Audi: ‘The Ring’
Remember when the Audi RS6 was understated? This 2013 ad celebrated its inconspicuous power, likening it to a boxing referee presiding over a heavyweight clash. Not an ad you could make today, given the cartoonish brashness of the modern RS6—that’s less modest ref, more Tyson Fury wearing a suit of his own face.
Honda: ‘The Cog’
Rather than actually showing the car (a poor sales strategy considering what a snooze it was), Honda instead highlighted its passion for precision and detail by creating a Rube Goldberg machine from the new Accord’s parts. The mesmerizing end result is one of the most celebrated car adverts of all time. Contrary to popular belief, use of CGI trickery was minimal—most of what you see is real, filmed across four days and 606 agonizing takes.
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Volkswagen: ‘Just like a Golf’
VW ads tend to center around a fundamental truth. Here, it’s the undeniable fact that, in the 2000s, the Golf was the yardstick by which all similar models were measured. It’s clever, but we would like to flag an infuriating plothole: Isn’t that modified purple car the lads are under the hood of an Mk4 Golf? Why, then, do they say it’s “like a Golf”? And why do people keep turning to face the other way whenever we bring this up at dinner parties?
BMW: ‘The last day’
The German legacy marques have a long, illustrious history of giving each other the business through ad spots. For example, in 2019, BMW released this film congratulating long-serving Mercedes-Benz board member and Lorax doppelganger Dieter Zetsche on his retirement, with a deliciously cheeky twist.
Mercedes-Benz: ‘100 years of competition’
Proof that Merc can give as good as they get. Simple, concise, and sassy.
Nissan: ‘Skateboard’
Watching this back in 2025 feels a bit like that scene in Interstellar where Matthew McConaughey watches his own past through tears, desperately wishing he could change it but unable to do so. You see, this ad’s immense popularity was instrumental to the commercial success of the Qashqai, which in turn played a huge part in bringing about the crossover-ification of absolutely bloody everything we see today. No, you take your tin foil hat off!
Mercedes-Benz: ‘Best to impress’
Wonderfully juvenile, this commercial aimed to show Merc’s cheeky side and appeal to a younger audience. How? “Your mum” jokes, of course (upon close inspection, we’re pretty sure those are meant to be the boy racers’ mothers in the backseat).
Range Rover: ‘Dragon Challenge’
In 2018, JLR showcased the capabilities of the Range Rover Sport with a series of stunts, including sending one up the 999 steps leading to Heaven’s Gate on Tianmen Mountain in China. The baby Rangie made it look almost too easy. Thankfully, Chinese carmaker Chery was kind enough to provide some context by attempting to replicate the feat with wince-inducingly crap results.
Citroen - Alive with technology
Clearly stung by its omission from the 2007 Transformers movie, Citroen decided to make its own. One wonders if, upon transforming into a sentient, dancing robot, the C4 also became aware of how mushy its own gearshift was.
Jaguar: ‘British villains’
The phrases “Jaguar marketing” and “bunch of absolute villains” have been seeing rather a lot of one another lately, but here’s an old ad where they combine in a more literal sense. Jag chucked the kitchen sink at this 2014 Superbowl spot, enlisting a cast of Hollywood’s most beloved British bad guys to smoulder and sneer down the lens while the F-Type burbles away in the background. Simpler times, eh?
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
