Classic car commercial: 1985 Chevy Astro van

You remember Chevy's answer to the Chrysler minivan, right? Of course you do. After all, General Motors built the rear-drive (and AWD) Chevrolet Astro for 20 years before finally putting it out to pasture. Given the lifespan, most of us have either driven or ridden in an Astro van or its GMC Safari twin at one time or another.

Far more interesting than the van itself was the ad campaign that introduced it to the country. If your memory is hazy, sit back and watch as “a brave new world of cockpit instrumentation” prompts untold thousands to dream of rocketing through the ionosphere in a well-equipped yet practical van.

By Andrew Stoy