Life, 1911-10-26 · page 33 of 50
Life — October 26, 1911 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **straightforward automobile advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It appears in *Life* magazine's fifteenth year (circa 1909) promoting the Fiat 35 H.P. four-door limousine. The ad emphasizes that Fiat—an Italian manufacturer—now produces cars in Poughkeepsie, New York alongside its Turin factory. The marketing pitch targets American buyers by claiming Fiat's "Master Car" offers European engineering excellence at American automobile prices, without import duties. Pricing is listed as $4,500 for open bodies and $5,500 for closed bodies. The tagline "Fiat Representation and Fiat Service are World-wide" underscores the company's global reach. This reflects early-twentieth-century automotive competition when European brands actively marketed American-manufactured versions to bypass tariffs and appeal to domestic consumers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Master Car HE 35 H. P. Shaft Drive Fiat, with long stroke monobloc motor, produced simultaneously at Turin and Poughkeepsie, is the final expression of the great automobile engineering and designing genius of the world. $4,500—Open Bodies Fifteenth Year Master minds, with expert attention to manufacturing detail and the use of materials of only highest possible grade, have produced The Master Car, sold now in the United States with no import charges at the price of high-grade American automobiles. $5,500—Closed Bodies Completely Equipped New Catalogue H from Sales Dept. Poughkeepsie F ° | : A “T New York Fiat Representation and Fiat Service are World-wide