Learn all the latest technical tips from 1950 on how to squeeze the most value from your driving dollar.

Sure, this 1950 General Motors film is corny, and that’s why we enjoyed it so much. The dramatis personae in Driving Economically include wise and kindly service station operator Mac MacPherson and his young customer, a newly minted teen driver named Larry David. The production was targeted, we can safely guess, at school assemblies and driver’s training classes, and the story was focused on driving for economy and safety. Mac, a service station operator from the days when the position came with a bow tie and a police cap, has a wealth of knowledge to share with Larry on getting the most from your driving dollar.

It’s interesting to note that while many of the driving tips described in the film are perfectly valid today, they aren’t nearly as critical as they were back then. Current cars can take a considerable amount of operator abuse, but that sure wasn’t true back in 1950. Engines, clutches, and brakes weren’t nearly as durable as they are here in modern times, and it wasn’t terribly difficult to use up a set of brake linings in 10,000 miles or a clutch in 25,000 miles if a driver didn’t take care of them properly. We can ponder all these points and more as we check out all the sweet 1950 GM cars on display. We saw Chevrolets, Buicks, Oldsmobiles, and Pontiacs—but no Cadillacs. After all, this is Driving Economically.  Video below.