Autoblog

First off, my apologies to you all, because this is a repost. However, I couldn't put up car-related Super Bowl ads without including it. Besides, if you missed it the first time, you're in for a treat. Pontiac aired the spot that's pasted after the jump during Super Bowl IV (Chiefs 23, Vikings 7).

The car it was pushing was the '70 GTO "Humbler," which let its driver pull a dash-mounted lever to activate the car's Vacuum Operated Exhaust (VOE) option. Doing so relieved backpressure and gave the car added punch while bestowing a positively evil exhaust note upon it to boot. After the spot aired, GM brass went nuts, pulling the commercial and killing the Humbler option itself. The spot aired just that one time, but you can watch it as often as you like by simply following the jump.

[Source: YouTube]

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]