Life, 1907-06-20 · page 23 of 32
Life — June 20, 1907 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satirical content**—it's a straightforward automobile advertisement placed in *Life* magazine. The page advertises the Elmore automobile, manufactured in Clyde, Ohio. Two models are shown: a four-cylinder priced at $2,500 and a three-cylinder at $1,750 (f.o.b. factory). The ad's central claim is that the Elmore's "valveless two-cycle motor" delivers continuous power superior to competitors' intermittent four-cycle engines. The manufacturer argues their repeated emphasis on mechanical efficiency (rather than design or upholstery) reflects the motor's genuinely revolutionary superiority—so significant that words cannot convey it; only a test drive can. The ad urges readers to request a demonstration, positioning the Elmore as a transformative automotive experience that will convert skeptics into "enthusiasts." This represents early 1900s automotive marketing strategy: emphasizing technical innovation as competitive advantage.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Four-Cylinder Two-Cycle Elmore Price $2500.00 f. 0. b. factory Three-Cylinder Two-Cycle Elmore Price $1750.00 f. 0. b. factory WHY WE HAMMER CONTINUOUSLY ON THE MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY OF THE It happens that this is the first time that our announce- ment has appeared in Lire. You have doubtless fol- lowed our extensive advertising campaign, however, in other periodicals during the past year. If so, you’ve observed, of course, that we avoid the platitudes and generalities of the average automobile advertiser and stick squarely to the question of mechan- ical efficiency. Why is this? Because the valveless two-cycle Elmore motor is so infinitely superior in results; because it is so far ad- vanced over all other makes that it is impossible to make you realize it except through demonstration. The object of our persistency, therefore—the reason for the continuous harping upon its unique and marvel- ous efficiency—is merely to bring you to the point of get- ting a demonstration. When we say that all other motors give you intermit- tent power while the valveless two-cycle Elmore gives you continuous power, you may be momentarily im- pressed. But not until you have ridden in the Elmore will you understand that this represents a difference in results which will make you, after a single ride, choose the Elmore in preference to any four-cycle car built at any Price. No words of ours can possibly convey to you the sensation of amazement and delight you will experience in the marvelous efficiency of this motor which has no valves—this motor which gives you an impulse from each cylinder eve.y time the main-shaft turns. No Elmore agent can tell you about it—especially can no man who has never owned or sold or ridden in any but four-cycle cars tell you anything about it. The difference, you see, is so marked, so radical, so delightful, that it can’t be put into words. One four-cycle car you know to be very much like another—but here is a car which develops in the first ride advantages and luxuries of operation which you’ve never experienced in any four-cycle car. One ride will make you an Elmore enthusiast. That’s why we talk continuously about the motor. That's why we say: “Design, finish, upholstery? You can see how perfect they are at a glance. It’s the valveless two-cycle motor that counts.’ A demonstration in two or three four-cycle cars of different makes may leave you still undecided. A demonstration in a valveless two-cycle Elmore will prove a discovery, a revelation. For your own enlight- enment, therefore, manage, as soon as you can, to get a thorough, drastic demonstration of the valveless two- cycle Elmore on country roads, high hills and crowded city streets. Meanwhile, write for the booklet, “ Our Daily Mail.” ELMORE MFG. CO., 2904 Amanda St., Clyde, O. Members A. L. A. M. comicbooks.com