Life, 1910-10-27 · page 6 of 44
Life — October 27, 1910 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page announces LIFE's "Great Auto Race"—a competition where automobile manufacturers competed for advertising space based on which company could generate the most public interest and newspaper coverage. The large photograph shows crowds gathered outside LIFE's office, demonstrating the contest's popularity. The right column lists participating car manufacturers (Locomotile, Packard, Pierce Arrow, etc.) ranked by advertising lines earned through October 1910 to April 1911. LIFE explicitly states this was simultaneously a genuine business promotion and a humorous stunt—the magazine admits running the contest partly "to have fun" while generating advertising revenue. The gold cup prize and crowd enthusiasm reflect early 1900s American enthusiasm for automobiles as novel consumer products worthy of public spectacle.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Excitement Still Increases Contestants in Life’s Great Auto Race Straining Every Nerve HOW THEY STAND TO DATE Locomobile - 840 lines - . 840 lints 840 lines “ -420 lines Chalmers... . s+e+++ +420 lines Cunningham.............420 lines Frankli - - + +420 lines Hudson seeeeee+ +20 lines . . -420 lines Oldsmobile. ....... -420 lines Overland........ . 420 lines Peerless. . Ramble: Stearns Thomas Flyci Re Stevens-Dury Waverley Electric. Brewster Club Car... Kelly Motor Truc Total lines, 10,178 It is not too much to say that, as LIFE'S race progresses, every auto- mobile center in the country is stirred to its depths. The great crowds in front of LIFE office every day are an indica- tion of how great the interest is. It was, however, to be expected that envious tongues would circulate false rumors. It is not necessary to refer to the nature of these criticisms. We have only to repeat: First: That this is a genuine contest, open to every automobile manufacturer in the country, Second: It_is frankly a_ business event, intended to call attention to the fact that LIFE is the greatest medium for advertising in the world, because it circulates among the people who have the cash to buy. Third: It is not, however, done alone for business or to bring business. It is done because we saw it was a good idea, rather funny, and we did it to have fun, and just because we wanted to. We would have done it anyway, whether it was advertising or not, if the idea had appealed to us. Fourth: The cup was made in this country, to order, is of solid gold, 20 karat, a and weighs295 penny weight, 20 grains. It Gromds in: front of LIFE office during progress of is slightly over eight inches in height. It Life’s Great Auto Race—open to all automobile can be seen at any time, upon inquiry manufacturers. The cup will be awarded to the at LIFE office. Cuts of it will be pub- advertiser using the greatest number of ad- lished from time to time in these pages vertising lines in LIFE from October Ist, 1910, during the progress of the contest. to April Ist, 1911. comicbooks.com