Life, 1905-12-07 · page 43 of 60
Life — December 7, 1905 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not a political cartoon but a **product advertisement** for Ford Motor Company's 1906 automobile lineup, published in *Life* magazine. The page showcases three Ford models with specifications and prices: - **Model N**: A 4-cylinder, 15 H.P. car priced under $500—presented as revolutionary for making automobiles affordable to ordinary Americans - **Model K**: A premium 6-cylinder, 40 H.P. vehicle at $2,500 - **Model F**: A mid-range 2-cylinder car at $1,000 The significance lies in the **Model N's affordability claim**. Ford is marketing this vehicle as democratizing automobile ownership—previously, cars were luxury goods for the wealthy. The advertisement emphasizes performance specs (speed, wheel base, weight) to reassure buyers of quality despite the low price. This represents an early moment in Ford's strategy of mass-market automobile manufacturing, preceding the Model T (1908) by two years.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
*-LIFE- FORD MODELS ror 1906 now ensi- as if have ddl LN This car—Model N—for which the Automobile romi- \ world has been waiting with almost breathless were \ _ interest, has surpassed the most extravagant expectations. A car of this type for less than $500 seemed an impossibility—but here it is. 4-Cylinder —15 H. P. Direct. Drive Speed, 40 Miles 78-inch Wheel Base Weight, 700 Pounds Write for Prices and Detailed Description This much , talked-of Car will be the most interesting feature of the Automobile Club of America’s show at the 69th Regiment Armory, New York, January | 3th to 20th FORD MODEL K 6-Cylinder—40 H. P. Direct Drive Speed, 50 Miles per Hour 114-inch ‘Wheel Base Perfected Magneto Ignition Weight, 2,000 Pounds ¢ mer Price, $2,500.00 FORD MODEL F The demand for a car of this type is so strong that we will continue to build a two-cylinder opposed motor car for 1906. Model F is the general all-around car, for the man who =. wants a Powerful runabout or a comfortable and fast touring eS 4: car for 5 people, capable of taking all kinds of roads, at a mod- ——= erate investment and low cost of operating and maintaining. anding Double Cylinder Opposed Motor Wheel Base, 84 Inches Speed, 35 Miles per Hour Weight, 1,400 Pounds Price, $1,000.00 © BRANCHES: 147-149-151-153 Columbus Ave., Boston. 1723 Broadway, N. Y. 727 Main St., Buffalo. Ford Motor Co., Detroit Broad & Buttonwood Sts., Philadelphia. 1413 Michigan Ave., Chicago. Cleveland and Kansas C'ty. Member American Motor Car Manufacturers’ Association, Chicago Canadian Trade Supplied by Ford Motor Co. of Canada, Ltd., Walkerville, Ont. comicbooks.com