We’re suckers for old-timey news reel style movies from car companies. This gem from Ford was made in 1940 as a device to tell people how great their factory replacement parts and service was. They did so by using animated engine parts like talking valves, a cheery piston and connecting rod combo, and the dastardly villains wear, heat, detonation, and carbon build up. These days, such a movie would never been made because so few people have any clue as to what the parts of an engine are and why they’d need to be concerned with quality replacements.

The fact that they went to the length of making this animation a super accurate representation of a flathead V8 is even cooler. The message from 1940 remains the same one you hear on the radio and television each day from the big car companies though, which is to have your car serviced by your local dealer using only factory parts. Yesteryear’s methods were far cooler in delivering this message. The guy on the radio screaming and yelling about it doesn’t have near the appeal of a valve talking to you.

Press play and go back to a simpler age!