VIDEO: '70 Pontiac GTO - "The Humbler"
Not only were the musclecars of the 70's relentlessly cool, but the TV commercials for them were super-entertaining . We showed you the killer GTO Judge spot featuring Paul Revere and the Raiders already, but this one's even more significant. It's for the 1970 GTO featuring the optional Vacuum Operated Exhaust (VOE), a.k.a. The Humbler. The option was briefly available from November '69 to January 1970.
The way it worked was simple: the driver pulled a lever on the dash that relieved backpressure and increased horsepower while adding a delightfully vicious exhaust note. The commercial you see above is the only one created for the Humbler, and it aired just once -- during Super Bowl IV. In it, an unnamed John Q. Badass rolls into the local drive-in, unleashes The Humbler, and becomes The Man instantaneously.
The car sounds spectacular, and it's all set to a special "Humbler" song that was obviously written just for the spot. Sadly, after it aired, GM brass ordered Pontiac to kill the option immediately and pull the commercial off the air. Thankfully, the miracle known as YouTube lets us give the old-school brass the finger and watch it over and over again, which is exactly what we've been doing since we found it. Enjoy.
[Source: YouTube]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
LoneWolf @ Dec 24th 2006 6:36PM
Love this Sound & this Gimmick!!
Simone @ Dec 24th 2006 7:58PM
GOOSEBUMPS!!
BOB @ Dec 24th 2006 8:09PM
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GEE! NOBODY MADE A COMMERCIAL LIKE THIS FOR THAT RECENT AUSTRALIAN BASTARDIZATION THAT SOME FOLKS STILL LIKE TO DEFEND.
WONDER WHY NOT?
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Northeaster @ Dec 24th 2006 9:04PM
Holy Testosterone! Try that same advertising strategy with a MX-5? I don't think so!! Quite the opposite I suspect.
Matt @ Dec 25th 2006 2:53AM
Why would they kill such an option? it would seem like a great idea to have and it sounded cool.
Chris @ Dec 25th 2006 7:12AM
The video is great. Thank you guys for the information.
Howard Kerr @ Dec 25th 2006 9:19AM
"...after it aired, GM brass ordered the option killed immediately..."
And this kind of thinking still exists at GM and is the reason they are about to slip into 2ND place after decades of production domination.
Toyota will, unfortunately, HUMBLE mighty GM...and they won't need a commercial to do it. All the media are trumpetting the fall of once mighty GM.
Jaymez @ Dec 25th 2006 12:23PM
Of course it wouldn't work with the MX-5. That car screams estrogen.
strangway @ Dec 26th 2006 4:12AM
#8 is saying that conservative thinking is the reason GM is about to slip into 2nd place. And yet Toyota, a company known for bland cars, and horribly bland marketing is to surpass GM. That logic makes no sense.
Toyota has 2 progressive product lines, gas-electric hybrids, and Scion. Every other car they make could be considered the most conservative in its class.
I just wish some company like Zap comes along and produces an electric car that is so successful, GM will have no choice but to give Big Oil the finger and make an EV2.
Stephen @ Dec 26th 2006 3:54PM
Awesome.
LaughingTooHard @ Dec 26th 2006 4:15PM
There we have a perfect example of what happens when you let "Car Guys" make cars. A "Remote Muffler Bypass" - such genius. Now obviously, a moving (door, panel, ring, ect) on the exhaust is NOT a good or long life design part but it is killer marketing.
Snot @ Dec 27th 2006 10:10PM
Northeaster still apparently has problems with his manhood. You know that you can get pills for that, right?
Sean @ Jan 1st 2007 1:23AM
The Humbler. This is the way it's going to be, baby.