These are illustrations of automatic transmissions for early 1970s GMS commercial trucks, and I just love the bright, fun way they look. The seem like stickers that should be on a kid’s notebook or bedroom door instead of visual representations, not visualizations of options that a fleet buyer is considering.
The way the ad copy describes the transmission is clearly targeting the fleet buyer and not the driver, as it talks about “protecting your investment” and “reduced maintenance per ton-mile,” both of which are phrases so devoid of the idea of “fun” that the contrast with these day-glo transmissions is even better.
I’m not sure why they’re shown at all, fun or not. The fleet owners aren’t going to look at them, probably ever, or at least they hope. Nobody is picking these based on looks.
It’s all so weird.
Well, now l want a car with a lime green transmission.
Allison MT653 on the left, AT540 on the right.
@Jason Noiles, are you aware of the fantastic clipart collection of old drawings hosted by the University of South Florida? I love looking at these. This page will be of specific interest: https://etc.usf.edu/clipart/galleries/739-transportation
Thank you for this one:
https://etc.usf.edu/clipart/45400/45413/45413_cat_driving.htm
They even have a picture of David Tracy’s next purchase:
https://etc.usf.edu/clipart/62800/62822/62822_carsmoking.htm
My Alma Mater.
My favorite in the past 15 minutes of looking, “Building an Automobile” Steps 1-23.
https://etc.usf.edu/clipart/72800/72827/72827_auto01.htm
Holy crap; how did I not know this existed?
Sincere thanks for posting the link!
Line drawings (of 3d objects) are the best drawings.
If those were on a bag of vaguely shaped gummy candies I would buy them.
The illustrations exist so that the fleet owners realize a transmission isn’t simply black magic or an abstract concept.
Careful with those. You might start a new tattoo trend with the hipsters…
Wait, are there any hipster gear heads?
I’ve liked Inline Sixes since before they started putting them in everything. Obvi now that all the big 3 are talking about bringing them back some people may think that they’re midtown now, but I don’t care. It doesn’t take a lot of kale to get one or get it running, and there’s nothing like the vibes you get tinkering with one while sipping on a frosty bronson.
I’m sure hipsters wouldn’t want a tattoo of something commercial.. they’d have tattoos of transmissions hand carved by some sort of guru in some small weird town.
They are all driving Nissan Figaros.
I have some 1970 Ford Mustang ads that feature the same thing – accurate yet sorta impressionistic (the various people are mostly outlines) drawings with day-glo coloring for the cars.
The look ages really well I think. I enjoy how great they look still, compared to say a 1980s full-life-color, picture-based ad which looks dated and just meh.