Ligier, best-known for Formula 1 racing as well as sports car manufacture, shook up the French 'sans permis' microcar market in 1980 with its first-ever contender, the JS4. A modern, angular box-on-wheels with two seats and lots of glass, it had a 49.9cc two-stroke Motobécane engine. #weirdcarbs

Despite its humble roots, the rally-proven 1897cc Opel Kadett GT/E was one of the sportiest little cars of the era. This UK leaflet notes it was factory-made only in left-hand-drive but converted by Dealer Opel Team with technical help from Bradford University, with rallying in mind. #carbluesky

While juggling numerous marque names in Britain, the Rootes Group usually preferred to badge its export models as Sunbeams, and so it was with this modestly-improved mk2 version of the rear-engined Imp. Its French-language brochure adopted a modern pictorial style for the mid-'60s. #carbluesky

Cute as a button, this tiny Subaru Vanille 4X4 1200cc 6-seater was dubbed the 'Microspace' in its French brochure. The cover showed off the vehicle's versatile rear compartment and its panoramic opening roof panels, allowing owners to look on 'the bright side of life'. #carbluesky

Fiat's tradition of offering bespoke ragtop versions of some of its cars was long-gone by 1994, when the company re-entered the burgeoning European small cabrio market with a version based on its popular Punto. This is an Austrian-market brochure. #carbluesky

The odd couple. Dutton Phaeton/Lotus Eletre #carbluesky

The Soviet-era Volga saloon (first seen as the GAZ-24 in 1970) was still going strong in 2001 as the facelifted GAZ-3110. At a time when Russia's economy was recovering well after a decade of turbulence, it hoped to steer executive car buyers away from more sophisticated foreign imports. #carbluesky

The Roland Garros name of the French Open tennis championship was partnered with Peugeot for quite some years. in 1996 it was used for this special edition of the company's smallest car, the 106. The UK brochure reveals it had 'Grand Slam' metallic green paint and 'Volley' cloth trim. #carbluesky

The Chevrolet (once Geo) Tracker was in its second generation at the time of this 2000 Canadian brochure. Another example of the important role Suzuki designs played in boosting GM's North American line-up, the model was based on Suzuki's Grand Vitara. #carbluesky

Ker-Pao! #weirdcarbs

The first BMW 3-series (E21) arrived in 1975 as the successor to the long-running -02 range. The new model featured a 'straightforward and discreet' 2-door saloon bodystyle in line with the company's new corporate look. The initial top model was the 320i shown here. #carbluesky

Warwick-based Avon Coachwork's 1983 product range consisted of its ambitious, but oddly- proportioned, Jaguar XJ estate as well as two versions of the Triumph Acclaim, the most interesting of which was the Turbo. Its 1335cc Honda engine had been uprated to 105bhp by Turbo Technics. #carbluesky

A streetKa named desire. #carbluesky

This very obscure brochure features the Justicialista, the product of a doomed push by Argentina's President, Juan Perón, to create a national car in the 1950s, named after his political ideology. The key model was a 800cc DKW-powered sedan, claimed to have 'very elegant, modern lines'. #carbluesky

The wilfully strange lines of Citroën's Ami 6 saloon are shown to full effect in this 1964 Dutch brochure, featuring its reverse-rake rear window and the u-shaped bonnet. The model, which took the concept of the 2CV upmarket in a bigger, but related car, proved a big success in France. #weirdcarbs

For the arrival of the second-generation Terios, Daihatsu's UK importer celebrated its Japanese origins with a comic-book approach to the 2006 brochure, featuring traditional imagery befitting the little 4X4's portrayal as 'a new hero from Japan'. #carbluesky

France was an early western market for Zastava's hatchback derivative of the Fiat 128, the Z101. In the mid-'70s it was still a modern offering, as the 128 was then in its heyday. The brochure shows the Yugoslavian-built car as equally suitable for the farm or sophisticated city life. #carbluesky

The second-generation Volkswagen Polo added an 'aerodynamic' new coupé bodystyle in 1983, although it wasn't quite the sporting model its name implied. Some commentators felt it was more of a traditional hatchback for those who didn't want the existing Polo hatch's breadvan style. #carbluesky

Attempting to distance itself from the marque's tarnished late-'70s reputation, Lancia's new British importer focused on what was new, including the Volumex 2.0 supercharged engine fitted to the Coupé VX (now shorn of its Beta name). It also gained a grille, rear spoiler and stripes. #carbluesky

GM's British commercial vehicle specialist, Bedford, was struggling to update its range by the 1980s. For vans the answer lay in Japan, with a new joint venture, IBC vehicles. Its first product was the UK-built Bedford Midi, a version of the existing Fargo van from GM's Isuzu affiliate. #carbluesky

The Renault Fuego looked fresh and modern at its launch, featuring a particularly large glass hatchback. It soon briefly became Europe's best-selling coupé. This 1981 brochure from the UK features the initial six-model range, starting with the 1.4TL and progressing to the 2.0GTX. #carbluesky

Ford of Britain had long offered the US Mustang to local customers in small numbers through its imported car division. A third-generation 'Fox body' model, with right-hand-drive, is shown in this brochure on the Ghia 3.3 Automatic, showcasing an overwhelmingly red early '80s interior. #carbluesky

A pair of 1934 MG PAs in Helmsley. #carbluesky

Kia had moved on from the era of Mazda-based cars by the time the Rio arrived, but the model occupied the brand's usual low-priced, value-for-money territory. This 2001 UK brochure features four trim levels - 1.3/L/LX plus the 1.5SE. The British market only got this estate car bodystyle. #carbluesky

GM's global empire adopted a 'pick and mix' approach when it came to the products of its divisions. South Africa built the Opel Ascona B with Chevrolet badges, marketing it as 'a little bit of German genius'. One thing that wasn't German was its engine, the 1256cc Vauxhall Viva unit. #carbluesky

Nissan persisted with a traditional big-car offering for years in the UK, despite the indifference of local executive car buyers. This 1984 brochure introduced the new 300C saloon and estate car, described as featuring 'classic exterior styling with the lessons of modern aerodynamics'. #carbluesky

Chrysler acquired a 15% stake in rising French marque Simca in 1958, and the US company soon began selling the Simca Aronde range in North America, as the 'world's most luxurious economy car', featuring the 1.3-litre 'Whispering Flash' engine. #carbluesky

The one thing absent from this MG brochure is the word 'Maestro', with the latest car, launched in 1989, oddly termed simply the '2.0 MG Turbo'. It was hailed as the fastest-accelerating MG ever built, and became of the rarest - only around 500 were made for Rover Group by Tickford. #carbluesky

The Michael Schumacher edition based on the Fiat Seicento Sporting was limited to 5,000 units worldwide. Mechanically unchanged from the 1108cc, 54bhp original, it had extra trim, badges and side skirts, but seemed rather a cynical move in 2001, though time has since lent it charm. #carbluesky

In its early years Hyundai depended on Mitsubishi technology. One payback for Mitsubishi's US sales arm was the Precis, launched in 1990. An entry-level model to build sales volume, it was simply a rebadged 3-door Hyundai Excel. #carbluesky