ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

Great Caesar's Ghost! Another remarkable Fitzpatrick and Kaufman painting which illustrates the wide world of adventure which Pontiac owners can enjoy! .

This one is the direct ancestor of today's SUVs — a spacious vehicle which can haul a group of kids to a soccer game or eight adventurous men who go scuba diving from a rugged and remote beach!

It has three rows of seats and a cargo rack on the roof.

As a writer, every one of these Pontiac ads immediately suggests a story, one which features intelligent and successful people who are milking life for every drop of joy and excitement.

Whatever happened to the days when THIS was the American Dream?
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

At one time station wagons were THE family car. Then Uncle Sam imposed the C.A.F.E. standards and for the most part killed the station wagon. Vans (there were no minivans) and SUVs were utility vehicles for companies, farms and ranches. As a child the only Chevy Suburbans I saw were used by oil and railroad companies. People owned pickup trucks, but they were also work vehicles that had a utilitarian interior and a stiff suspension didn't ride that well. As a kid I didn't care, because I was out with my Dad. Besides the bouncy ride was kind of fun.

But families had need of a large vehicle, and car companies are inventive. Pickup trucks and vans didn't have the same fuel restrictions as cars, so the SUV and minivan were invented, and pickup trucks were given better suspensions and interiors.

Meanwhile those that pushed the C.A.F.E. standards were OUTRAGED that car companies found a loophole so familes could have a usable vehicle.

David.

[mach7]

This ad I love.

The colors, the landscape, the mist and water all work well together.

The car and setting say adventure!

My guess is the location is the California coast probably around Big Sur.

At 90 cubic feet it has more cargo space than a Ford Explorer!

But, 8 adult men and SCUBA gear would be a very tight fit in the Bonneville wagon. Typically wagons had a rear facing 3rd row seat in the cargo area.

3 men in the front seat, 3 men in the second row, and 2 in the foldout seat. Maybe that's why there are only 5 tanks for 8 men.

But wait, there is a 9th man in the water beyond the rocks!

Krel, it just goes to prove the law of unintended consequences. The market wants what the market wants.

Growing up we had a 1967 Ford Country Squire wagon. It was a very cool car and filled the need. The 4x8 ft cargo area with the 2nd and 3rd rows folded allowed us to carry plywood, fence sections, and drywall. But it was rear wheel drive which was challenging during New England winters.

Later in my adult life we had a Ford Bronco 2, Ford Explorer, Ford Windstar, Mercury Sable wagon. We have always had a SUV after the Sable. They are just better all around vehicles for a New England family.

[Bud Brewster]

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David, thanks for sharing your family's automotive history, and for making a personal connection with these great ads.

[mach7]

Yah, there is no way 9 men are fitting in that Bonneville.
I hope they didn't have to travel far!

[Krel]

It has bench seats, so technically nine men could fit if it has the third row, and they don't mind getting cozy.

In our Chevy station wagon, it was fun riding in the rear facing seat. If there were a lot of kids, you could fold the seats down and fit a lot more. Also fun.

David.

[mach7]

Yup,

In 1984 in the Air Force we fit 4 guys in the back seat of a Vista Cruiser, we only had seatbelts for 3 so if there had been an accident we would have been in hot water.

But we were young and dumb.

Years before that, late '60's, my mother would fold down all the rear seats in the Country Squire so we had a 4x8 ft flat surface. It was flat textured metal. My sisters and I would lay on our backs and slide around while she drove. My mother liked to drive fast, it was always a fun treat!

Ah the 60's, no seatbelts, car seats, airbags etc . . .
how did we survive?

[mach7]

I found this ad for the 1967 Country Squire wagon.

My memory was wrong, there are 2 facing seats in the cargo
area! So 9 men could fit in. It would be cramped, but they would fit, as long as Pontiac had the same, facing seats.

[Bud Brewster]

I'm happy to report that the ad copy for this wonderful promotional piece is not dominated by technical specs for the elegant Bonneville shown above.

In fact, the first half of the ad almost sounds like it's describing the large, beautiful houses which those happy (and obviously upper-class) people live in!

Consider, for example, the adjectives and descriptive phrases which were used.
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" . . . stainless steel down it's flanks, and bright touches at it's windows and roofline."

"And inside, incredibly supple seating, and our famously sumptuous upholstery."

"Beautifully accented by thick pile carpets and rich-grained genuine walnut . . . "
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Wow, it does everything but mention that it's conveniently located near schools and shopping malls!

As for the appealing Fitzpatrick and Kaufman artwork, it not only presents the Bonneville in the best possible manner, it also includes sly clues as to the kind of lucky people who own it.

Behind the car are two gentlemen who've just returned from the golf course. In the yard beyond, we we see a lovely lady bringing a tray of beverages, and a well-dressed couple sitting at a shady table under an umbrella.

We can surmises that this is an old-but-upscale neighbor by the size of the houses and the lush landscaping which includes old-growth trees, high bushes that are allowed to flourish (rather than being carefully trimmed), and vine covered tree trunks.

The message: this kind of house you should have, this kind of car you should drive, and this is the kind of life you should live.

And how does one go about making this dream come true? The ad concludes with the simple answer. See your Pontiac dealer and —

"Just ask him for the keys."
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

Both the wonderful Fitzpatrick and Kaufman artwork and the emotion-rich ad copy are skillful efforts to seduce us, folks!
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If you gravitate helplessly towards every Pontiac you see, you're simply human. Pontiac's heroic good looks have been winning friends and influence other cars for years now.

~ The car is described more like a person than a machine. And we'll "gravitate helplessly towards it" because it has such "heroic good looks" that "wins friends".

And when you slip inside one, you'll find that our interiors give our exteriors a stunning run for their money. That Bonneville, for example, carries a walnut-trimmed instrument panel and steering wheel as standard fittings.

~ Very few cars use real wood in their interiors these days, since plastic is much easy and cheaper. So, this is an elegant touch which marks the Age of the 1960s.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[mach7]

This setting says Virginia to me. It has an almost plantation look.

I find the prose seems a bit off to me. Is it manly and blunt? Is it technical? Is it emotional?

A bit of all 3, but master of none.

The real walnut trim is a nice touch.

I'm not sure why, but the artwork says Camelot to me.
Possibly its just the mid '60s dress.

EDIT:

One thing strikes me about this artwork. The use of the vertical. Fitzpatrick and Kaufman seem to master the vertical in their art (mostly) This one is no exception. The vertical just works here, it helps establish the setting. Little things add a lot.

[Bud Brewster]

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Mark, I swear that each time you analyze one of these ads, it suddenly acquires a new depth which it didn't have when I posted the image!

And I usually agree with all you assessments!

Yes, by God, the setting does invoke a "Camelot" feel — not just "two rich folks in front a big house.

I had to study the image more closely to understand your reference to the "vertical" aspect of the composition. I realized that the painting leads the eye upwards from the front of the car, then up the staircase and onto the second floor balcony, and finally to the third flood balcony . . . with God only know how much more of the house above that!

Camelot indeed. Very castle-like, eh?

I also realized that I should have mentioned something which supports my claim that the ad copy was a "skillful effort to seduce us".

Note the lovely lady who's hugging her handsome companion from behind while she whispers something in his ear. I think she's softly saying, "Let's go home, Darling" — and she does not mean "I'm tired and want to go to sleep."
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[mach7]

Oh yeah! That dude is getting lucky tonight!

And thanks, I just started to look at these with an analytical eye after you started posting them.

The more I see A&F's work the more I'm appreciating the subtleties and detail. Pontiac was lucky to get them.

As an example of the vertical, notice that the house is on a hill and the far left stairway heading down.

The use of the vertical is one of the things I really like about most of the A&F artwork.

[mach7]

I found this article from Hagerty online.

These guys know a thing or two about cars.

Some good information and great artwork.

https://www.hagerty.com/media/market-trends/fitzpatrick-and-kaufman-best-pontiac-ads/

[Bud Brewster]

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Hot damn, this image from the site you posted the link to says it all!



And the article by Jeff Peek says exactly what you and I have come to believe!
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You could find the Pontiacs in beautiful locations — France and Monte Carlo, on beaches, at sporting events, and at big-city black-tie affairs.

Fitz said that although the cars were always the focal point, there was a subtlety to their presence in each scene.

“The whole idea was that the car fit into the situation in a natural way,” he said.
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It's a perfect representation of the philosophy which this song by the The Tams, which was recorded in 1968 — just a few years after these Pontiac magazine ads promoted the same idea!

__Be Young Be Foolish Be Happy - The Tams - 1968


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)