Life, 1910-05-05 · page 20 of 72
Life — May 5, 1910 — page 20: 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's early automotive era. The page advertises the **Haynes Automobile**, priced at $2,000, manufactured by the Haynes Automobile Company in Kokomo, Indiana. The ad emphasizes the car's quality and value by highlighting the company's pioneering history: founder Elwood Haynes built "the first successful American automobile" and introduced innovations (nickel steel, aluminum, magneto, roller bearings) that became industry standards. The pitch appeals to rational buyers by emphasizing three factors—maker's experience, reputation, and performance record (41 consecutive test victories)—rather than salesman hype. The core argument: you get a luxury car with proven quality at half the typical price for comparable specifications. This reflects early-1900s automotive marketing when establishing manufacturer credibility was crucial to selling automobiles, a still-novel consumer purchase.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
\ Your Opportunity to Get The Car You Want for $2000 If price were no object to you in buying an automobile, if you were simply trying to pick out the car that would give you the best satisfaction— What would influence you most? What would be your guide in choosing the best? Not the extravagant claims of an advertisement—surely. Not the enthusiastic praise of a salesman. Just three things—the experience, the reputation of the maker and the record of the car. Let's forget the Haynes is a moderate priced car for a moment and consider it only in the light of a satis- factory purchase—price no object. To begin with, it’s a product of the oldest automobile manufacturers in the United States. Elwood Haynes built the first successful American automobile. He was the first manufacturer in the United States or Europe to use nickel steel—the first to employ aluminum in motor cars—the first to use a magneto on a motor car. He was the first to use roller bearings. Every important feature introduced by Mr. Haynes in automobile construction has become standard on cars that have followed the Haynes. The Haynes organization has never built anything but a high class car. Before building the Model 19 for $2,000 they never built a car for less than $3,000. So much for experience and reputation. Haynes cars have won 41 First Prizes, medals or perfect scores in 41 consecutive tests—the best possible proof of our persistent adherence to a high grade only policy. No other car, American or Foreign, at any price, can show a like record in contests of all kinds. And yet this handsome, classy, luxuriously appointed, roomy, §-passenger machine sells for only $2,000—$1,000 less than you would have to pay for a car of similar speci- fications in any other machine. Notice we emphasize similar specifications—you cannot duplicate the Haynes reputation, quality and faultless mechanical construction at any price. We could not make the Model 19 any better for double the price. We are equally sure that no one else would make as good a car for the same price. The Haynes experience is responsible for the low cost, and it is the only thing responsible for it. When you buy a Haynes you get a car with everything in it or on it worth having in an automobile, and you do not pay too much for your car. Write to-day for further particulars and let us tell you the name of the nearest Haynes dealer who will be glad to take you for a trial spin. HAYNES AUTOMOBILE COMPANY 118 Main St., Kokomo, Indiana vy Ny iN N \ iN N N N N N N N N N wilt mm WL ee lllldeeededecdededeeeeeetettt Ve Lc celdececeeeededdcccdecceeeeeeetetta Wy SANA . WOMAN comicbooks.com