Judge, 1927-05-28 · page 35 of 36
Judge — May 28, 1927 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward advertisement for Ethyl Gasoline, a General Motors product. The page promotes ethyl leaded gasoline, which the company claims eliminates engine "knock" (the pinging sound caused by improper combustion). The ad lists nine supposed benefits and emphasizes that General Motors researchers developed this fuel after 8 years of research testing over 33,000 chemical compounds. The text claims ethyl gasoline's superiority by noting its adoption by the U.S. Navy and racing drivers. A small illustration shows a damaged car, presumably demonstrating the damage caused by knocking engines. **Historical context modern readers miss**: This advertisement predates awareness of leaded gasoline's severe health and environmental hazards. Ethyl (tetraethyl lead) was later revealed as a neurotoxin causing widespread lead poisoning before being phased out in the 1970s-1980s. At the time of publication, it was marketed as a scientific marvel.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ETHYL GASOLINE | knocks out that” knock”. ..turns carbon into power | Z, eo —— What Ethyl Gasoline will do in your own automobile 1 It will end all carbon trouble and make carbon formation an asset. As carbon forms, both temperature and compression (pressure) are increased. Ethyl Gasoline neutralizes the higher temperature and the increased compression becomes increased power. 2 It will give you more power, particu- larly on hills and heavy roads. 3 It will make your engine operate more smoothly. 4 It will reduce gearshifting. 5 It will increase acceleration, making your car easier to handle in traffic. 6 It will eliminate “knocking” under all driving conditions. 7 It will reduce vibration and engine wear and tear. 8 It will save the expense of carbon removal. 9 It will give you more power from each gallon of fuel that you use. Ni sHorT, the advantages of Ethyl Gasoline over regular gasoline are so marked as to make the small premium it costs a real economy. T is important that you differentiate between Ethyl Gasoline and other “anti-knock” gasolines. Ethyl Gasoline is the on/y fuel which eliminates “knocking” under a// conditions, thereby making present day auto- mobiles perform more efficiently. It was developed by General Motors Research Labora- tories after 8 years of scientific research which resulted in these two important discoveries: 1 That “knocking” is an inherent characteristic of a/l gasolines. What had previously been called a “carbon knock” or “ignition knock” or “engine knock” is in reality a fuel knock, due to the too rapid combustion of gasoline in the cylinders. 2 That “knocking” could be completely eliminated in gasoline | by the addition of Ethyl Brand of Anti-Knock Compound. This ingredient was discovered by General Motors research en- gineers after experimenting with more than 33,000 chemical compounds. o suPERIOR is Ethyl Gasoline to other so-called “anti- knock” fuels that it has been adopted wherever unusual performance by a gasoline engine is required. ‘That is why the United States Navy uses Ethyl Gasoline in its latest types of airplanes. That is why Ethyl Gasoline is used by the racing car drivers who are setting up new records. Ethyl Gasoline is available throughout the United States and Canada through leading oil companies and responsible jobbers. It is sold at pumps which display the “ETHYL” trade mark shown below. ETHYL GASOLINE CORPORATION, 25 Broadway, N.Y. comicbooks.com