During the 1960s, the automobile finally secured its position as an indispensable component of daily life in Britain. Car ownership more than doubled from approximately one car for every 10 people in 1960 to one car for every 4.8 people by 1970. Advertisers, who once needed to promote the joys of motoring as well as the particular pleasures of the individual product, no longer needed to wonder whether the potential customer (let alone society at large) might be content with no car at all. It was during this time that the question changed from ''Do we need a car?'' to ''What car shall we have?''

This well-illustrated history explores the many types and trends of ads issued by both domestic car manufacturers and importers in three main sections: ''Family Marques: Engines of an Industry,'' ''Luxury and Sporting Marques: Aspiration and Escape'' and ''Imported Marques: Britain Embraces the World.'' Twelve appendices provide information on various topics ranging from the value of the pound in 1958-70 and imports of cars from selected countries, to car manufacturers' and importers' advertising agencies, and approximate monthly press advertising expenditures. The Notes contain detailed references to hundreds of historical sources about the cars covered, and the Bibliography includes more than 2,000 references to individual advertisements in magazines from the 1960s. Over 180 advertisement illustrations are also included.