What does Toyota have in common with Ferrari? Simple: both were selling their cars through the Magnum P.I. image!

When the Magnum P.I. television series aired in 1980 the sales of the Ferrari 308 GTS (and other models) boomed. Tom Selleck’s favorite car had so much appeal to the audience that everyone loved the car, including me! Even though I was only a little boy back in the early 80s that 308 GTS is somehow burned in my mind together with the image of a mustache wearing P.I.

Apparently Toyota thought the sex appeal of Thomas Magnum was strong enough to sell the “sporty” 1982 Mark II GX61:

To be honest: the 1G-GEU sounds really sporty…when modified the right way… But it will never sound as good as the V8 of any 308! ;)

The same salaryman features in the second commercial in this clip:

But then he promotes the Mark II Grande Limited. The seats of that Grande Limited look like one of those very comfortable couches from the 60s my grandma used to own. Mmmmm, soft! ;)