When there were still prejudices about automatics
11/28/2013
In modern times, at least every second car is equipped with a torque converter automatic transmission, a dual-clutch manual gearbox or a variable transmission based on the DAF principle. Things were different in the 1960s, when car manufacturers still had to argue why men in particular should reach for the automatic selector lever.
Volkswagen did the same in 1968, and they did it with a big trowel. The advertisement, which appeared in ADAC Motorwelt, showed six sports cars with automatic or automated manual transmissions. These were two Chevrolet Corvettes, a Porsche 911, an Aston Martin DB 6, a Jensen FF and a Mercedes Benz 280 SL. And the text naturally referred to these established sports cars:
"Each of these cars overturned a widespread prejudice. The prejudice that cars with automatic transmission are more for older ladies.
Because every one of these sporty cars has an automatic gearbox. The Porsche 911, for example, proves that they are anything but lame despite (or precisely because of) this: it left the entire competition far behind in the 84-hour marathon race on the Nürburgring."
Of course, the advertisement then quickly turned to the VW Automatic, which is said to have had a similar gearbox to the winning Porsche, without the clutch.
And in the end it said:
"What is supposed to be unsporting about this is really incomprehensible to us. And the owners of the cars above probably don't either."
In 2013, this argument can only elicit a weary smile from us, because the days when a super sports car like the Porsche Carrera GT3 was still available with a manual gearbox are long gone and even Ferrari hardly sells any manual cars any more.
As always, the advertisements from ADAC Motorwelt are available in high-resolution in our magazine archive.
