Memory Lane - TV Car Commercials!

Originally posted by markform@Mar 14 2004, 07:22 PM
The one I remember most is the "Diamond Cutter" ad from Lincoln/Mercury in the early 70's.

For you younger guys....L/M wanted to advertise the "incredibly smooth ride" for the Grand Marquis. So, they hired this "world famous diamond cutter" to cut a $1,000,000 diamond into 2 pieces....while riding through midtown Manhattan in the back seat of the Grand Marquis. The catch was, if the car were jolted in any way - he would miss the cut - and the diamond would dissolve into worthless dust.

The whole ad was campy and high drama.....they filmed the diamond cutter guy (a gray haired, well dressed, very distinguished looking gentleman) in the back seat actually cutting the diamond. An announcer added high tension to the prospect of a $1,000,000 diamond becoming worthless dust. After the successful cut...the diamond cutter smiles...and the camera cuts to a view of the Grand Marquis driving down the street, while the announcer extols the virtues of a smooth ride. Actually a very classy looking ad.

Click to expand...

Funny side note - Saturday Night Live used to do a spoof of this commercial, with a rabbi doing a bris (circumcision) as the car travelled rough roads.

Actually, I just remembered stumbling upon an online copy of "The Humbler" TV ad for the 1970 GTO.

There's a link at http://www.jimhoeg.com/jimmy/interests/1970gto.htm for the ad. Note the very rare option to open up the exhaust with a pull switch - apparently only a handful of 1970 GTOs had the option before noise complaints killed it.