation they’re making, this is true of cars. Good things come in small packages. In fact, happiness comes in small packages.

Initially, it might seem like this ad is targeting the older crowd. But, this is actually a clever ad to show how the car can easily overtake other cars on the road when going 50 to 70 MPH. 

Are you looking for a sports car? Or, are you looking for the run of the mill, cost-effective car? Well, the Ibishgu Covet ZXi might be both!