National Benzole Mixture for startability : press advert issued by the National Benzole Company, 1938
A strikingly colourful advert for the National Benzole petrol (gasoline) mixture seen in Courier Magazine in 1938 and with the famous 'winged Mercury' figure used on the company's logo. Founded in 1919 to exploit the use in motor vehicle fuel of the benzole, a by-product of the distillation of coal to produce town gas. From 1922 'pure' benzole' was increasingly cut as a 50/50 mixture with petroleum spirit and this was the successful product that was sold advertised by the Mercury figure who was introduced in 1928. From 1957 National Benzole was a subsidiary of Shell-Mex and although for several decades use of the brand, by then modernised and in the eye catching colours of yellow, blue and white, the use of the brand was finally discontinued.
This colour version of the advert sells the idea of 'ease of starting' to an increasingly important market sector of women drivers although the strapline of "ooh you did give me a start" probably raises a few chuckles nowadays given differing connotations of modern English! The advert was issued by the London press exchange agency.
National Benzole Mixture for startability : press advert issued by the National Benzole Company, 1938
A strikingly colourful advert for the National Benzole petrol (gasoline) mixture seen in Courier Magazine in 1938 and with the famous 'winged Mercury' figure used on the company's logo. Founded in 1919 to exploit the use in motor vehicle fuel of the benzole, a by-product of the distillation of coal to produce town gas. From 1922 'pure' benzole' was increasingly cut as a 50/50 mixture with petroleum spirit and this was the successful product that was sold advertised by the Mercury figure who was introduced in 1928. From 1957 National Benzole was a subsidiary of Shell-Mex and although for several decades use of the brand, by then modernised and in the eye catching colours of yellow, blue and white, the use of the brand was finally discontinued.
This colour version of the advert sells the idea of 'ease of starting' to an increasingly important market sector of women drivers although the strapline of "ooh you did give me a start" probably raises a few chuckles nowadays given differing connotations of modern English! The advert was issued by the London press exchange agency.