Most car advertisements today revolve around battery capacity, range, and charge. In other words, an electric car. In addition, there is a strong focus on security – and there is a lot of concrete information. The caution with superlatives is pretty obvious.
It was different before. If we go back a few decades, the accent would have been completely different and “more fluid”. Broom has looked a bit at what characterized car advertising back then, and can tell that the difference between car advertising then and now is huge.
It was a great success in Norway
They – with a capital D
What did car ads look like in the early 1970s, for example? To get an answer to this question, we took a closer look at a Mazda advertisement in the Oslo newspaper Morgenposten on Friday, February 26, 1971. The main message was “You always get more when you choose Mazda”, regarding dealers Edgar Haugen Bilforretning in Grønland and Ullern Bil in Røa – and importer Kolberg Motors.
Because no matter what brand of car, tact was dealt with – and here they were keen on forms of prosecution. In car advertisements in the 1960s and early years after 1970 it was very rare to see “you” – the title form was of course De, with a capital D…
Similar to that: admittedly 1500 – but from this angle they were the same. Photo: Mazda
Pure common sense
The ad presented the brand’s flagship car at the time, the Mazda 1800, as “-a family car with more…”
What did importers and traders mean by “more”? In any case, there could be no more security – because not a single word of security was mentioned in the advertisement, nor was anything else that could be relevant to this important topic.
Closer has to be the observation about the 104-hp engine: “More power is pure common sense.” To some extent this is true, but it was not the most politically correct claim at a time when there were about 500 traffic deaths annually. A massive number, with traffic volumes a fraction of what we have today…
I can’t tell anything other than that this is a bargain!
Luxury is the standard
The years 1970, 1971, and the years before and after were marked by shocking accident numbers. The Norwegian road network was – to put it mildly – of mixed quality, and vehicle accident prevention systems, both active and passive, were more or less lacking, except for some of the most forward-looking ones. car manufacturers.
What Mazda dealers were flirting with in advertising were car buyers’ desires for luxury and power. About the first it can be mentioned that “Luxury is the standard for Mazda” under this heading we learned that “the Japanese have a distinct sense of happiness and comfort. Especially in this area, we want to offer you something extra…
FAMILY CAR: this is how the Mazda 1800 was presented in the advertisement in Morgenposten in 1971. Photo: Screen dump
“They will appreciate them.”
“Real driving comfort, – nice soft seats (reclining seats in front, with neck cushions of course), – perfect suspension, – efficient air conditioning, adjustable for all imaginable conditions, – oversized heater, – cigarette lighter, – trip meter – White tire sides .. Even a small blue light on the dashboard helps you find the ashtray in the dark and a red warning light that lights up if you are driving with the handbrake on. that.
Norway is one of the countries that received this first
160 km / h is pure madness
The next heading is “More Power”. Here we learn that the Mazda 1800 has a whopping 104 HP to offer: “Yes, under the hood you will find a powerful and ‘furious’ 104 HP. The engine runs effortlessly even with a full car going downhill. It’s always nice to know you have a little of plugins.
More power is pure common sense.” A hint of common sense finds a place under “more speed.” “Of course, but driving at 160 km / h is pure madness – here you have to control yourself. The most important thing is the ability to accelerate – the ability to respond to your smallest “wave”. “
Mirrors: Mirrors positioned forward on the front fenders were common in 1971. Photo: Mazda
The most advanced automobile factory in the world
And that was pretty much what potential buyers got from the info—with the added note that the hood air intake was the most noticeable difference between the Mazda 1500 and 1800—and that the 1800 was “worth the price difference.”
Yes, and then we also learned that the cars came “from the most advanced car factory in the world.”
There was always something…
One of the smartest car purchases in Norway will be new
Pioneer
At the time, Mazda’s flagship was the 1800, a large family car with good space and good comfort. Here are some numbers:
Engine: 1.8 liters, 104 hp, maximum torque 152 Nm.
Drive: rear wheel drive, 4-speed manual gearbox.
Length x Width x Height: 4.37 x 1.63 x 1.41 m
Ground clearance: 180 mm
Wheelbase: 2.50 m
Net weight: 1,070 kg
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h: 12.9 seconds
The maximum speed is 165 km / h
Combined fuel consumption: 1.08 liters/mile.
…and the Mazda 1500/1600/1800 was the sixth best-selling car in Norway in 1971 (Source: Bilnorge).
You don’t get many better cars for NOK 47,000
Video: This Mazda is loved by enthusiasts
You don’t get many better cars for NOK 47,000
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