Life, 1911-01-05 · page 19 of 104
Life — January 5, 1911 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **automobile advertisement**, not political satire. The 1911 Reo Motor Car Company uses this Life magazine page to promote their vehicles by listing competitive achievements. The ad makes a value claim: a $1,250 Reo performs like a $3,000 car. To substantiate this, it catalogs racing victories (winning against higher-priced competitors), endurance tests (Kansas City Star Trophy), hill-climbing records (Mt. Hamilton), and a cross-continental journey completed in 10.5 days with minimal engine maintenance. The illustration shows a simple side-view of an open-air touring car typical of the era—no caricature or satire present. The "proof" structure (power, speed, endurance, reliability) attempts to make an emotional, competitive sales pitch by positioning the Reo as economical yet performance-competitive. This reflects early 1910s automotive marketing, when manufacturers legitimized purchases through documented racing and endurance records rather than technical specifications alone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ees Reo Proof. Plenty of it every year, but see what the 1911 Reo did within a few months of its coming out! The Reo at $1250 says it does the work of a $3000 car, and is ready to prove it. A great deal to say and a great deal to prove; but no car at $3000 or less can show such a record as the 1911 Reo has already done. - Won the Kansas City Star Trophy against all of the best American cars, in what Endurance proved to be the most strenuous and complete test of a motor car during the present year. The highest road score, the highest mechanical score, without regard to price or class. Won the Kansas Magazine Endurance Contest. Easily won in its own class, and had a better record than any car in any class. : : ‘ Beat best previous record for Mt. Hamilton (24.5 miles) by 10 minutes. Reo Hill-Climbing time, 1 hour 5 minutes. Would have done even better but for dangerous rain and fog. E a | = = = S 5 = = = =| = : & = = E = | TEQUELTEAD ULTRA CAEEN EN | R In a 50-mile race near Denver the Reo beat a Chalmers, well known for its racing record, by 10 acing minutes, making the distance over sandy roads in 57 minutes 43 seconds—an average of 5144 milesin anhour. At the Empire City track race, on November 12, at Yonkers, New York, the Reo won the 10-mile race against much higher priced cars. Owing to heavy rains the track was heavy and sandy, but the Reo time was 13 minutes 52 seconds. The Res ie 7 lof Reo beat the record of a $4,000 six- Across the Continent 1 in 10 Ys Days cylinder car by nearly 5 days, miaideg the trip in 10 days 15, hours 13 minutes. A wonderful performance!—Nearly 4,000 miles, and half of it through deep mud and sand, trackless deserts, deep wash-outs, and over mountains. And not a thing done to the Reo engine the whole trip except to change one spark-plug. Here are proofs of four kinds: power, speed, endurance, reliability. Is there anything else you want to know in the way of proof and reasons? Find it in theReo catalogue. Send also for “Coast to Coast inTen Days.” Reo Fore Door Touring Car $1350 Reo Touring Car or Roadster $1250 Reo Two Passenger Roadster $1050 Reo Limousine or Landaulet $2000 RMO M Owen & Co Lansing Mich “iz Reo Motor Car Co Licensed under Selden Patent =| = = = = = = | =e — STAT 0 nM NT comicbooks.com