Life, 1910-01-06 · page 67 of 76
Life — January 6, 1910 — page 67: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire** — it's a straightforward automobile advertisement from Life magazine (likely early 1900s based on the vehicle style and price point). The Pierce Motor Company advertises their Pierce-Racine automobile at $1,750. The ad's pitch emphasizes that while competitors can buy identical standardized parts (bodies, axles, transmissions), Pierce differentiates itself through a **custom-designed engine** created by A. J. Pierce, known for quarter-century of engine innovation. The marketing argument: at this price point, you're getting an engine quality normally found only in expensive luxury cars — essentially luxury performance at a medium price. The illustration shows a period touring car with an open-air design typical of the era. Contact information lists distributors across the United States. **This is period advertising, not editorial satire.** Life magazine in this era regularly published both satirical content and commercial advertisements.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Mia Rae LA The Car With A Famous Engine Any automobile manufacturer with the proper amount of money can buy bodies as good as are used by any of his competitors. He also can buy as good axles, or magnetos, or carburetors, or transmissions, or wheels, or tires. The market on these items is wide open to any and all manufacturers. The Pierce Motor Company are not unlike 99% of other car manufacturers in the purchase of these various parts, but We part company with practically all other manulacturers when it comes to the most essential part of an automobile—the engine. The Pierce-Racine car is not propelled by a stock engine. When you buy a Pierce-Racine you get an engine specially designed by Mr. A. J. Pierce, who has for a quarter of a century enjoyed an international reputation as a builder of high-efficiency engines. The unusual flexibility, quietness and power of a Pierce engine is the feature that lifts the Pierce-Racine en- tirely out of the class of other cars selling at anywhere near its price. If you were to pay $4000 for a car you could not get a more satisfactory motor or an easier running 5 This Pierce-Racine at $1750 offers the prospective car buyer a value in the most essential feature of his car that is only duplicated by a few manufacturers of high-price Amei or Foreign cars In addition to its superb motor it ha an cquuipment throughout that is of a thoroughly substantial character The body, wheels, springs, upholste dai eS. are of a quality rarely found on a medium-price car. NOTE THESE SPECIFICATIONS: Ropy: Pir Touring Baby Tonneau or Roadster, 7 = Stromberg, ee. < TTY! TS gallons. and dry cells battery; remy dual 4] In, bore, 5 In, stroke, opposite side, TH iss! h = for reverse, % if ach * Nebts, 7 + bearing ? : "eet" of tool, pump, thre front ‘and ‘rear. with ‘Temme sbock ab- ja war stripe with alterni ter, centelfagal high-grade Radiator, Xplash-geared pump. coustaut: level. ASK FOR CATALOG AND DETAILED. DESCRIPTION PIERCE MOTOR COMPANY, 103 22nd St., Racine, Wis. DISTRIRPTORS. Allen, 1834 Broadway, k, . 6817 Enclid Mich- +1012 BE, 15th St, 5 Clty. Geo. W. Root, San Francisco, comicbooks.com