Life, 1910-07-14 · page 3 of 40
Life — July 14, 1910 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire page**, but rather a **straightforward advertisement** for the Franklin automobile company of Syracuse, New York, published in 1911. The page showcases two vehicle models—a seven-passenger open body and a double torpedo-phaeton—with technical specifications emphasizing the Franklin's distinctive air-cooling system and construction quality. The marketing copy highlights features like flush-sided bodies, quiet valve action, and accessibility to engine components. This represents early automotive advertising before mass production made cars commonplace. The detailed mechanical descriptions and emphasis on engineering indicate the target audience was wealthy, technically-minded buyers who understood and valued automotive innovation. There is no political or social satire present on this page.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE — Franklin “The Car Beautiful” 1911 Seven-passenger open body New Features: Handsome flush-sided bodies; beautiful new hood; new oiling system, overcoming smoking; quiet valve action; engine air jacket arranged to give complete accessibility; more room between the dash and the front seat and greater rake to steering column. (Model G has a longer wheel base. Model D is larger and has six 4 x 4 cylinders. Model H is larger, with six 434 x 4% cylinders. M is a new model, with four 4 x 4 cylinders. Top is standard equipment on all models. List of Models: Model H, 48-horse-power, six-cylinder, 133-inch wheel base, is fitted with seven- passenger open body or double torpedo-phaeton body. @ Model D, 38-horse-power, six-cylinder, 123- inch wheel base, is fitted with five-passenger open body, double torpedo-phaeton body or seven-passen- ger limousine body. @Model M, 25-horse-power, four-cylinder, 108-inch wheel base, fitted with five- passenger open body or five-passenger limousine body. (Model G, 18-horse-power, four-cylinder, 100-inch wheel base, fitted with four-passenger open body or single torpedo-phaeton body. Double The new Franklin hood lends itself perfectly to the flush-sided body. With no radiator to spoil the effect the body and hood lines are blended harmoniously. in the Franklin is thrice beautiful because ent construction, which gives the only lux- urious riding, and because of its tire equipment, which eliminates the annoyance and expense of tire trouble. Franklin air cooling is the ideal system for an auto- mobile engine; it presents the greatest latitude of operation; it affords the lightest, simplest construction. It does all that water cooling can do, and more. The extra service it gives makes it superior to all other cooling systems To set forth in detail all the advantages of Franklin air cooling over water cooling would require another page, but the features which are bound to decide you are: Simplicity, freedom from attention, independ- ence of climate and weather conditions, reliability, there being nothing to break down, and a higher ther- mo-dynamic efficiency. New catalogue on request torpedo-phaeton H H FRANKLIN MANUFACTURING COMPANY Syracuse N Y Licensed under Selden Patect comicbooks.com 6