Today we know plenty about the the 2000GT, especially after its near $1.2 million sale earlier this year.  But back in 1966 this joint project between Toyota and Yamaha was out to make a name for itself by hitting the track.  With a three-day run at the now-defunct Yatabe Test Course, the 2000GT set over 15 new FIA records for speed and endurance.  The Yatabe tests helped the automotive world take notice of the speedy Toyota, and the company still celebrates that heritage today as one Lexus LFAs was given the same yellow and green livery as a tribute.

Although somewhat entertaining, someone at the ad agency may have not wanted to leave this commercial with the underlying tone that a guy who has struck all his life will continue to do so in a Subaru.

We’re not quite sure if we should commend Ford for approving an ad using rock and roll-ish band, or condemn them for using ones so clean-cut that they might find the Partridge Family threatening.  Either way, the executives liked it so much they exported to Australia:

Today we all continue to be a bit worried about fuel economy, and even the 2.7-liter engine in the Boxster gets over 30 mpg on the highway.  Still, we doubt Porsche will be trying to sell cars on their frugal nature like in this ad again any time soon:

Some may have noticed the poor gentleman who had to drive his modified Honda was originally going to set out in his rare Bizzarrini GT.  We’re fans of the Porsche 914, but we would openly weep if we had to witness anyone trading that Italian stallion in for the economy Porsche.

So to remember this bygone era, we have the introductory commercial for one of the last ones to re-badged import party, Chevrolet’s Geo brand:

With a catchy tune like this, how could you not rush out to buy one?

These little Suzuki Swifts disguised as Metros not only launched the brand, but they also were one of Geo’s longest-running models as it outlived the demise of the Geo badge by a few years (branded as a Chevy.)  Of course these little guys were no way to build a company’s reputation in the U.S., just ask Suzuki.

I was stumped.

Volvo offered a third row in their wagons up until 2007, but since they were never fans of the front bench seat, they mostly seated even.  Then I was struck by inspiration, the Renault 5!  The little car that was so French it was sold here as the Le Car could hold over eight people.  Don’t believe me? Just watch this commercial form Brazil featuring a horribly irresponsible parent at around the 1:05 mark:

Sometimes phrasing is everything.  I was never asked about a car that could hold eight safely.  If Renault is going to show that their little city runabout will hold eight kids in an official commercial, then I will surely allow it to let me slip away from this odd trivia question with my reputation intact.

It is hard to tell if Honda went around the world getting an international crop of people to wave from their left-hand and right-hand drive little cars for this 2nd generation Civic spot.  They could have also just simply picked up all those happy people at the same time they got the southern California driving shots and later reversed some images.  Regardless, it is a little international cheer to wave goodbye to 2012…Enjoy:

We don’t know if this helped sell a lot of full sized cars in Mexico. We just hope it didn’t cause a rush at the dealership of little Mexican boys begging to take their dead dog for a test drive:

Although it is easy to blow things out of proportion for humor, a quick/broad translation of the bad audio at the end of this ad basically says, “anything is possible with the luxuries of the Caprice!”

What makes this commercial somewhat funny is the account from Bob Dewar’s book, A Savage Factory.  According to Dewar, “Ford decided they needed a trusted spokesman to assure people that all those horror stories about atrocious quality and service were mere exaggerations.”

Dewar continued to describe a commercial he witnessed in his Ford transmission facility that substituted workers for perfectly dressed actors.  They pretended to assemble parts as Cosby filmed his ad in a section of the factory that was scrubbed clean for the first time ever.  “If only as much fuss had been invested in actually making sure we had parts that could come close to making what they were showing,” Dewar concluded.

When this ad aired in the U.K., it was quite a joke.  Especially since no one knew how the notoriously slow car could get enough speed to catch air (or for that matter outrun the hippos used in the clips.)

But the commercial was right that these cars were built to last.  The Lada had the last laugh of sorts…It may have left the U.K. in the 1990s, but the old Fiat design still soldiered on until a couple of months ago.