I love this picture from a 1961 Glas Isar brochure because of the charmingly simple and humble nature of the car contrasted with that little throng just losing their shit over it, snapping pictures and exclaiming in joy and hiding erections. Who among us wouldn’t love to command the instant joy that this little not-exactly-a-Goggomobile does?
The Glas Isar is interesting; it was originally thought of as a bigger, more upmarket Goggomobil, but then was rebranded the Glas Isar, which for some reason the company thought would sound weird in some non-Germanic markets, so they also sold is as the “Isard,” which they somehow thought was better?
It’s got a little air-cooled 700cc flat-twin under the hood, too. Charming little guy.
These folks are all right, turgid or otherwise. I myself get pretty damn excited when I see a set of white walls that clean.
I don’t think either of those guys is concerned about hiding an erection.
Ah, my grandad had an Isard 700 Kombi. Think of it as a shooting break of sorts. Slow as fuck, I guess.
The name was a callback to the Glas company’s second name, Isaria, which they used when they manufactured seed drills which is what originally built the company. They were founded by Hans’s father Andreas and expanded to all kinds of farm equipment. After the war, Hans bought the company and decided to build little cars and scooter which were much more in demand than farming equipment. At one point, they had the opportunity to buy BMW, but they passed and the reverse happened a few years later.
Ever wonder what people with think of our commercials in another 60 years (2082)?
“What are those people wearing?”
“Why aren’t those cars flying off the ground?”
“And you mean people had to actually hold a metal device to communicate…like to type in letters, snap pictures, or hold to ear to talk/listen…what the…!?!?”
I also think they are going to look back and say… “so did they just go out in the street and find some ordinary people?”
They’ll probably think they’re as ridiculous as we, or I, do now.
Like when you see 20-30 somethings fawning over a Korean shitbox Buick the way these people are reacting to this rather plain car, or when every 2nd commercial on TV features and interracial couple obsessed with their dog that has absolutely nothing to do with the product or service actually being advertised.
And they actually had to have food delivered to them? Where were the replicators?
I found a similar poster for the Trabant 600, along with another that boasted that it was “Just like stainless steel, but plastic!”
I guess that was something to get excited about behind the Iron Curtain.
I found a similar poster for the Trabant 600, along with another that boasted that it was “Just like stainless steel, but plastic!”
I guess that was something to get excited about behind the Iron Curtain.”
You got me curious so I did my own search and found this. Looks like there was a lot going on behind that curtain than we knew!
NICE! Now that’s salesmanship.
To this day, when I think “car” this is the form factor that pops into my head. Something you would see in a Richard Scarry book.
I’m posting here about the 2k shitboxes because for whatever reason, I’m not logged in when I try to comment there:
any money spent on an rx-8 is already too much money. If it’s going to need a rebuild in 60k miles, it really ain’t worth it.
When that happens, if you reload when you are on the article page, it should pop as logged in with the refresh. There appears to be some kind of counting glitch in the HTML from its behavior.
It is a Gandalf.
That guy in the green shirt with the man purse worries me. What the hell is he holding? If it’s a microphone, then why has he draped a wire over that woman with the iPhone? The look on his face as he stands behind her makes me think he has a windowless van parked a short distance away.
And the guy in the black suit absolutely has a boner. He’s not even trying to hide it.
I think that ‘purse’ is a battery pack for the flash that he’s holding up. It was 1961; the equipment wasn’t compact then. The camera in his other hand isn’t clear, but it is suggested.
I see it now. It’s wired to her camera. That’s a fairly progressive ad for its day, with a woman using the camera while a man handles flash duties.
Yeah, only dames should be flashing those headlights.
Get me Don Draper, stat!
IS that a 1961 man purse? Or is he holding her purse. Very cutting edge either way. Or is it? Is that Ron Livingston with the boner? Is this photoshopped or something more mysterious?
OMG dude! I now know that I am old, at least old enough to remember flash bulbs and camera bags!
Sorry, I posted to soon, didn’t read the other replies. 🙁
The wagon version of this car is appealing
Very, especially in two-tone.