Life, 1911-03-23 · page 29 of 44
Life — March 23, 1911 — page 29: 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 (likely 1900s-1910s based on the car's design). The White Company, a Cleveland-based manufacturer, promotes their gasoline-powered motor car by emphasizing **practical performance metrics over luxury or ostentation**. The ad argues that a car's true value lies in reliability, fuel economy, and maintenance costs—not in size, power, or extravagant features. The pitch targets practical-minded buyers by contrasting White's "moderate sized" four-cylinder engine (30+ horsepower) against larger, more wasteful competitors. The long-stroke engine design and four forward speeds are presented as modern engineering achievements. The decorative Greek border and dignified layout reflect the period's marketing style, when automobiles were still luxury items requiring detailed technical justification to potential buyers. There is no satire here—merely period advertising copy touting efficiency as a selling point.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Performance is the Only Measure of a Motor Car “THERE is just one thing which we all need to know about any motor car to be judges of its real value—we need to know its record of perform- ance in the hands of owners. Not only its record for sturdiness and re- liability, but for economy in fuel and oil consumption as well as mainten- ance expenses. From the crowd of meritorious cars, to which have been applied the various tests of price— quality—or luxurious and extravagent equipment—from this mass of reliable motors comes one car which seeks to be known by its efficiency and econo- my in operation. This car—the White —is gasoline-driven and has all the refinements of manufacture which modern engineering sciences can sup- ply. The cylinder casting is en bloc— the motor is the long stroke type—the transmission is selective with four for- ward speeds. In fact, nothing has been neglected, nothing omitted which could make a car better. It is built to endure. Larger and more cumber- some cars have been built, more pow- erful and consequently wasteful cars are built—but no factory, either at home or abroad, builds better. Why White Gasoline Cars Are Economical HE White cars are economical because they are well built—proper steel alloys being used in the con- struction throughout. They are eco- nomical because they have four moderate sized cylinders—because they have the long-stroke engines which permit these moderate sized cylinders to develop more than 30 horse-power—because they have four forward speeds, allowing the driver to select a gear suited to the road condi- tion—because being of moderate size and weight, White cars are easy on tires, the largest single item in up- keep expense. BY every test of performance, the White car is the one that satisfies the greatest number of requirements —it does everything that may be done with any car—goes anywhere any car may go, but at a lower cost, and that is its demand upon your attention. May we send you our new catalogue and testimonials of owners? —,, Company 852 East 79th Street, CLEVELAND comicbooks.com