Brazil, so often a land where old car models soldiered on way beyond their time, got an up-to-date product in 1983 with the arrival of the new front-wheel-drive Ford Escort. Based on the European design, the locally-built cars got Renault-derived 1341cc and 1555cc engines. #carbluesky

'A car for mummy, daddy, grandma and the children' is how Škoda pitched its 1000MB, the company's first rear-engined model, in this 1967 brochure. It put Czechoslovakia in the vanguard of Eastern Bloc exports, offering more at a lower all-in price than its west European competitors. #weirdcarbs

Peugeot was renowned for its big, tough estate cars, so the 1982 arrival of a new 505 estate to take on the mantle of the evergreen 504 was a crucial step. The newcomer is shown in GR trim in this brochure, which boasted it had 'the largest volume capacity available in Britain today'. #weirdcarbs

In this 1983 French brochure the Autobianchi A112 Junior was pictured with a backdrop of eye-catching artwork, here contrasting the model with an interesting mix of much bigger vehicles. The A112, first launched in 1969, still cut the mustard as a city car. #weirdcarbs

In the 1990s the Japanese market developed a taste for retro-style vehicles, which took existing new cars and added unexpected sheetmetal, often inspired by British classics. This A'm Craft Antiguo had a passable late '60s Jaguar nose grafted to the body of a Toyota Corolla Estate. #weirdcarbs

Small 2-door saloons were omnipresent in Europe in the 1970s, but two decades later new ones were almost extinct. Volkswagen, launching its facelifted mk2 Polo in 1990, was a rarity in continuing to offer a notchback model alongside its more popular Polo 'breadvan' hatchback and coupé. #weirdcarbs

GM's 'downsizing' programme in response to the '70s fuel crisis reached the full-size Cadillacs in 1977. This brochure introduced a new body that was shorter, narrower and lighter but claimed to be roomier for passengers and luggage. All models featured a new 7-litre V8 engine. #carbluesky

Shown here in Royal Mail livery, the newly-launched 1984 Austin Maestro van was the state-owned company's replacement for the ancient Morris Marina/Ital-based commercial. Switching to front-wheel-drive, the Maestro had the 1275cc A+ power unit and its own boxy rear body. #carbluesky

The final body style to be added to the classic Saab 900 range was the cabriolet, built at Valmet in Finland from early 1986 and based on the 2-door saloon body. This brochure for 1987 features the single model initially available, the Turbo 16V. #carbluesky

Mitsubishi was an early player in the '80s MPV market with the Chariot (known as the Space Wagon in Europe, and sold in North America by Chrysler as the Dodge/Plymouth Colt Vista). The 1984 Japanese brochure included this 2000 4WD in top-level MT trim, with an unusual paint scheme. #weirdcarbs

The distinctive second-generation Renault Mégane soon acquired quite a wide choice of rapid RenaultSport versions. In this 2008 UK brochure the 230 Renault F1 Team R26 was the pinnacle of the range, shown here alongside the 225 Cup model. #carbluesky

Fiat was embarking on a new era in 1983 with the Uno's launch, but it couldn't let go of its old favourite, the 127. With Italian production ended, models continued to be supplied for a while from Brazil (which called its version the Fiat 147). The range included this Panorama estate. #carbluesky

As part of a drive to increase Land Rover sales volume, the 1997 Freelander emerged as the company small 'lifestyle' 4X4, the culmination of plans that had been a Rover Group ambition for nearly a decade. It looked the part and was well-received at launch. #carbluesky

VAM (Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos) was the Mexican partner of American Motors and built a variety of the company's products for local consumption. The AMC Hornet was known there as the VAM American. The 1975 line-up in this brochure included a luxury 'Edición Cantos Dorados' sedan. #weirdcarbs

NSU seemed to be going places in the mid-'60s, with the advanced Ro80 in development and a new mid-range car, the Typ 110, unveiled at the 1965 Frankfurt Motor Show. It is featured in this French brochure. With a 2440mm wheelbase, the company was keen to stress it was a full five-seater. #weirdcarbs

The 1998 Peugeot 306 Rallye was a UK-market special, a pared-down version of the well-regarded 306 GTI-6, with more basic equipment and trim aimed at saving weight (and lowering the purchase price). It carried on the tradition of earlier Rallye models based on the smaller 106 and 205. #carbluesky

The diminutive original 1.2-litre Honda Civic features in this 1973 US brochure, which was already using the then fairly new term hatchback for the 3-door version. The car proved well-timed, as the outbreak of war in the Middle Wast led to a sudden demand for small, fuel-saving models. #weirdcarbs

The final version of the pretty Lancia Fulvia coupé was simply called the Fulvia 3 and sold from 1974 to 1976 in 1300cc form, alongside the newer Beta coupé, which would supplant it in time. This multilingual brochure features the car in classic Alpine scenery. #carbluesky

Bedford, GM's British commercial vehicle specialist, entered the modern car-derived panel van market in the mid '70s with the 'highly civilised' Chevanne. As the name implied, it was based on the new estate car version of the 1256cc Vauxhall Chevette. ##carbluesky

Perfect weather for a 2CV6 Spécial. #weirdcarbs

Nissan's long-running Maxima nameplate began life in North America, with the very first Datsun Maxima model shown in this 1981 Canadian brochure. It used a dressed-up sedan body from the widely-exported four-cylinder Bluebird (910), but with a 2.4-litre six. #weirdcarbs

This 2015 Mercedes-Benz brochure was published to coincide with a display at the company's museum paying tribute to the futuristic, rotary-engined gullwing C111 concept car. Its dramatic looks had caused a sensation at the model's 1969 Frankfurt Motor Show debut. #weirdcarbs

Pavement pop-up. #carbluesky

The Citroën CX's flagship Prestige model didn't just have a luxury badge, it used the 25cm longer wheelbase of the estate car models for truly limousine-like rear legroom. This early Dutch brochure from 1976 mainly has close ups of the upmarket interior of the initial Prestige 2200. #weirdcarbs

The Fiat 131 had a long life in Turkey, where it was built under licence by TOFAŞ (Türk Otomobil Fabrikası A.Ş.) at its factory in Bursa. This early '80s brochure shows the Murat 131 Şahin and Doǧan saloons, which used a curious mix of lights from different eras of the Italian 131 . #weirdcarbs

After Volvo took full control of DAF's car division in 1975, the Dutch firm's 66 soon adopted the new marque name. The saloon is featured in this 1979 brochure, here showing the compact size of the Volvo 66GL, with a glimpse of its big brother, the 343, also built at the factory in Born. #carbluesky

Sterling, a marque invented by Austin Rover to launch the new Rover 800 series North America, turned out to be another misstep for the company After a good first year, US sales of the Honda-engined 827 sedan and fastback were in freefall by the time of this brochure from 1990. #carbluesky

With the arrival of the front-wheel-drive Favorit range, suddenly Škoda's British importer was in a position to offer the small business user quite a choice of light commercials. There was the Favorit hatch-based Freeway van, the estate-based Freeway Plus van, plus the Foreman pick-up. #weirdcarbs

This 2001 Australian brochure on the souped-up HSV versions of the revived Holden Monaro coupé struck a nostalgic note. It pictured the latest design (in 5.7-litre V8 342 bhp GTO and 403bhp GT versions) alongside a classic Monaro GTS muscle car of three decades past. #carbluesky

Proton's new three-door hatch was initially called the Persona Compact when it arrived in Britain, one of the company's best export markets, in 1995. The attractively rounded body was borrowed from the previous-generation Mitsubishi Colt/Mirage. #carbluesky

Chrysler's disparate European empire was trying to get its act together by the mid-'70s, and one positive sign seemed to be the arrival of the new front-wheel-drive Chrysler Alpine (as it was known in the UK and Ireland). It sat alongside the older rear-drive Avenger and Hunter. #carbluesky

Innocenti's neat little hatchback based on the BL Mini got a new lease of life in the 1980s when the company bought in Daihatsu's well-regarded 3-cylinder engines. The sporty Innocenti De Tomaso in this Swiss brochure got a welcome boost, gaining 68bhp 1-litre turbo power. #weirdcarbs

Ford was a major player in the municipal taxicab market in the UK thanks to successive generations of its roomy Granada. This 1986 brochure features the latest 2.5 diesel taxi version of the new Granada mk3 hatchback, adapted to meet the needs of the cabbie. #carbluesky

One of the more stylish vehicles to come out of the Soviet Union, the RAF-2203 was built in Latvia (by Rīgas Autobusu Fabrika) from 1976. The two-tone microbus used various parts from Moskvich and Volga cars. This is a leaflet in French published by Avtoexport in Moscow. #weirdcarbs

The start of the Toyota Prius phenomenon was the unassuming-looking mk1 model, a four-door saloon which had first appeared in Japan in 1997. This UK brochure from 2001 called the pioneering hybrid model 'the most advanced and most practical green passenger car'. #carbluesky

Volkswagen at one time was quite keen on self-deprecating ads, and this 1971 US brochure on what it called the Super Beetle was no exception. Noting criticism the car was 'ugly', it acknowledged 'in spite of everything we did, it still doesn't look any more beautiful'. #weirdcarbs

Diamond-Star Motors was a joint venture berween a resurgent Chrysler and its long-term partner, Mitsubishi, with a brand new US factory opening in 1988. The plant built this quite sporty Plymouth Laser, alongside the closely-related Eagle Talon and Mitsubishi Eclipse. #weirdcarbs

While some cars peak early in sales terms and then quickly fade away, the reverse was true of the Volvo 340 series, in the UK at least. Over a decade on from its poor early reception it had reinvented itself as a cut above far more modern rivals in its class. #carbluesky

The highly-successful BLMC 1100/1300 was sold under six marque names in the UK, with the Vanden Plas Princess at the top of the pile. This 1972 brochure hailed its 'unashamed luxury', noting it 'embodies a standard of care, of craftsmanship, of pride...' #weirdcarbs

'A vehicle that will never cease to amaze drivers, passengers and onlookers alike' was Suzuki Canada's boast about its 2010 Swift+. Onlookers elsewhere in the world would probably be more amazed that Suzuki was selling this former Daewoo instead of its own well-regarded Swift hatchback. #weirdcarbs

The Fiat Panda 100HP was something of a deviation from the model's normal practical budget territory, but the 1.4 16V-engined six-speed 115mph version of the second-generation body was well-received. This 2006 UK brochure called it 'the full sports car experience'. #carbluesky

The Simca 1100 Elix 3-door (or LX, as it was usually badged) arrived for 1975, intended as a fashionable but affordable 'à la mode' version of the car. This French leaflet photographed the Elix in Montmartre, showcasing the rather unusual side-stripe treatment. #weirdcarbs

A dowager of yesteryear, the Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire. #weirdcarbs

These strange Yugo Koral models with extra built-in storage drawers were a product of Zastava Special Vehicles in the Serbian city of Sombor. Intended as travelling service vehicles, one is shown kitted out in the livery of AMSJ, the Auto Moto Association of Yugoslavia. #weirdcarbs

Peugeot's first new model after World War 2, the 1290cc 203 went into production in 1948 and is shown in this early brochure in both saloon and the rarer 4-door cabriolet version. The 203, with its US-influenced styling was the company's only car in the difficult early '50s. #weirdcarbs

The classiest members of the fourth-generation Vauxhall Astra range (aka Opel Astra mk2) were the Bertone-built convertible and coupé - the latter to some extent replacing the Calibra. This brochure shows the 2003 Linea Rossa special edition models. #carbluesky

A true barn find in the Yorkshire Dales.

Mazda UK's prolific output of limited edition Mazda MX-5 models started with the mk1 version of the car, which had been well received by roadster enthusiasts, stimulating a demand for interesting specials. These leaflets feature the April 1997 offerings, the 1.6 Monza and 1.8 Harvard. #carbluesky

To match the smooth style of the second-generation Audi 100, the company performed a facelift on its smaller 80 model, grafting on a new nose and rear lights, shown in this 1977 UK brochure. The brochure made a lot of a rather marginal 4% aerodynamic improvement. #carbluesky

The Farina-styled Austin A40, although rear-wheel-drive, has a good claim to be one of the ancestors of the modern small hatchback in its Countryman version, with split tailgate and folding rear seat. This 1100 cc mkII was launched in late 1962. #carbluesky