Ask The Best And Brightest: WWDDD?

by Ingvar Hallstrom

Published: July 20th, 2010

The upcoming season of Mad Men is on its way, and with it a whole new set of questions and expectations. One question that boggles my mind is: What car would Don Draper drive?

Considering that he’s now a divorced advertising executive, with at least some sort of grasp of what’s new and hip. He currently drives a ’62 Coupe De Ville, a car that may be considered aspirational, but perhaps not really that hip. The only true cool car in the neigborhood is his former father in law’s beautiful black Continental. Come 1964, what kind of car would Don be after? An MGB? A Studebaker Avanti? Porsche? Buick Riviera? There’s also the notion of being “there” but making the wrong decision and betting on the wrong horses. Having the Nixon account in ’60 against Kennedy. Lucky Strike. Missing the window of opportunity that was the Volkswagen ad campaign, and so on and so forth. So, his car of choice would probably be spot on, but coming in from the leftfield, or perhaps even missing the target altogether. Like a turbocharged Chevrolet Monza, if you get my drift. So, what car would it be? And why?

#AskTheBestAndBrightest #Heritage

Ingvar Hallstrom

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4 of 47 comments

VanillaDude on Jul 21, 2010

Another question can be - "What would Don Draper drive TODAY?" Answer - a BMW, a Volvo, or a Lexus if he chose to go foreign. A Cadillac if he chose domestically.

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PG on Jul 21, 2010

I just don't see Draper driving something that's not American. It's not his style. So now that he's divorced, or at least separated, my vote goes to a Corvette.

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SilverCoupe on Jul 21, 2010

I'd have to go with a '64 Riviera, but then I'm a bit biased, aren't I? (see icon)

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Coatejo on Jul 21, 2010

Don Draper will simply trade in his '62 Coupe De Ville on another '63 or '64. With his purchase of the '62 he announced to the early sixties world that he has arrived. There is no need to change brands. Cadillac was still an aspirational brand throughout the 1960's. Another thing to consider is that he is a divorced father of two kids. A Mustang, Thunderbird, Riviera, Corvette, or any imported sports car would not work well for his situation.

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