GM Wanted Americans to Buy a 1962 Corvette and Corvair per a Vintage Ad

After introducing the revised Corvair, GM released an ad making a case to buy it and a 1962 Corvette.

These days, advertisements have gotten quite complex and in many cases downright silly, doing whatever it takes to attract our attention in a time when most of us simply fast forward through commercials or use ad blockers online. But once upon a time, ads were clever and humorous, pitching products as the kinds of things that we had to have, particularly if we wanted to keep up with the Joneses. That’s also true of this vintage 1962 Corvette and Corvair ad recently dug up by Autoweek, which tries to sell the average American on the idea of buying not just one of those vehicles, but both at the same time.

That isn’t a terribly far-reaching concept, given the fact that the Corvette has always been more of machine for a two-plus car household as a specialty sports car. But this particular ad positions the 1962 Corvair Monza, in particular, as a vehicle that’s far more capable than most would expect. In fact, it depicts the compact machine flying down a dirt road, as if it’s some sort of highly-capable off-roader, while the 1962 Corvette is more for the street.

“New face, same sporting heart,” the ad touts. “Until you’ve driven a new one, you’ll never know enthusiastic driving. Corvair’s kind of transportation is like no other in the land. The rear engine sees to that. Swing around curves as flat as you please. Whip through gooey spots other cars have to avoid (especially this year, now that Positraction is an extra-cost option). Stop smoothly, levelly with beautifully balanced bigger brakes.”

The ad goes on to tout the Corvair’s standard features, including a heater, sunshades, and armrests, all of which is downright humorous by today’s standards. However, then comes the ultimate pitch – “try a Corvette and a Corvair and you’re sure to wind up a two-car man.” Did this mean that GM was worried that the new, sportier Corvair might eat into Corvette sales? It’s quite possible in a time when America’s sports car faced an uncertain future. Today, as we all know, the opposite happened, but we’re still curious to know just how many people wound up with one of each in their garage.

Photos: General Motors

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