The Roadsterman in his trusty watercraft.
This blog post is a bit of a departure for me. See, I don’t have much in the way of Miata stuff to share at the moment. But perhaps some of you (my 5 loyal visitors) will appreciate the following.
I stumbled upon the Library section of LotusElan.net a couple days back. Inside are lots of treasures and nuggets from the glory days of the Elan. I went straight for the brochures and magazine articles and drowned myself in 60s era Car Journalism.
But the real treasure is the Advertisement library.
In case you couldn’t tell from the little jumping magnifying glass, you can click on any of these images for a larger version. Or click on the link text to see an augmented version of the ad copy.
Ah, the civilizing influence of barbed wire… [View the ad copy.]
I love the art. But the driving force behind this blog post is the incredible ad copy below that art. I personally can’t imagine what would happen to a company if they tried to run copy like this today. They’d possibly be shunned for being too elitist. That is, if anyone bothered to read it.
I mean, the Zoom-zoom ad campaign is nearly too cerebral for modern audiences. I’d hate to see what would happen to Joe Displacement’s brain if confronted with an ad containing “thorough-going race-bread machine.”
I shall now use the title "Roadsterman" for the rest of my life.
[View the ad copy.]
Cigar cars: the height of F1 style. [View the ad copy.]
Titles don’t get much more perfect than this. [View the ad copy.]
"The current hairy breeds" – these ads are packed with great quotes.
[View the ad copy.]
It just doesn’t get much better than this. And there’s more in the LotusElan.net library. If you have any love whatsoever for vintage roadsters, you should go check it out right now. You can thank me later.
And a final note: I’ve not asked permission to post these images. So if anyone from the Lotus site is angry, please just post a comment below and I’ll remove this blog post immediately.
Adam, email might be easier- but I’m looking to pick your brain about a Miata. I don’t have copious amounts of money to pour into my 91, but I do want some upgrades. Have you ever used anything from Racing Beat? Do you have an opinion on their products?
I have! I’m a big fan of Racing Beat. They are one of the best US parts manufacturers in my opinion. I have their front swaybar (NB 1.25″), 4-1 header, and cat back with resonated midpipe. Really top quality stuff.
And you can always email. adam at revlimiter dot net.