Two cars race across an arid plain, hurling clouds of desert dust. A Casio keyboard goes silent as in tandem the drivers shift to neutral. The older car slows, then crawls to a stop; its driver emerges, still helmeted, and watches the newer model glide into the ashen distance.
Classic? Maybe not. Mysterious? Definitely.
As General Motors presented its new face to the stockholding public this week, Wheels came across this strange commercial from a previous (and entirely forgotten) G.M. rebranding effort. The newer model is better, the ad seems to say, but as for what particular automotive feature was being promoted in this desolate, post-apocalyptic landscape, your guess is as good as ours. Was it the ’84 Celebrity’s superior fuel economy? G.M.’s move toward front-wheel drive technology? Increased coasting range during the inevitable nuclear-winter gas shortages?
A decidedly informal survey of automotive experts and amateur film critics could not determine the exact intent of the ad. I’ve watched it more than a dozen times, and I still can’t figure it out. Mystery works great in the movie theater, but it’s less helpful when you’re trying to move units — perhaps that’s why no one we surveyed could remember the commercial being broadcast. (And speaking of mysteries, is that the Stig behind the wheel?)
Honk if you remember this commercial. And if you can help us decipher it, honk twice.
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