Whatever happened to style?
That’s the opening line of a four-page Chrysler ad in Entertainment Weekly, and it caught me off-guard in several ways, not least of which is the fact that it’s printed in centerfold orientation — turn left edge of magazine to top, or turn head — despite not actually being a centerfold.
In various fonts, you read this:
It wasn’t too long ago, America had it. Looking and feeling like a million bucks was practically our birthright.
We didn’t race from A to B. We cruised.
Going for a drive was a Big Deal.
People took notice.
We turned heads.
And when we arrived somewhere, we arrived in style.
This would probably have carried more weight if they’d promised, up front, to euthanize the hideous Sebring at the first available opportunity, but their point is undeniable: the roads (and the parking lots!) are jam-packed with clonemobiles.
Then there’s this, on page four:
Let’s design cars people want to make out in again.
Did anyone ever make out in a Chrysler? I remember Harry and Sue learning about love in the back of a Dodge, which I suppose is close enough, considering the lesson hadn’t gone too far.
Still, they’ve shaken off stodginess before. Virgil Exner’s “Forward Look” Mopars, introduced for ’57, had the audacity to boast “Suddenly it’s 1960!”
And there’s, well, this:
If that doesn’t work, there’s always the centerfold.
Kay Dennison »
16 March 2010 · 3:01 pm
(Long, nostalgic sigh.) I miss my 383 4-barrel Fury III convertible and my Triumph GT-6+ — they were fun!!!! Or do I really miss being 20-something and crazy and 39 cents a gallon for high test?
CGHill »
16 March 2010 · 5:49 pm
Assuming a ’68 Fury, which I think was the last year they stuck Roman numerals on them, 39-cent gas, adjusted for inflation, would be $2.38.
Which is still better than what I’m paying for premium down at the [fill in name of convenience store].
I find it somewhat amusing that the sweet spot for the V6 these days is 3.7 liters, or just about the same displacement as Chrysler’s legendary slant six.
Jeffro »
16 March 2010 · 8:27 pm
We need more tiger in our tank.
Dick Stanley »
18 March 2010 · 2:07 am
Sigh.
Cheney W. Halliburton »
18 March 2010 · 9:00 pm
Fun? People want fun in 2010?
How quaint.
CGHill »
18 March 2010 · 9:02 pm
There are, I suspect, two types of people: those who want fun, and those who don’t want anyone to have fun.
Other divisions are possible, of course.
Cheney W. Halliburton »
19 March 2010 · 10:16 am
The latter kind are in charge these days.