Life, 1912-03-14 · page 27 of 44
Life — March 14, 1912 — page 27: 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 1910s-1920s). The page advertises the Hupmobile "32" touring car, priced at $900, manufactured by the Hupp Motor Car Company in Detroit. The ad employs technical specifications and engineering claims as its sales pitch, emphasizing the car's "long-stroke" engine design as superior to competitors. Key marketing points include: - Only one other American motor has a longer stroke (implying performance advantage) - European engineering standards at an affordable price - Superior construction details (enclosed valves, full-floating rear axle, roller bearings) - Organizational continuity—the original chief engineer and department heads still work there The advertisement appeals to buyers interested in mechanical innovation and value. There is no political or social satire present; this represents standard early-automotive marketing discourse emphasizing engineering sophistication to justify pricing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HUPMOBILE LONG-STROKE “32” TOURING CAR, $900 F. 0; B. Detroit, Including equipment of windshield, gat lamps, end generator, oll lamps. tools end hora. Three speeds, for- ward and reverse: sliding gears. Four cylinder motor, 3'4 Inch bore 15} inch siroke, Bosch Magneto, 106 inch wheelbase. 321 33¢ Inch tires. Color, standard Hupmobile Blue. Roadster, $900, ‘Long-Stroke’ Means Long-Stroke In the New Hupmobile We have figured always that it was the wisest kind of en- lightened selfishness to give more than the public ex. pected. Thus, only one motor in America has a longer stroke than the engine in the new Hupmobile ‘32 And the car which shares this distinction with the Hupmobile sells for several times the Hupmobile price of $900. The relation of stroke to bore in the new Hupmobile is the mean average of the best and latest European practice. But we did not stop with this positive assurance of greater pulling power. The cylinders are cast en bloc and the crankshaft, of special drop forged high carbon steel, equipped with three especially liberal bearings, instead of two. Note those evidences of extra-gencrous construction, one at a time, please, and compare them with other cars at the Hupmobile price. Equipped with top, fenerator, oil lamps, tools and horn. Roa: A recent exhaustive report of the efficiency of the Hupmobile runabout in nearly a year of army eervice is contained in a booklet entitled “A Test +" which we will gladly send on request. Observe that the valves, for instance, are not only all at one side—an admirable advantage—but completely encased, yet instantly accessible and oil-tight and dust-proof. You will see in the engine and transmissicn unit a triumph of mechanical adaptation, which makes for increased efficiency and space economy. The full-floating rear axle of the Long-Stroke “32"" is, in itself, a work of high degree, which places the Hup- mobile in an exclusive class. The rear-axle connection is by means of a single universal joint, enclosed in a tapered tubular housing which is jointed to the transmissicn case. By this means we avoid the use of truss rods, yet have pro- duced the strongest and stiffest axle possible, Each rear wheel runs on two roller bearings mounted on the axle tube, while the axle shafts are bolted to the hub flanges. You can ascribe all these constructive advantages to the fact that the Hupmobile organization has always been held practically intact. In every essential it is the same as it was when the first Hup- mobile was built. The chief engineer, E. A. Nelson, is the same man who de- signed the original Hupmobile runabout—whose priority in its own class has never been seriously disputed. The department heads who have been associated with Mr. Nelson and the skillful workmen who have executed his designs, have remained with us in our progressive de- lopment. We should be glad to send to your address 414 x 814 photo- gravures and full description of this handsome car. Hupp Motor Car Company 1231 Jefferson Ave., Detroit, Mich.