You say you can’t afford the collector car of your dreams? There is a way to own dozens of classic cars for cheap. And real collectible ones as well. Well, at least on paper. Factory sales literature. For just a few bucks, you too can own a real piece of automotive history. Automotive ephemera has been given away by auto makers ever since cars were first marketed and sold.

Car literature comes in many forms. Sales brochures, owners manuals, posters, post cards, magazine ads, dealer sales books, and service manuals just to name a few. Sales literature is really fun to look at. Colorful artist renderings made the cars from the 1930s through the 1950s look longer, lower, sleeker, and more exciting than photos. Later, more advanced marketing techniques yielded photos of cars sometimes in romantic and exotic settings, using models, close ups of the cars details, and other images that would appeal to potential customers.

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Alfa Romeo - 1975	Austin Healey - 1953	Buick - 1973
Chevrolet - 1935	Chevrolet - 1973	Ferrari - 2003
Ford - 1950	Frazer - 1947	Honda - 1969
Lincoln - 1955	Mercedes-Benz - 1955	Nash - 1935
Rolls-Royce - 1976	Sunbeam - 1960	Triumph - 1954

Today, vintage auto literature is as popular as ever. Some of the more popular sales brochures, owners manuals, and shop manuals have been reproduced. Literature for rare or exotic cars can fetch a premium from automotive ephemera dealers. Factory issued items can also be a primary source of information when restoring a car. They can be used as decorating items, and some are considered art. As children, many drooled over the colorful images in the brochures, and as an adults, we still do. We can still afford to dream still, can’t we?

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	Chevrolet - 1956