Model Quinn Mora covered the February 2025 issue of Vogue Turkey [IG], making a not-so-subtle connection between hot cars like Ferrari and sexy women. Chris Colls [IG] captured that sensual sizzle with Sandy Armeni styling Quinn Mora in Italian brands Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Miu Miu, Prada and more. / Hair by Ward Stegerhoek; makeup by Frank B

Female Sexuality and High-Performance Car Marketing

As early as the 1920s and 1930s, advertising began to incorporate lifestyle elements, setting a precedent for the association between cars and the allure of freedom, adventure, and sophistication. It was in this era that the seeds were sown for the use of sensual imagery, including the portrayal of women, as a means to enhance the evocative power of car advertisements.

By integrating images of alluring women with sleek, high performance automobiles, advertisers suggested that owning a particular model or brand of car could attract high-caliber, sexy women now available to the man behind the wheel.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the sexual revolution increased the prevalence of sexy women embedded deeply in high-performance, luxury car marketing. The imagery became sexually aggressive at times, much like the inviting, behind-the-wheel pose Quinn Mora assumes in the image below.

Many second-wave feminists felt empowered by this marketing, especially if they were themselves accomplished in the business sector. Taste-level in the campaigns determined our response, and especially whether the mood was testosterone-dominant. Choosing a model or celeb consciously aware of the power of her sensual impact tended to make the power exchange more interesting.

Let me also add that French and Italian brands have traditionally been more adept in promoting this imagery. Testosterone-dominant is fundamental to the American experience, although women had made progress in impacting brands to lower the temperature. With bro culture in transcendence again in America, we’ll see how this all plays out.

Younger American women do not have the determined-grit to pull off this power balance — nor do they care, in many cases. ~ Anne