After living in an age when suburbanites in advertising long for ‘active outdoor lifestyles,’ I had forgotten there was a time when the opposite was occasionally sold; that of countryside folk aspiring to be more urban.
Of course, old pickups and 4x4s were very rudimentary; there was certainly a case to wish for the comfort of a Cadillac or Lincoln. Or an Imperial. What ranch owner back in the day didn’t wish to drive a 1956 Imperial?
In 1968 Mercury seemed to have a Cowboy theme in mind. We start with this Park Lane hardtop.
Then we have the convertible. I never ever thought about the advantages a convertible had for ranching, but this image has sold me on the idea (Sure it has…).
Time for Oldsmobile to join in, with this ’75 Toronado. And in typical ’70s style, its owner’s clothing is color-coordinated with the car.
I admit that a Rambler is far from upscale, but this is a 440, and a convertible. Also, this is a rather jolly bunch and deserves to be included in this series.
I honestly can’t imagine a past like this. By the time I got to the US countryside in the ’90s, SUVs, and trucks were the norm. No wonder; they were plusher and more practical than any of these old rides. On the other hand, these Cowboys had a lot of style!
Nice ;
I’d rather have a ’56 Chevy Cameo Carrier but this is indeed a beautiful Chrysler .
Periodically American falls in and out of love with “Country” .
-Nate
I really have a problem with the idea of a rancher or farmer driving in a field with cattle or other livestock and getting manure all over his fancy new car. I had an uncle who raised cattle-I rode with him a couple of times when he went out to check on his herds and it was always in his pickup. He would have never thought of driving his Olds 98 out in his fields.
Maybe that would have fit better with a Chevrolet El Camino or a Ford Ranchero.
http://oldcarbrochures.org/United%20States/Chevrolet_El_Camino-GMC_Caballero/1972-Chevrolet-El-Camino-Brochure/slides/1972_Chevrolet_El_Camino-02-03.html
I would love to ride the range or drive through Beverly Hills in that gorgeous Imperial or drive to the beach in that magnificent MERCURY! Both unfortunately now gone! Thanks for this trip down memory lane!
That Imperial is a handsome car, but GAAAAAHH, THOSE TAIL LIGHTS! What on earth was Virgil Exner thinking? Did he swipe them from somebody’s Chris Craft boat?
Chrysler Corporation should have asked for a $50 million dollar refund on their “Hundred Million Dollar Look.” 😉
Agree, a very handsome machine, except as you noted. Maybe the rancher was looking for something he could tie a lasso to? 🙂
To me, in addition to the strange look, they seem to be impractical and maybe a bit fragile. One accidental brush grab in the automatic car wash – and they would be gonners. And anything within reach that “sprouts” from a fender, that also lights up and blinks, to me just begs to be messed with and potentially broken.
But, it’s those iconic taillights that we all remember today. Not necessarily a fan of them, but they are memorable. Like the early Thunderbird porthole windows, Edsel grill and split window Stingray. Interesting how one small styling cue can define an entire car.
Didn’t someone joke that the stylists forgot the taillights and in a panic bought these from JC Whitney? Of all the iterations of these lights the best were the last.
Farmers liked BIG cars, not necessarily luxury cars, for highway driving. When it’s 50 miles to church or groceries, a Falcon won’t do.
Whereas in New Zealand where the Falcon was one of the largest family cars available through the 1970s/80s/90s/00s, it was all that would do for many farmers!
Maybe your are had rich Farmers .
I remember plenty of used Falcons and Comets, Malibu four doors too in the 1960’s .
-Nate
Car ads are image and imagination enhancers, telling a story and by no means meant to be a reflection of reality. Still, an Imperial rustling cattle? An absurd image, even if the luxury-loving cowboy is only supervising the rustling of cattle now that he’s in management.
I couldn’t find the picture online, but at the LBJ Ranch, they have a picture of LBJ driving his Lincoln convertible across a field apparently pursuing livestock (horses or cattle, can’t remember). So, as crazy as these ad images are, they are not too crazy to be actually emulated by Presidents.
Here’s a rancher who liked to drive around his spread in his Lincoln (from https://www.nps.gov/lyjo/planyourvisit/presidentialvehicles.htm):
Lincoln Continental Convertibles were the cars probably most associated with President Johnson. Here his Special Assistant, Joseph A. Califano, Jr recalls a ride with the President:
In the early afternoon, the President, with me next to him in the front seat, took his white Lincoln convertible, top down, for a drive around the ranch. It was incredibly hot; the dust clouds made it hard to breathe. But there was relief. As we drove around we were followed by a car and a station wagon with Secret Service agents. The President drank Cutty Sark scotch and soda out of a large white plastic foam cup. Periodically, Johnson would slow down and hold his left arm outside the car, shaking the cup and ice. A Secret Service agent would run up to the car, take the cup and go back to the station wagon. There another agent would refill it with ice, scotch, and soda as the first agent trotted behind the wagon. Then the first agent would run the refilled cup up to LBJ’s outstretched and waiting hand, as the President’s car moved slowly along.
I read Jon’s comment above first, and immediately though I wanted to find out more about this – so thanks for including the link and excerpt. That’s probably the most quintessential LBJ story imaginable – only he could pull that off.
I’ve seen what cattle can do to automotive sheet metal. They are big and powerful and their first reaction to danger is to run and flee. If a vehicle is in the way they’ll think nothing of bumping into it or falling on top of it. Sometimes they stampede. It’s never pretty. Cattle don’t give thought to taking a shit either. Up goes the tail and it’s time for business wherever they might be, even if it’s right next to an Imperial with the top down. If they cough in the act it becomes projectile traveling 6-8 feet, even worse for the Imperial.
LOL ! .
Thanx for the memory ~ in 1967 we were milking early one morning when a sick cow began that odoriferous stream and of course, coughed mid – way through completly soaking the pails, scale, logs book and Mr. B .
There’s very little about Farming that I miss .
-Nate
I liked the 55-56 Imperials including the tail lights, really prefer them to the 57-59 finned versions. That Rambler pictured is the American model, smaller & better looking than the bigger models, station wagon was especially nice.
The Western imagery has been strong ever since the “Somewhere West of Laramie” ad. What also added to the attraction was the idea of rich Western cattle and oil barons. Exemplified in the 1956 movie, Giant. This image was very influential.
You’re too young to have lived through it Rich but the Rambler American ad came about smack in the middle of a early ’60s folkie music trend called Hootenanny and there was even a TV show by that name. It was sort of Woodie Guthrie, Pete Seeger, The Weavers modernized and updated a bit by a younger generation. The New Christy Minstrels, Chad Mitchell Trio &c were an example, though Johnny Cash was on it, Judy Collins, even the Smothers Brothers started out there. Note the banjo and bass, this ad was more of a contemptoraneous cultural/musical reference than a true farmer/rancher thing, many young college-age kids were really into it at the time, I guess it was supposed to appeal to them?
No conversation about cowboy cars is complete without mentioning Nudie Cohn’s cowboy extravaganza. He was the artist responsible for many of the suits Country Western stars wore during performances. Also several other artists like Elvis and Gram Parsons also liked his work. I mention Nudie just as an example of how far someone can take the cowboy car theme with limitless creativity and a very healthy budget.
Proof positive yet again that in matters of taste, everyone else is wrong .
-Nate
Here is a shot of the over the top interior.
That’s the interior of Roy Rogers’ 1963 Pontiac Bonneville.
I believe I’ve seen that car at the National Funeral Museum in Houston. I wrote an article on the place a few years ago.
The allure of horses in car ads seemed to have tailed off during after the 1970s, but it’s sure nice to look at them in retrospect. My favorite though doesn’t have a cowboy or rancher theme, but rather is this amusing Renault ad.
Oh, and I love the Rambler picture above too – great find!
My Dad had one of those…no, not the horse, but a ’68 Renault R10 he bought new.
Interesting about the fuel mileage, my Dad was initially the only driver as it was his commuter car, but after the ’73 gas crisis, he wanted my Mother to be able to drive it instead of her car (family wagon) at least on weekends when he wasn’t at work. The problem was, my Mom was never comfortable with a manual, so my Dad traded the R10 in on a car with an automatic. Guess he should have gotten an automatic in the first place, but then again in ’68 he didn’t anticipate fuel shortages..
Most domestic 1970 cars didn’t get very good gas mileage…guess that’s what the ad is pointing out. But of course we don’t know how long the Renault would last…sometimes saving gas still is more expensive than say keeping a reliable car that doesn’t get good gas mileage. My Dad never found out, he traded the R10 with about 22k on the odometer (didn’t drive it much since it was commuter car and we lived pretty close to his job).
Now…we live in Texas (have for 41 years now). Early on my Dad moved around quite a bit, but after moving to Texas, that all stopped. Don’t have a horse (nor cowboy boots or hat).
Wish I got a chance to drive the R10, but I started driving 49 years ago just as the gas crisis started, and that’s when Dad traded it in…I missed by a few weeks.
Came back after attending a local car show and swap meet where I bought a vintage ad for a 60 red LEBARON in upscale horse County setting, including owners talking with a jockey mounted on a thoroughbred!