|
|
Vintage Corvette Advertisement - Pleasure PackageA Rare Insider's Peek At Corvette Marketing 50 Years Ago From the September, 2010 issue of Corvette Fever By Tom Shaw
|
|
Fifty years ago, Corvette was a new, struggling nameplate, on the verge of overcoming some very tough obstacles and poised to blow the market wide open. The early years were discouraging. Despite heavy corporate investment, early sales were dismal, and sharp competition from arch-rival Ford's Thunderbird had GM ready to pull the plug. But with a couple of good years of V-8 power under its belt, Corvette was beginning to turn around. More power was translating into more sales. Funny how that works. Chevrolet had found its angle: Corvette was not a sports car in the European tradition, it was a sports car on its own, uniquely American terms, which centered around the V-8. By 1957, Corvette had been through some substantial engine development, and it was beginning to make a name for itself on prestigious racetracks against the world's best. For the first time, Chevrolet offered an exotic engine option-fuel injection. To help get the word out about its dynamic new '57 model, Chevrolet issued a two-part filmstrip and record titled "Pleasure Package" and "Profit Package." Pleasure Package was to be viewed by prospective buyers. It talked up the Corvette's many styling and engineering strong points, and touted its recent racing victories. We found one of these filmstrips and are about to take you on a unique, scene-by-scene trip through Corvette marketing from half a century ago. The dialog from the record is transcribed word-for-word beneath each image. Some of the expressions and photos are a bit corny, but that's part of the vintage charm. So sit back and enjoy this long-lost look at Corvette marketing 1957 style.  This is a pleasure package!...  This is a pleasure package! Twenty-eight hundred and fifty pounds of trim, smart dream car. And every ounce, every feature, designed with just one purpose...  ...to add to your driving...  ...to add to your driving pleasure. First and foremost, there's the pleasure of America's most distinctive personal car, and America's finest performing sports car. There's the pleasure...  ...of dream-car-of-the-future...  ...of dream-car-of-the-future styling. A new concept in American sports car styling. It starts with a racy silhouette, accented by high-set fender lines.  And there's the newest styling...  And there's the newest styling note on cars today: deep, sweep sides.  The going away view of the...  The going away view of the Corvette is highlighted by dashing taillights and in-the-fender dual exhausts.  Up front, the Corvette sports...  Up front, the Corvette sports dramatic simulated air scoops, clean lined headlights, parking lights and front fenders, and a wide, wind-split crowned hood. With dream car styling...  ...there's dream car construction....  ...there's dream car construction. The Corvette's body is genuine fiberglass. It's light, it's strong, it's convenient and economical to repair, and fiberglass can't rust.  There's interior luxury in...  There's interior luxury in the Corvette that's typified by the rich-as-leather vinyl upholstery. The waffle-type pattern of this upholstery and the contour design of the bucket seats are touches of the true custom car. Interior colors harmonize with the exterior color choice.  The new Corvette offers the...  The new Corvette offers the convenience of an optional power-operated top. And there are weather-tight windows that roll up by hand, or by power. And for the tops in weather protection and extra style, you can have not only the standard vinyl-coated fabric top, but an optional...  ...lightweight plastic top....  ...lightweight plastic top. In addition to convenience and luxury, inside the Corvette you'll find...  ...true sports car realism...  ...true sports car realism and glamour. Like the racing-type steering wheel, and such genuine sports car instruments as a tachometer that indicates engine revolutions per minute.  The shift lever is floor-mounted...  The shift lever is floor-mounted for convenience and split-second control of the specially-engineered, close-ratio standard transmission. The gear ratios used in First, Second, and Third are numerically closer to each other than usual, which means that higher road speeds can be attained in First and Second gears.  If you wish, make Powerglide...  If you wish, make Powerglide your choice. Move the lever, and this transmission does your thinking, does your shifting for you with an expert's sure grip. But whatever your choice of transmission, the Corvette gives you the safety and pleasure of being ahead of traffic, because backing up your transmission...  ...is the kind of advanced,...  ...is the kind of advanced, responsive, power-crammed engine that puts the Corvette ahead of any other sports car or personal car on the road. Under the polished aluminum rocker covers and air cleaners is the smoothest V-8 engine in the industry.  In its standard version, with...  In its standard version, with single four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts, this new powerplant hits a mighty 220 horsepower. In addition, there are four optional engines available to match power to fit individual pleasure and needs.  There is the 245 horsepower...  There is the 245 horsepower engine with eight-jet carburetion. And for competitive-minded sports car fans, a spectacular 270 horsepower V-8 with high-performance camshafts and mechanical valve lifters. And for the first time on a production model sports car, Corvette presents...  ...V-8 with fuel injection....  ...V-8 with fuel injection. The fuel-injection principle, previously only on expensive racing cars, is now available on production model Corvettes. The conventional carburetor is out. Instead, gasoline nozzles, aimed right at the intake valves of each cylinder, provide direct flow of automatically adjusted gas/air mixture for greater, smoother, and instantly responsive power.  Corvettes bearing this proud...  Corvettes bearing this proud fuel injection emblem can be powered by either the 250 horsepower fuel-injection V-8 with 9.5:1 compression ratio, or a 283 horsepower V-8, equipped with high-performance camshafts, and an all-time high of 10.5:1 compression ratio. Just how good is the performance of Corvette with fuel injection? Well, let's hear from...  ... Motor Life , in the January...  ...Motor Life, in the January 1957 issue on the road test of Corvette with fuel injection. "The results were little short of amazing. A number of 0-60 miles-per-hour runs in opposite directions averaged out at 6.8 seconds. The fastest was 6.7 seconds." If Motor Life thought Corvette amazing...  ...Tom McCahill, in the December,...  ...Tom McCahill, in the December, 1956 article, went a step beyond in enthusiasm. He says, "The job I tested was the standard Corvette with fuel injection that was more of a general use car. Here's what this general use car can do-0-60 miles per hour in 6.2 seconds; 0-80 miles per hour, 11 seconds; 0-100, 17 seconds." But power is only part of the Corvette story.  The new Corvette also provides...  The new Corvette also provides the pleasure of tight handling and sure-footed roadability. Foundation for it all...  ...is the rugged, box-girder...  ...is the rugged, box-girder frame, with special X-type bracing. The strongest, safest frame construction possible. Trigger handling comes from...  ...tight, quick, 16:1 steering,...  ...tight, quick, 16:1 steering, new fast-acting brakes, advanced front suspension design, and a road-hugging center of gravity. All this means...  ...fast, flat cornering, and...  ...fast, flat cornering, and lightning-like sprinting on the straightaway. In this the Corvette excels, not only over all passenger cars, but over other sports-type cars too. And the proof is written into the record books in the most famous competition events in America. First...  ...Daytona Beach, Florida....  ...Daytona Beach, Florida. Here is where, in January 1956, a standard production Corvette established the official world's record for acceleration and flying mile speeds.  Here are the official certificates...  Here are the official certificates awarded to the Corvette by NASCAR. In the two-way acceleration test, the Corvette averaged 90.932 mph. The Corvette average for the two-way flying mile-50.533 mph-beat the previous record by nearly 26 miles an hour. A month later, at the Speed Week trials...  ...the only two Corvettes...  ...the only two Corvettes entered took first and second places with average flying mile speeds of 145.543 and 137.773 miles an hour. And in March 1956...  ...the Corvette competed against...  ...the Corvette competed against the best cars and drivers of many nations, amassed at Sebring, Florida. For 12 hours, the field duels over the slick straightaway, suicide-curved, 5-mile course. With a pace like this, no wonder that...  ...of the 60 cars entered,...  ...of the 60 cars entered, including the most expensive foreign cars, complete with special factory equipment and top-flight professional drivers, just 24 cars finished. Three of these finishers were Corvettes.  Two of the Corvettes, a modified...  Two of the Corvettes, a modified model and a completely stock model, both won top honors in their class at Sebring, the first victories ever registered by American production sports cars in international sports car competition up to that day.  Although critics have plenty...  Although critics have plenty to rave about in Corvette's past victories, all eyes were on the new Corvette with a tremendous power potential offered in the new engines, especially fuel injection. How hot would they be? The answer came in December of 1956...  ...at the 210-mile Nassau...  ...at the 210-mile Nassau trophy race for international competition. Four stock model fuel-injection Corvettes, equipped with limited-slip differential, lined up with the 49 qualifiers. Several grueling hours later...  ...the winners crossed the...  ...the winners crossed the finishing line. First place: Corvette. Second place: Corvette. Third place: Corvette. Fourth place: Corvette. Yes, all four Corvettes finished on top in the stock production sports model class, beating such sports cars as the Mercedes-Benz 300SL, which sells for more than $7,000. What's more...  ...nearly half of the 49 qualifiers...  ...nearly half of the 49 qualifiers in the Nassau Trophy race didn't even finish.  Yes, the Corvette is a champion...  Yes, the Corvette is a champion in any kind of driving you do. Open road, suburban chores, you name it, the Corvette fills your need. And your good judgment is confirmed in other ways, such as...  ...the Corvette's impressive...  ...the Corvette's impressive retention of resale value. As one official red book example, a three-year-old Corvette costing $800 less than a luxury convertible in the high-price class is now worth $110 more. It's clear: The Corvette not only gives you the pleasure of a smart investment, but also...  ...the pleasure of being surrounded...  ...the pleasure of being surrounded by the newest and most stylish.  The Corvette gives you the...  The Corvette gives you the pleasure of power, which gives you command of the road, plus the pleasure of trigger-tight handling. Yes, the Corvette gives you...  ...a personal car, more luxurious...  ...a personal car, more luxurious and distinctive than any on the road, and a sports car that puts you out front unchallenged. All this is the Corvette. All this can be yours.
|
|
|