About the Book
The 1950s were the golden age of the American automobile, and the cars were faster, bigger, and more boldly styled than ever before. Sunday driving--Cleaver-style--in the regal family Ford, Edsel or Plymouth topped the list of national pastimes; and teenagers, behind the wheels of their daddies' thundering T-birds, had fun, fun, fun across America's highways. The economic prosperity of the country made for an "ultramatic" boom in car manufacturing, and the advertising industry followed suit. This reprint of a Chronicle Books classic collects the "masterpieces" of automobile advertising, culled from the pages of such popular periodicals as "Life, The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's, Look, " and "Holiday." Their colorful illustrations and catchy copy give these ads a "power-packed beauty" all their own, offering a fun look at 50s culture and values. So take a cruise down memory lane with this fond look back on a time when tail fins and chrome were the standard, and the American car was the true King of the Road.
About the Author :
Yasutoshi Ikuta currently a resident of Tokyo, is an avid collector of American advertisements.
Review :
Power Steering is easy as dialing a telephone...you can turn the wheel with one finger.
Power Steering is easy as dialing a telephone... you can turn the wheel with one finger.
FLAUNT
Mark Bennett
When a kind editor at "Flaunt" phoned to ask if I'd consider writing a few words about "Cruise-O-Matic, " a new softbound reprint of a coffee-table-worthy tome from the late 80s by Yasutoshi Ikuta about vintage automobile advertisements, I wish I'd been wearing a diaper. Not only have I listed after the visual expressions of that singular era, I have created a series of artworks based on that very subject.
Flushed with anticipation, I ripped open the envelope from Chronicle Books, my gaze immediately falling upon the jacket cover featuring Anne Fogarty, famed fashion designer (looking like a bus and truck Eve Arden in pageboy bangs), sitting behind the wheel of a pristine white-over-red 1955 De Soto. Little did I suspect that between those covers author Ikuta had painstakingly compiled a true gem, the best of that era's splashy, surreal, storytelling ads. In that world, it didn't matter that you weren't off to the opera; if you bought their car, you'd feel like you were off to the opera. Or the rodeo, a yacht, the country club...even Paris.
Starting with a 1950 Ford and ending with a 1959 Pontiac (whose make boasted that its new wide-track Bonneville would slice a few years off your age), "Cruise-O-Matic" offers examples from the Big Three as well as obscure Crosley and Kaiser-Nash lines. From the diamond-encrusted Cadillac hood ornament to the smart and sensible dual country/city horn featured on the Renault "Dauphine," Ikuta cruises through a decade of automotive splendor before those pesky oil embargoes forced American automakers to downsize their designs.
A must for the car buff of nostalgia nut, "Cruise-O-Matic" does more than just peddle cars. Its ads make you want to learn to sail, or ski, or attend a tailgate party (even if you don't like football). No matter that taking legal possession of these dream machines will probably always be in your minds rather than you garage. You don't have to turn the keyjust turn the page. Take, for example, the Willys-Jeep ad, whose type promises that "there are dreams under this hood."
"Cruise-O-Matic's" test is precise, and the ads speak for themselves. The publisher can forget itI ain't' givin' this back. It's a keeper."
FLAUNT
Mark Bennett
When a kind editor at "Flaunt phoned to ask if I'd consider writing a few words about "Cruise-O-Matic, a new softbound reprint of a coffee-table-worthy tome from the late 80s by Yasutoshi Ikuta about vintage automobile advertisements, I wish I'd been wearing a diaper. Not only have I listed after the visual expressions of that singular era, I have created a series of artworks based on that very subject. Flushed with anticipation, I ripped open the envelope from Chronicle Books, my gaze immediately falling upon the jacket cover featuring Anne Fogarty, famed fashion designer (looking like a bus and truck Eve Arden in pageboy bangs), sitting behind the wheel of a pristine white-over-red 1955 De Soto. Little did I suspect that between those covers author Ikuta had painstakingly compiled a true gem, the best of that era's splashy, surreal, storytelling ads. In that world, it didn't matter that you weren't off to the opera; if you bought their car, you'd feel like you were off to the opera. Or the rodeo, a yacht, the country club... even Paris.
Starting with a 1950 Ford and ending with a 1959 Pontiac (whose make boasted that its new wide-track Bonneville would slice a few years off your age), "Cruise-O-Matic offers examples from the Big Three as well as obscure Crosley and Kaiser-Nash lines. From the diamond-encrusted Cadillac hood ornament to the smart and sensible dual country/city horn featured on the Renault "Dauphine," Ikuta cruises through a decade of automotive splendor before those pesky oil embargoes forced American automakers to downsize their designs.
A must for the car buff of nostalgia nut, "Cruise-O-Matic does more than just peddle cars.Its ads make you want to learn to sail, or ski, or attend a tailgate party (even if you don't like football). No matter that taking legal possession of these dream machines will probably always be in your minds rather than you garage. You don't have to turn the key--just turn the page. Take, for example, the Willys-Jeep ad, whose type promises that "there are dreams under this hood."
"Cruise-O-Matic's test is precise, and the ads speak for themselves. The publisher can forget it--I ain't' givin' this back. It's a keeper.
