Andy

In Europe I can remember Renault did it at one time.

True. Using internal badges giving the model name always seemed quite strange, as presumably owners already knew what model they were in, but Fiat wasn't unique in this.

An estate car bodystyle was also offered, shown in its Yugoslavian-built Zastava guise in this 1974 leaflet. While Italian 1300/1500 production ended in 1967, Zastava's versions of the car lasted until 1979.

The Fiat 1500 had a spacious interior, helped by a recent 80mm stretch in wheelbase over the 1300 version. It was well-trimmed inside and featured the then-fashionable strip speedometer, whilst the car also offered plenty of luggage space.

Fiat's staple medium-sized model through much of the 1960s, the 1500 (sharing many elements with the cheaper 1300) was presented stylishly in this Dutch brochure from circa 1964. Rear-wheel-drive, it had a 75bhp 1481cc engine. #weirdcarbs

The 'by LOEB editions were first launched in 2007, and also included a smaller offering, based on the existing 121hp Citroën C2 VTS.

To celebrate Citroën's return to the World Rally Championship the company came up with special 'by LOEB' editions. This 2009 UK brochure shows the version based on the attractive C4 coupé. Although named after star driver Sébastien Loeb, the package did not offer extra performance #weirdcarbs

Dream two car garage.

One of the legendary series of fashionable Pike Factory cars for the Japanese market, the 1989 Nissan Pao was consciously styled to reflect the look of small cars from an earlier and simpler era, inside and out. Underneath were the robust mechanicals of a 1-litre Nissan March (Micra). #weirdcarbs

From Le Mans the Dolomite drove some of the most challenging Monte Carlo rally routes, followed by high-speed testing at Monza. It then endured snowy conditions in Austria and in Italy's Dolomite mountain range. 'A true grand tourer' was the triumphant verdict on the BMW-rivalling 1850 model.

The 'Dolomite Test' took place in early 1971, exposing a pre-production car to some of Europe's toughest conditions. This included 24 hours at the Le Mans circuit, testing the endurance of Triumph's new slant-four engine, which had debuted in 1968 in Saab’s 99 in a smaller 1.7-litre form.

The Dolomite name had been used by Triumph in the 1930s and was revived for 1972 on a new 1854cc RWD sports saloon, using the body of the existing FWD Triumph 1500. This early brochure/travelogue followed the car on an 11-day trip through France, Italy and Austria. #weirdcarbs

The American VW Rabbit - built from 1978 at the company's plant in Pennyslania, had in fact diverged quite a bit in looks and feel from the European model. This rather dubious picture from a 1979 US brochure nevertheless attempted to illustrate its 'world car' credentials.

Based on the LX specification, the Golf Rabbit was rather austere externally, with only extra driving lights to lift its looks. Inside, the driver got a GTi steering wheel, better instrumentation and the seats of the GL. This was a run-out model, as the launch of the new Golf mk2 was imminent.

The Volkswagen Golf mk1 was sold as the Rabbit in the US and Canada, and it became popular in continental Europe for Golf drivers to affix Rabbit badges to their cars. A logical outcome was VW's launch of a special edition Golf Rabbit, shown here in this 1983 French brochure. #weirdcarbs

Seems a fair price for such a special model.

By 1984 the model had become the Farus Beta, using the 1.8-litre engine from the local Chevrolet Monza. Plans for Farus sales in the US, using a Chrysler 2.2-litre engine, failed to proceed, and the company closed around 1990, a time when Brazil's auto market opened up to foreign competition.

Various small exotic makes emerged in Brazil, where for many years the car market was closed to imports. Farus offered a mid-engined fibreglass 2-seater with a very stylish body. This TS model was launched in 1981 and shared its 1.6-litre engine with the locally-built VW Passat TS. #weirdcarbs

Although often described as a Q-car, the Thema 8.32 had great road presence beyond the subtlety of its grille badge. Inside, the car's premium price was reflected by a very luxurious interior with lashings of leather and wood. Just under 4,000 examples were built across two series.

Lancia was riding high in the late 1980s with its European rally success, and the time seemed ripe for the launch of the ultimate version of its Thema saloon, the impressive 8.32, powered by a 2927cc 32 valve Ferrari- engine in slightly modified form. This is its Italian-market brochure. #weirdcarbs

Excellent spot.

I love the Pony.

In Europe, the model was the first-generation Mitsubishi L200 pick-up and was a far more workaday vehicle than the customised models supplied to Chrysler. This British brochure from 1979 introduced the model.

Dodge augmented its domestic pick-up range in North America in 1979 with the new 'efficiency size' D-50, imported from its long-term partner, Mitsubishi. The accent was on appearance, with some archetypal '70s stripes and paint jobs. There was also a separate Plymouth-badged version. #weirdcarbs

British Leyland and Healey had parted company and the last Sprite was sold in 1971, just badged as an Austin, with the flatter arches.

Daewoo's time in control of SsangYong ended in 2000, but the Chairman continued in South Korea, gaining this facelift in 2003. Its model-numbering system was somewhat confusing, with 400 (2.3-litre) 500 (2.8) and 600 (3.2) versions, plus a lwb 600L model.

During its roller-coaster ride towards bankruptcy, Daewoo briefly took control of its Korean compatriot, SsangYong. The latter's Chairman saloon - based on the Mercedes-Benz W124, in standard and lwb versions - sold as a Daewoo in Eastern Europe: this Czech brochure is from around 1999. #weirdcarbs

Ah thanks, that makes sense. I do prefer the rounder arches from a stylistic point of view.

The brochure car featured the relatively rare round rear wheel arches, only available on Midgets from 1972-4. These earlier and later publications show the more common flat-top wheelarch style. The reason it was changed and then changed back is unclear.

The whole tenet of MG advertising for the home market was certainly very stereotypical of the time. The brochure text was aimed at a young male driver, reassuring him that the 'chances are the girl in your life and the car in your life will click at first sight'.