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Were Dealers Promoting Street Racing In The ’60s? You Be The Judge.


Were Dealers Promoting Street Racing In The ’60s? You Be The Judge.

Check out this great ad for a 1968 SS 427 Chevy Biscayne. The dealer actually calls it a street racer special! I have to say, if I was street racing it I would want one with the column shifter and a powerglide to make sure you got some hook out of those little tires. Its funny to see how politically correct we’ve gotten in recent years. Hell, last night I saw an Acura commercial that had to look like a horse race cause god knows you can’t show cars racing each other on anything that remotely looks like the street.

I dig this ad, and wish for two things. Number one that I could still by a new car, that is worth owning, for $3000. And number two, that we’d get more simple, awesome ads like this again, instead of all the frilly crap that tries to subconsciously entice you into buying a car.

Big thanks to Mike for the tip on this one too!

1968 SS 427 Biscayne Ad


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19 thoughts on “Were Dealers Promoting Street Racing In The ’60s? You Be The Judge.

  1. craig b blue

    …..ironic timing as I just purchased a ’70 Impala Custom coupe with a 454 from evil-bay

  2. anthony

    Ive seen other similar ads from ny area ford and gm dealerships. Its all great . I was born too late!

    1. GuitarSlinger

      Fear not Anthony … if you were in our shoes you be saying you were born too late as well …. [ my missing the musical heyday of the 60’s etc ] … or … once the body’s in rebellion .. all those aches and pains having become the norm …. thinking you were born much too early … for today that is 😉

      Which … is to say .. to paraphrase the ‘ Good Book ‘ … there is – was – and never will be a perfect age to live in … so make the best outta the one you got …. and wait for it … 20 years from now the kiddies then’ll be saying they were born too late as well … watch ” Midnight in Paris ” for an object lesson on the subject .. it hits the mark right on the nose

  3. C1BAD66

    ‘Wonder why it didn’t occur to companies to advertise shipping weights. We all know quick/fast is a function of power vs. weight with a little aerodynamics thrown in.

    Of course, as far as street-able cars goes, I can’t remember “aero” being brought up in any challenges where racers congregated in the ’60’s/70’s…

    Ahh, we probably weren’t really going that fast, anyway.

  4. GuitarSlinger

    Of course they were . Not that they’d ever admit to it … but honestly … Ad after Ad .. TV , Print and Radio were all pushing ‘ Our car spanks the crap outta the competition ‘ hyperbole from coast to coast . Most times by the local or regional dealers … but .. if memory serves me correctly … almost as often by the manufactures themselves . Hell …. even the gas companies ( ” Put a Tiger in Your Tank ” ) were subversively promoting street racing . And heck … you think all those ‘ Pony/Muscle car ads were suggesting having a go at the competition at ….. actual racing venues ??? Not hardly !

    So yeah …. they were promoting street racing every which way imaginable … all while ‘ officially ‘ denying it to the press and powers that be

    And yeah … some of us really were going that fast ,,,, and faster back in the day 😉

  5. Cletus T Rickenbacher 3rd

    And to think my pop sprung similar money on a new Chevelle wagon for the family.

    307 Powerglide.

    Jesus wept.

  6. 440 6Pac

    I think this was one of Government Motors propaganda adds sent to all the dealers for their local papers. I do recall a Plymouth dealer in Tampa using an add like this for the Hemi Cuda in ’71.

  7. Don Fitzgerald

    My older brother almost bought a Red SS 427 4-speed Impala years ago from a used dealer back around ’70.

  8. Glen Hayes

    I think the closest contemporary ad related to this the Mustang GT ad where the Dad and son doing burnouts in a parking lot. Dad: “Son this is not a toy” wanna do it again? Son:Yes!

  9. Bill W

    My parents first brand new car.. 68 Impala 4 door hard top, 307. Ugliest yellow I’ve ever seen, with a black vinyl roof. We called it the ‘Bruised Banana”

  10. braktrcr

    Nothing better than a sleeper. Can you imagine a 289 Mustang, or a 3i8 Dart or Barracuda, sitting at a traffic light next to this thing? The look on their face had to be priceless.

  11. Jim

    It’s all relative. $3k for a new car that probably ran a 14 second quarter mile when a young man may be earning $1.50 an hour. Nowadays a skilled worker makes $15 to $25 an hour and can buy a late model Mustang for 25-30K that will run mid 12’s. Other than the crappy economy, these are the good old days.

  12. Frank S

    Jim is correct. I lived thru the 60-70’s musclecar era(owned a Z16, Judge and a Roadrunner) and have a new GT. Todays cars are brutally fast as compared to anything from then

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