GM Promo Films : 1985-1990

1985 Pontiac Trans Am Promotional Film (3 min)
The 1985 Pontiac Trans Am changed very little over the 1984 model, but to devoted Trans Am enthusiasts, these
changes were big news. The 1985 Trans Am featured a restyled nose with integrated fog lights,  redesigned ground
effects, and twin louvered scoops that replaced the previously seen offset hood bulge. A great looking car!

1986 Chevrolet Z/28 and IROC-Z Promotional Film (3 min)
Another very short GM promo film, this time for the 1986 Z28 and IROC-Z. The 1986 model consisted of some trim
changes, one of them being the addition of a high-mounted 3rd brake light, along with a new base coat/clear coat
paint system. In this film, the IROC-Z featured is black, shown at night, a great combination.

1986 Firebird – Promotional Film (8 min)
From the 1986 Pontiac Promotional Film library we have three 1986 films, covering the Firebird, Grand Am, and
Sunbird. These films are designed for the sales force, not the general public. In this first film, we see the base model
1986 Firebird, already a great looking car, being discussed by a couple of newscaster-type hosts sitting at a news
desk, explaining the virtues and selling points of the 1986 Firebird verses its main rivals; Mustang LX and Toyota.

1986 Sunbird SE – Promotional Film (6 min)
From the same video series as above, this one is on the Sunbird SE. Again, this film is for the sales force, not the
general public. Here the Sunbird SE’s features are being compared to the Toyota Corolla SR5, and in a somewhat
unusual move, against the Chevy Cavalier. GM rarely pitted one of their models against a model from another
GM division, so seeing them side-by-side made it quite obvious that these were “badge engineered”.

1986 Pontiac Grand Am LE – Promotional Film (6 min)
The Grand Am was now in its second year of production after being reintroduced to the public as a FWD compact
model in 1985. Sales were extremely strong, and in this film, with the same format as the previous two 1986 Pontiac
films, the 1986 Grand Am LE is being compared to the Honda Accord LX and Dodge Lancer ES.

1987 Buick – Promotional Film (30 min)
This salesperson’s film is for Canadian Buick dealers. All models are covered, including the Turbo Regal, but not the
Grand National. Models included are; Skyhawk, Somerset, Regal, LeSabre, Electra, and Riviera. After all the models
are introduced, a really horrible transition occurs to a talking Muppet-like character (a popular promotional tool at the
time) to discuss engines across all GM divisions for 1987, with the emphasis on Buick.

1987 Chevrolet Camaro – Promotional Film (7 min)
This promotional film covers the Sport Coupe, LT, Z/28, and IROC-Z. The film is geared towards the Chevrolet sales
force, and explains how the Chevy Camaro appeals to a buyer’s emotional feelings to buy a sporty, good looking car
over that of a practical, fuel efficient model. Indeed, most buyers fell in love with the shape and beauty of the Camaro,
not the unusable rear seat and somewhat marginal gas mileage!

1987 Monte Carlo SS – Promotional Film (2 min)
A continuation of the 1987 Camaro film above, this short segment is just on the Monte Carlo SS.
This segment is also in one of our “Classic Car Commercials” series of DVD’s.

1987 Pontiac 1000 – Promotional Film (7 min)
Many may remember this little re-badged Chevrolet Chevette as the “T1000”, but Pontiac actually dropped the “T”
prefix in 1984, and the car simply became the Pontiac 1000. A classic case of “badge engineering” (this was a Chevy
Chevette with a different grille), the Pontiac 1000 was never a big hit. This promotional film copies the then-popular
format of the TV show “At The Movies”, but in this case the “movie reviewer” is reviewing the Pontiac 1000, and 1987
would be the final year for the little egg-shaped beast.

1989 Chevrolet Corvette – Promotional Film (9 min)
A very strange promotional video, as the new 1989 Corvette is hardly shown at all. Instead, this video focuses on two
women having lunch at an outdoor restaurant, and discussing the type of man who would drive a Corvette. The scene is
set as if we’re eavesdropping on two career women having lunch, discussing men, and how confident and successful a
Corvette owner is. The target audience for this video is obviously the male Corvette buyer.

1989 Chevrolet Advertising – Promotional Film (10 min)
An excellent video, originally sent to Chevrolet dealers to show all of the new 1989 Chevrolet TV commercials that
would be shown nationwide. Chevrolet’s advertising theme during this time period was “The Heartbeat Of America”,
and this series of commercials also covers Chevy trucks.

1990 Chevrolet Caprice – Promotional Film (11 min)
The Chevy Caprice remained virtually unchanged from 1977 through 1990, and this would be its final year before
getting completely restyled from top to bottom in 1991. This long 1990 promo film was taken from a laserdisc instead of
a VHS tape, so it is very clear. Looking oddly out of date by 1990, the Chevy Caprice still looked good.

1990 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 – Promotional Film (10 min)
The Cavalier Z24 was supposed to be a low cost alternative to the Camaro Z28, and with cheaper insurance premiums
to boot. A nice looking little car all around, this video is hosted by a woman who merely walks around a bright red Z24,
explains all the features, and provides the crucial information necessary for the Chevrolet sales force to sell the Z24.

1990 Chevrolet Camaro RS – Promotional Film (11 min)
The first couple minutes of this promotional video showcase the Z28 and IROC-Z, then the rest of the video is about the
features, selling points, and virtues of the 1990 Camaro RS. Taken from the same laserdisc as the Z24 video above.

1990 Chevrolet Corvette – Promotional Film (13 min)
The same format (and taken from the same laserdisc) as the previous two films, this time it’s Corvette’s turn in the
spotlight. A women simply walks around a white 1990 Corvette convertible and explains its features and selling points.