zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
This History Expert Giving Context To Old AMC Commercials Is The Nerdiest Thing You'll See All Day
This History Expert Giving Context To Old AMC Commercials Is The Nerdiest Thing You'll See All Day-August 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:42

Image for article titled This History Expert Giving Context To Old AMC Commercials Is The Nerdiest Thing You'll See All Day

Pennsylvania-based TV producer and history expert knows more about the extinct/now part of FCA (if that’s how you prefer to think about it) Kenosha-headquartered car company than anyone I know. That’s why it should be no surprise that he somehow made a string of old AMC commercials much more interesting by providing cool historical context.

I have tremendous respect for people like Ligo. He devotes much of his time interviewing former AMC employees, digitizing old marketing documents, downloading amazing footage from old laserdiscs, and sharing his findings with the world.

AMC wasn’t exactly a mainstream car company even in its heyday, and now that it’s gone, it’s a relatively small blip on most Americans’ radars. Still, it was an amazing company, and I’m happy people like Joe Ligo are working to preserve its legacy.

This video the historian uploaded late last month is much more than a typical “Hey look at these old commercials!” mashup. It includes the fun (and often corny) marketing visuals, but also Ligo’s commentary, which provides great historical context. Ligo discusses the actors in the commercials, he mentions how he learned in an interview with former AMC CEO Joe Cappy that—it turns out—riding a buffalo isn’t particularly comfortable, he talks about why AMC featured a Mercedes in an Eagle commercial, he talks about how Dodge prioritized its Dakota and brought an early end to the Comanche, and much, much more.

It’s basically a 20 minute video of an AMC nerd (I say this as a compliment!) driving an old AMC Ambassador, talking about old AMC commercials. It’s the most geeky, Jalopnik-y thing I can even imagine, which is why I had no choice but to share it.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
closed its São Bernardo Plant in November 2023, marking the end of its first overseas production facility. The closure caps off a period of continuous car production in São Paolo, , lasting over 60 years. The plant was home to a Komatsu 700-ton press that predates itself. And now...
Aug 13, 2025
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I love tiny, of . I have a that is roughly half the size of a normal cat, and she’s perfect. I own a 2013 , which is like the miniature version of a normal-sized vehicle (at least here in Texas) — but beyond that, I also own a Hot...
Aug 13, 2025
Subaru Had It Right All Along
Subaru Had It Right All Along
When first came to the United States, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the company grew its own identity and became more established in the U.S., it became the first automaker to offer an all-wheel-drive passenger car in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of...
Aug 13, 2025
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
MotorWeek’s is some of the on the internet. The long-running automotive news magazine has a treasure trove of tests after being on the air for over 40 years. Where else can you find detailed instrumented testing of long-forgotten cars like the or a ? MotorWeek’s recent Retro Review upload is...
Aug 13, 2025
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
At long last, we are about to get behind the wheel of for the first time. Sure, , and sure, , and sure , but hey — what can you do? Anyway, before we get behind the wheel of this three-row electric beast, we want to know what you...
Aug 13, 2025
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I have two automotive loves: The first is the Miata, the second is off-road racing. For a while I raced air-cooled Volkswagens in the deserts of California and Nevada and I was lucky enough to co-drive in a class 11 stock bug in the Baja 1000 a few years...
Aug 13, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved