# vauxhall microcarmonday crosley fiat saturn mg chrysler zastava austin riley simca daimler seat hillman ford chevrolet nsufiat mercury

A reminder of those far-off days when it seemed like Luton was a suburb of Detroit. https://t.co/7IH1GWJHgA

3 64
2022-06-01

While not the tiniest of cars by European standards, the products of the Crosley marque were certainly miniature curiosities in their American homeland. This brochure features 'the new big Crosley' range for 1949, with several bodystyles.

3 55
2022-05-30

Fiat had high hopes of gaining market share in the US with the new 'sports-car-inspired flowing lines and ESV-experience-engineered' 131, which had a larger 1.8-litre engine compared to European versions. The 2-door was described as a coupé in North America.

8 123
2022-05-21

GM's Saturn division started off promisingly in 1991 aiming to do the affordable American car differently, but in later years it lost its way. The new-for-2008 Saturn Astra was an imported, rebadged Opel/Vauxhall model, in 1.8-litre 3- and 5-door versions.

5 98
2022-05-20

MG's 1960 brochure on the Farina-styled Magnette MkIII pulled out all the stops to emphasise the new model's 'dynamic sports car performance', although the text failed to put a figure on the 'ample' power output of the BMC B-series 1489cc twin carb engine.

9 81
2022-05-16

Chrysler Australia's Valiant Utility was close to the end of its life by the date of this late-1977 brochure, which heavily promoted the luxury Charger version. Chrysler, Holden and Ford were fierce rivals in the big ute market Down Under.

8 97
2022-05-15

GT usually denotes a sporty Grand Touring model, but Yugoslavia's Zastava chose it to designate the base model of its 'new generation' of hatchbacks, derived from Fiat's 128. The English translation of the 1985 brochure was a little over-enthusiastic.

13 100
2022-05-02

Stately Pininfarina styling ushered in the last of Wolseley's big cars in 1959. The 2.9-litre 6/99 (later uprated to 6/110) was marketed as 'the choice of the professional man'. In true BMC tradition it shared a body with Austin and Vanden Plas siblings.

14 137
2022-05-01

The Farina-styled Austin A40, although rear-wheel-drive, has a good claim to be one of the ancestors of the modern small hatchback in its Countryman version, with split tailgate and folding rear seat. This 1100 cc mkII was launched in late 1962.

12 104
2022-04-19

Riley's One-Point-Five was a small, sporting saloon from BMC with few obvious direct competitors. The 1962 brochure was as charming and dated-looking as the car itself. The cover's tweed cap, driving gloves and nostalgic slogan seemed to evoke a bygone era.

7 93
2022-04-14

A stretched sedan based on Fiat's third-generation Punto, the Linea features in this brochure from Turkey, where it was co-developed (with Fiat Brazil) and built from 2007. Its wheelbase was extended by 100mm compared to the Punto. Brazil and India made it too.

7 115
2022-04-09

The Simca 1000 was one of the last of a dying breed of west European rear-engined small cars. For 1978, its final year on sale, the 944cc LS and 1118cc GLS made up the UK range. A recent facelift had left them with oblong headlamps and a pretend front grille.

21 146
2022-04-09

The final stand-alone Daimler model, the Limousine (or DS420) arrived in 1968, replacing both Daimler's previous DR450 as well as the Vanden Plas Princess limousine. It owed much to Jaguar's 420G but was 'of regal appearance', as this 1970 brochure put it.

19 140
2022-04-08

Fiat's long-standing deal with Spain saw many of its models built there with SEAT badges and some local changes. So it was with the Ritmo, seen here in its introductory brochure. The car would end up playing an unexpectedly important role in SEAT's future.

15 152
2022-04-02

Reborn in China, MG was keen to retain a small UK foothold, hence in 2011 it began selling the MG6 hatch, with token 'final assembly' at Longbridge. Sales were slow; this 2015 brochure shows the revised S, TS and top-model TL, all with a 150bhp 1.8 turbodiesel.

9 106
2022-03-30

Styling fashions changed quickly through the 1950s and 60s, so cars could soon look outmoded. These two leaflets show how the Rootes Group cleverly updated its Hillman Minx. A 1961 Series IIIC is shown alongside the 1963 Series V, with much crisper looks.

7 87
2022-03-29

Ford US made a big thing about the 'World Car' credentials of its new front-wheel-drive Escort, emblazoning the brochure with flags and using a globe badge on the car. In fact the North American model was significantly different from the European version.

7 124
2022-03-28

The bold and innovative air-cooled rear-engined Chevrolet Corvair was influential but ultimately a dead-end for GM, with early problems tarnishing the car's reputation. The unusual layout did not hamper the choice of bodystyles seen in this 1961 brochure.

12 100
2022-03-26

Founded in 1929, NSU-Fiat built various Fiat models under licence at its factory in the German city of Heilbronn, including this Neckar, a version of the 50s Fiat 1100. The brochure car shows the distinctive central 'cyclops eye' grille-mounted foglamp.

13 96
2022-03-22

The Mercury Grand Marquis (a more luxurious Ford Crown Victoria) was a 21st century example of a nearly-extinct breed: the traditional full-size American RWD sedan. For 2003-2004 a separate, more sporty model called the Mercury Marauder was also available.

18 131
2022-03-20