The classic muscle car era began in 1964 with the debut of the 1964 Pontiac GTO.
You could make a case that muscle cars showed up in the mid-50s with cars like the 1955 Chrysler C-300, but many muscle car historians refer to the GTO as the first example of the classic era.
That’s why I picked five of the best muscle car magazine ads from 1964-69.
Jerry Sutherland
The first one is the ‘66 GTO because the Goat is a logical choice for a 1960s muscle car ad.
The 1966 Pontiac GTO featured a very significant ad because its copy captured the spirit of the era with “What’s new pussycats?” – a question that oozed 1966. Pontiac picked a gold-colored Goat with a back vinyl roof because nothing said 1966 more than a vinyl roof…on a GTO.
The next ad I liked was for a 1966 Chevelle SS 396. The Chevelle was updated extensively in ’66—GM was always ahead of the styling curve in the 60s and this car reflected that trend in a big way.
The SS396 Chevelle was an instant success because the big-block-in-a light car equation never failed. That’s why the copy read “and the SS doesn’t stand for standing still”—call it truth in advertising. Anyone who went up against an SS396 on the street in 1966 learned that sentence was more than an idle promise.
The third ad was for the 1967 Plymouth GTX. The three letters gave it muscle car status because the GTO made it clear that names and/or letters made the muscle car an official muscle car.
Plymouth didn’t hold back on this ad when they said, “They don’t call it King Kong for nothing”. Again, this is truth in advertising because the GTX only came with two engine options – the giant 440 big block or the insane 426 Elephant Hemi. King Kong was the perfect name.
The fourth ad was for the 1968 Plymouth Road Runner. Purists will point out the Road Runner as Mopar’s first true classic muscle car because—like the original GTO—it was fast and affordable.
This ad captured the psychedelic spirit of ’68—at least in the way Madison Avenue ad execs interpreted psychedelic spirit. For me, I just liked the pop art rendition of a ’68 Road Runner because it was exaggerated, loud and colorful—just like the real car. The fake Latin (acceleratii rapidus maximus) was the perfect ad copy for the legendary Mopar.
The fifth and final cool 60s muscle car ad came from Ford. The 1969 Mercury Cylcone Cobra Jet 428 fastback was—in my opinion—one of the most underrated muscle cars ever built.
These Mercs were beasts, they didn’t build many of them, and they looked cool—three necessary features for a classic 60s muscle car. The ad copy read like a dream list for performance options because it featured the massive 428 and focused on the Ram Air option. It was a glorious era.
My final thoughts on these ads? They came from a time and a place when cool factor wasn’t watered down or hidden–and it wasn’t politically correct.
It was celebrated.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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