On Monday, Maserati celebrated a century in business. Established on December 1, 1914 in Bologna, Italy, the brand has transformed itself from an Italian automobile manufacturer to an iconic leader in the luxury vehicle market. In honor of the Maserati 100th anniversary, we’ve selected this print ad from 1975 as our Retro Ad of the Week.

Source: Tuts+

The popular mustard yellow color of the Maserati Merak (a la your living room couch circa 1975) set against the clean white background makes the car seem heroic. The “sheer sensual pleasure” of the driving experience would leave anyone wanting, even the brand’s targeted (and highly selective) affluent market. Highlighting the beauty and desirability of their vehicles as points of differentiation has been Maserati’s successful advertising strategy for the majority of its past 100 years in business.

In order to publicize their 100th anniversary, Maserati had to go far beyond the norm. They created a centennial website and logo, brought together hundreds of Maseratis on the cobblestone streets of Modena, Italy this September, and created a smartphone app exclusively for the occasion. All of these marketing tactics remain true to the luxurious and clean image of Maserati and are executed in a way to consistently grow brand equity into the next 100 years.

FUN FACT: For a business that’s been around for 100 years, Maserati was bound to see some hiccups along the way. During World War II, Maserati had to halt production of all automobiles and switch gears to support the war effort. They did make one exception though…when Italian dictator Benito Mussolini requested a V16 town car. (Source: Auto Evolution)