In the classic trinity of British mass-produced sports cars of the 1950s and 1960s as represented by Austin Healey, MG, and Triumph, it’s the Austin Healey that seems to hold the most interest among collectors of marque sales literature and advertising ephemera. And within this collector niche it’s the “Big Healey” that rises to the top

With total production lasting just 14 years, the “big” Austin Healey first introduced as the Austin Healey 100 in 1953, through the evolution to the 6-cylinder 100-6 and in its final form, the Austin Healey 3000 seemed to rise above both its contemporary brethren, the MG TD/TF and later MGA and MGB as well as their mutual rival the Triumph TRs as it would seem that Donald Healey’s personal imprint of the cars which bore his name sigificantly enhanced its long-lasting appeal

The introduction of the “Bugeye” Sprite in 1958 created an affordable entry into sports car ownership for many, and an advertising challenge to reach younger buyers not unlike todays marketing efforts to millennials.  
The uniquely styled “Bugeye” lasted until 1961 then limped on until 1971... an inglorious end to the Austin Healey marque.

David Kayser

In the 1950s, sports car racing experienced significant popularity all across the country as it was the most affordable way for most amateur race enthusiasts to enjoy competitive motorsports. However, the amateur racer faced limited choices if he or she was ready to advance and experience the excitement of a true purpose-built, open-wheel, single-seat race car.    
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To address this void and create an affordable alternative, the FIA created “Formula Junior” class of open wheel racing cars, designed to allow chassis constructors to utilize readily available existing mass-produced components, such as engines, transmissions, and brakes. 
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These various “FJ” builders were small companies who often advertised with tiny ads in the back pages of sports car and specialist racing magazines. The manufacturers would encourage a prospective customer to write directly to the “factory” for more information. Being so small, they could not be expected to produce extravagant promotional material and sales brochures. What they offered was crude and almost invariably printed in black and white, on cheap thin paper. 

Lotus sold their Formula Junior (Lotus 18) in the US through its notoriously poorly supported USA distribution arrangement with several “exclusive” East coast and West coast dealers, who usually found sales literature from England virtually impossible to procure, causing them to scramble together some simple flyers. Several Italian constructors including Taraschi, Bandini, and Volpini were represented in the USA by Biener Motors, a New York area Pontiac dealer, who printed their own sales literature utilizing parts of the original Italian market brochure, along with their own descriptive text in a paste-up, especially for USA market customers. These brochures were printed in very limited batches even by the standards of their time. Values today range between $50-$150 depending on the usual factors of rarity and condition.
 
Let’s take a look at some these the brochures. You won’t find any clever “Mad Men” inspired copy, or detect the work of an adventurously creative art director here. These were racing cars aimed at a specialist market of knowledgeable customers, just presenting specs, data, and a few photos in a simple direct manor with a minimum of hype.

Original race car sales brochures are among the most challenging examples of collectible automobile literature to find. Obviously, the original market for these cars was small even in period, and the marketing budgets of the overwhelming majority of these companies was minimal. The challenge for the serious collector or racing historian becomes sourcing what remains 60 years later.
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Values of these brochures is often directly related to the relative successes the car or constructor had when the cars were new, as well as their current representation at vintage races today. Therefore, Lotus brochures are valued more than say a Dane brochure; the halo and legacy of Lotus race history is more significant.

Specialist automobile literature, or automobilia dealers who generally deal in racing ephemera, would probably be the best place to start your search. Additionally, check out the various auction houses both internationally, and regionally, that have regularly scheduled auction sales where some of the most obscure and desirable material regularly surfaces… though the bidding often becomes intense for the very best items. As always, maintaining a standing search on eBay occasionally results in finding that elusive bargain.

This innovative, relatively affordable, yet very sophisticated formula class, was responsible for jump starting the careers of a multitude of talented drivers into the early 1960s. The very rare surviving sales brochures saved in the archives of collectors of historic racing literature, often serve as a fascinating historical document in this important era of racing, as well as an often, invaluable resource for current owners dedicated to achieving period correct restorations.
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 David Kayser

There are few brands with a more iconic history than “Jeep.”  For almost 80 years and through a multiple of corporate incarnations, the Jeep brand has remained synonymous with all-wheel drive ruggedness and an adventure lifestyle. From the beginning, the early sales literature has emphasized this theme through evocative illustrative artwork, while always referencing roots in the original military Jeep. 

Conceived during the rumblings preceding World War II.  Jeeps’ three surrogate parents: Bantam, Willys, and Ford were charged by the USA government to develop a lightweight all-wheel drive military utility vehicle. The bulk of the project development eventually fell to Willys with wartime production reaching to over 350,000 vehicles.
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In mid 1945, Willys began to explore the civilian market, hoping to leverage the reputation for extreme utility and durability, which the Jeep had earned for the allies during the war.

An early brochure printed in 1945 attempted to position the Jeep as an ideal farm vehicle for light utility for business.  Its cover depicts a thinly disguised Military-version Jeep parked in front of a general store in rural America, surrounded by a cross section of townspeople, representing various trades enthusiastically admiring it.
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Starting in 1947, Willys soon expanded marketing efforts by appealing to industrial users, and created targeted sales literature directed to the booming postwar manufacturing industry. 

Soon special purpose variants developed, and Willys began to consider expanding to the nascent postwar family and recreational vehicle market.  Hiring the famous industrial designer Brooks Stevens to add a styling flair to the utilitarian design by creating the Jeepster Station Wagon, Willys had stumbled on a market segment, which today is considered the forerunner of the contemporary SUV.
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Jeepster brochures prominently featured illustrations of families on the go with an emphasis on leisure adventure, like camping and lake fishing, instead of appealing to the usual mundane utilitarian uses of a truck based vehicle.

By 1953 Willys Overland was struggling after an ill-fated attempt to re-enter the passenger car market, and was bought out by Kaiser Motors.  The company name would soon again change to Kaiser-Jeep, when in 1962 Brook Stevens was again hired to design a larger, all-wheel drive vehicle, which would become the “Wagoneer”, enhanced over time with more luxurious features and trim, and moved significantly upscale, it still retained its basic design architecture during a production run of 29 years!
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From the late 1940s through the mid 1960s, Jeep promotional advertising reflected a constant theme of the rugged lifestyle as the original Jeep concept as it evolved through various CJ models, up though what now are seen as prescient, SUV incarnations.

Jeep sales literature from the late 1940s through the mid 1950s, is becoming somewhat difficult to find, and is priced accordingly. Entry into collecting these wonderfully illustrated brochures is still nominal… in the $30 to $40 range. The mid 1960s and later material is easy to find from the usual sources, and therefore very inexpensive, running around $10 or less.
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David Kayser

As vintage automobile sales literature and related printed advertising materials are found in just about every vintage car enthusiasts automobilia collection, it makes it a niche worth examining.
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Considering that as far I know, there is no significant community of eager enthusiasts seeking out, say, vintage toaster advertising, what is it about vintage automobile advertising that accounts for a vibrant worldwide market for buying and selling this stuff?  
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All advertising relies on a combination of alluring graphics with engaging ad copy and text, to engage and seduce its target audience by making the product appear desirable in both in form and function. Hopefully this leads to serious consideration, ending in a purchase.