Factoid: Always great to show an ad that’s a factoid post in itself…

Factoid: Austin marked the ‘56 London Show with an ad featuring a collection of vibrantly coloured cars though whether you could get a yellow over black Princess was open to Q. In reality, they had a lot of news such as the new A35 & A95/105 though the A55 Cambridge was left over until Jan 1957…

Factoid: 1956 & graphical interesting ad to announce the saloon version of the Austin Princess Mark IV. The car became a Princess in 1957 but even that name change didn’t help the car’s almost glacial-paced sales - a mere 175 were built until 1959…

Factoid: Jaguar had detail changes to its model range for ‘58 though it’s interesting to note that while the 2.4 & 3.4 ‘Mark I’ saloons now the option of disc brakes, the Mark VIII did not though the following Oct the Mark IX saloon became the 1st Jaguar to have 4-wheel disc brakes as standard…

Factoid: When Avon introduced their luxuriously retrimmed Avon Triumph Acclaim in March 1982 they were confident that they would be converting 25 cars a week though the reality was rather wider of the mark…(1) (📸: Autocar)

Factoid: The keen-eyed will note this Granada Coupe is a European market car as only the Ghia was sold in the UK... (📸: IG a/c jagalfa)

Factoid: 1992 saw the Mk III Granada (Mk1 Scorpio in Europe) gain a facelift & several other mods including a new dashboard. Amid its extensive launch campaign this one was devoted to the car’s improved security…

Friday Commitment: Who needs a drift car when you could get a Mk1 Escort on a set of skinny cross-plies? (📸: Autocar)

Factoid: Volvo & Saab sometimes had similar themes when it came to promoting - one was safety (as everyone knows), but there was also when it came to the seats: Here was Volvo from 1981…(1)

Factoid: As far as cars went, Jaguar had nothing new for London in 1950 though the XK120’s body was now pressed steel & being produced in quantity so it was a case of laurel resting. Then again what laurels…(1)

Factoid: Well, marks for creativity linking the Beetle to an airliner & for the typically tongue-in-cheek headline. Btw, the plane is a Super VC10 for those who like their ✈️ …

Factoid: Believe it or not this was an ad for a new version of an executive car (from 1990). Let’s not keep these people & you waiting for the answer…(1)

Factoid: As @chevington.bsky.social correctly pointed out - that should be two-stroke, three-cylinder engine… Apologies…

Factoid: Compared to the swish, alloy wheeled cars today, this 1986 B2 Passat (a revised model) seems positively prosaic. However, there’s a honesty about it & that’s the definition of Base Model Brilliance… (📸: IG a/c plankhond)

Factoid: The DKW 3=6 had an estate version which unlike the British competition was FWD & had a three-stroke, two cylinder engine. It was called the Universal. (📸: Autocar)

Factoid: The ruched leather & wonderfully named Oak Bronze paint were featured in the ‘Monaco’ limited editions of the R21 & R25 from 1987 but did you know as far as well the latter was concerned this was actually a sequel? (The ‘1st edition’ was from 1986?) Well, now you do…

Factoid: Unlike the Minor, the Austin A30 Countryman did without the rear wooden construction though it, like many of its ilk, had a decidedly ‘Van with windows’ look about it (not helped by the fact it shared its rear door with the commercial equivalent)… (📸: Autocar)

Factoid: London 1950 might’ve seen the debut of the drophead coupé version of the Triumph Mayflower but in the end a mere 10 were converted by Mulliners…

City couple get lost in countryside, end up in a field & work out how to get back to the road. Or BMC promoting the Minor Traveller. You decide… (📸: Autocar)

Factoid: Seeing this reminds me of the following: 'When asked earlier this week if he would continue with the Montego and its hatchback twin, the Maestro, Mr Pischetsrieder replied, with some surprise: 'Does Rover still make them?' He was assured it did. 'Then it won't be making them much longer.''

Factoid: As I’ve mentioned before, BL’s promotion of the Maxi focused almost entirely on the car’s practicality so here’s a rare example of some creative shown in pushing it to buyers in the late ‘70’s (albeit using the recurring theme)…

Factoid: Nobody needs reminding about BL’s hasty package of measures to improve the Maxi (like the intro of a rod gear-change & new dash). Instead, enjoy this 1970 Autocar Motor Show Number cover noting the improved car’s arrival…

Factoid: Fiat really hammered home the Supermirafiori’s 1.6 Twin-Cam performance & compared to the ever-dominant Cortina but they had a point as the 131 out-performed not just a Cortina 1.6 but also the 2-litre version.

Factoid: Gordon made three wheelers btwn 1954-58, but we all know that as it was apparently ‘world famous’ (well, maybe in Bidston where they made them). Still, enjoy this ad which was possible preferable to driving or riding in one…

Factoid: This 1982 ad shows that even Honda used the traditional Japanese cars approach of selling cars on features long after they & other brands had been established on the market. Honda’s approach when the 3rd-gen Accord arrived in 1985 would be v different…

Factoid: 1955 saw also the launch of the Citroën DS which might perhaps challenge this claim for the launched earlier that year Silver Cloud…

Factoid: Easy to forget now just how ubiquitous MPVs once were & how practical they were. To make you feel old, here’s your quick reminder the Mk1 Ford Galaxy is now 30yrs ago & the 1st-gen was a joint venture with VW - hence the Sharan ad with a campaign that could be used today for the ID. Buzz…

Factoid: 70yrs ago today the Scottish Motor Show opened at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow though unlike the London Motor Show at Earls Court a month earlier, this was a dealer supported show - hence the multiple stands displaying Fords as noted in this ad…

Factoid: I don’t know how many Series X kits found their way onto Mk1 Fiestas, but they looked the part that’s for sure…

Factoid: While the Lotus Elite was dropped in 1982, the Eclat formed the basis for the Excel (initially names the Eclat Excel). The car benefitted from Toyota components including the A60 Supra’s door handles as seen here…

Factoid: The original Mk3 Fiesta XR2i was infamously greeted by CAR Magazine with the cover headline ‘Another Duff Fast Ford’. 1992’s XR2i 16v had a far better Zetec engine, but turned out to be the last XR2 Fiesta…

Factoid: A family Ford ‘S’ model wasn’t unusual - the Cortina MkIV/V had one but it took time for the Sierra to gain such a model though the really important news was the ‘i’ on the hatch (against the Cavalier SRi)…

Factoid: A lot of hopeful copy here with this 1979 Fiat 132 ad including an economy reference to a BMW 520, but it was rather unlikely few Beamer owners would be trading in their car for one of these in fairness…

Factoid: While I remember the Mk4 Polo, I’d forgotten the car’s UK launch campaign which noted its toughness, but if you think that ad is clever…(1)

Factoid: Austin Rover brochures took a classier turn as they moved towards Rover rebranding for the ‘90s. Here’s an X-ray pic of not a MG Montego Turbo, but a renamed MG 2.0 Turbo from the 1989 ‘Today’s Cars’ range brochure…

Factoid Extra: Another example of the inventiveness of motor show displays as one Hillman Imp has its engine & subframe tilted for easy viewing while the other car has plastic see-through body to entice visitors… (📸: Autocar)

Factoid: Here’s another example of that Honda campaign & how I discovered what origami was when I was a kid. Of course, this wasn’t the only Honda association with origami…(1)

Factoid: Aside from some new models of existing ranges, Ford of Britain had no new cars for Earls Court in 1957 so they pushed their ‘5-star’ motoring campaign instead. Btw, note how the Popular 103E is relegated to a corner…

Factoid: Honda always positioned itself a cut above other Japanese brands in the late ‘70’s & early ‘80’s something which this particular campaign from the early ‘80’s reinforced. You also can learn the term for the Japanese art of tea making in this 1981 ad (so a bonus factoid)…

Factoid: The Sceptre had a similar front end to the Singer Vogue to keep an owner busy polishing on a Sunday morning but here’s a quick reminder in Australia that particular car was actually badged as a Humber…

Factoid: The 4th-gen Accord might’ve been similar in style its predecessor but it’s forgotten it was notably bigger than it & reinforced its position in Europe as a contender in the executive car market…(1)

Factoid: A bit of hybrid the 1st Metro GTa - it had the MG Metro’s engine, but the MG Metro Turbo’s suspension, wheels & tyres so it was quicker than the former & unlike either of the MGs, a GTa model featured when the Rover Metro arrived in 1990…

Factoid: Issigonis packaging in one handy picture for one successful car…

Factoid: Same Autocar issue from March 6th, 1982 & two BL ads for two cars from the firm’s previous era (hanging on for dear life) & the firm’s future (though the ad’s copy would hardly be acclaimed)…

Factoid: 1957 was a big year for Vauxhall: February saw the F-Series Victor arrive (for a time the UK’s most exported car) & October, the PA Cresta/Velox appeared whose brash design has aged rather better than the Victor…

Factoid: Nobody needs reminding these days what an appealing package the Hillman Imp was & why when this 1968 ad appeared it was one of the best small cars you could buy. Sadly the people around who were didn’t…

Factoid: The Volvo P 1800 saw production moved from the UK (where Pressed Steel had made the bodies & Jensen assembled them) to Sweden in 1963 due to quality issues hence the ‘S’ suffix stood for Sverige (Sweden).

Factoid: You’d hardly call the Mini & Imp boots large, but the Imp also had that opening rear window & folding rear seat which gave it luggage practicality the Mini only bettered with its Clubman Estate… (📸: Motor)

Like many I was shocked to hear of Quentin Willson‘s passing & while many will remember his time on Top Gear & Fifth Gear, let’s not forget his excellent ‘The Car’s The Star’ series, which was a neat & considered history of notable cars. Here’s a particularly good example. youtu.be/NUNB2RCqMLQ?...

Factoid: A UK launch ad for the Lada Niva & aside some creative suggestions of the car’s uses, it’s your quick reminder that initially it was only available in the UK in LHD…