Life, 1909-07-01 · page 29 of 44
Life — July 1, 1909 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**, but a full-page automobile advertisement from Life magazine. It promotes the Herreshoff car, a lightweight vehicle manufactured in Detroit. The ad argues for a market niche: smaller, affordable cars ($1,500) designed with quality materials and engineering comparable to expensive vehicles ($5,000). The metaphor comparing the car to "the smart, light cob of motor cars" (a cob being a sturdy, smaller horse breed) suggests practicality over power—positioning it as economical transportation for ordinary users rather than the "big, high-priced" automobiles then dominating the market. The advertisement also mentions the "Houpt" car (distributed by Harry S. Houpt Co. in New York), presented as complementary: Houpt for high-powered cars, Herreshoff for light-powered ones. This reflects early-20th-century automotive segmentation, when the industry was still determining what consumers actually needed versus what manufacturers preferred selling.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HERRESHOFF The Smart, Light Cob of Motor Cars IYHERE is need of the light car of class. For the ordinary uses of a motor car, the big, high-priced high- powered automobile is too heavy, too cum- bersome, too powerful. It costs in initial outlay, in upkeep, in tire charges and other incidental running expenses far more than the service rendered is worth. Had a light car of the same excellence of design and @he @reeshote Gar HIS is not the result of an at- tempt to build a low-priced car, but of an effort to produce a small car of the same materials found in the big cars, just as good, just as right as any high-priced car. It was not until these standards had been fulfilled that its price received con- sideration. Fortunately it was found such a light car could be built to sell for $1,500 with all the characteristics of a $5,000 car. good practice. cars. cars possess. Every principle employed is proven Ingenious application of these principles produces simplicity and increased efficiency. terials used throughout are the same as are found in the foremost American In grace of line and beauty of finish no car at any price is any better. It lene. has every refinement that the costliest finish been available, it would have replaced the big car long ago. The owner of a stable full of horses would not drive a heavy harness horse to a light station wagon, but would select acob. The Herreshoff Car is the smart, light cob of motor cars, bred of the same stock as the high-priced cars, only smaller, more facile, more economical. io actual test it has exceeded ex- pectation. It weighs less than 1600 pounds, develops 24 horse power at the rear wheels, sufficient to drive it 45 to so miles an hour or climb any hill anywhere. Its light weight pro- longs the life of tires while it has The ma- shown 18 miles to a gallon of gaso- Its easy riding and facile handling can only be demonstrated. Let us demonstrate them. MANUFACTURED AT DETROIT BY THE HERRESHOFF MOTOR CO. EXCLUSIVELY FOR Write for Catalogue today rrp S. @uve Co. Write for Catalogue today Broadway and Sixty-eighth Street, New York City The Herreshoff Car does not take the place of the big car but supplements it. The place it fills among light-powered cars the Houpt will fill among high- powered cars. Each in its class establishes a new standard. The Houpt will represent to the big car user the best thought in automobile design — the final word in motor car construction. The car is now being manufactured at our factory in Bristol, Conn., in two types: A 60 Horsepower 4-cylinder car with 127 inch Wheelbase, weighing 3100 pounds A 90 Horsepower 6-cylinder car with 140 inch Wheelbase, weighing 3900 pounds Each made with touring car, close coupled, runabout, landaulet, limousine and brougham bodi: ADDRESS AGENCY DEPARTMENT L for CATALOGUES OR FURTHER INFORMATION comicbooks.com