Life, 1912-04-04 · page 16 of 80
Life — April 4, 1912 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not a cartoon or satirical content—it's a **straightforward automobile advertisement** for the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, likely from the 1910s-1920s era based on the typography and design style. The ad promotes the Packard "Six" as a luxury vehicle, emphasizing its resale value ("best cash asset"), performance (60 mph acceleration in 30 seconds), maneuverability (tight turning radius), smooth ride, and reliability. The small illustration shows a well-dressed man in formal attire, representing the affluent target demographic. There is no political satire or social commentary here—it's simply a period advertisement highlighting engineering features and durability to attract wealthy buyers. The phrase "Ask the man who owns one" was apparently Packard's marketing slogan, appealing to testimonials from satisfied customers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-LIFE- H ; AQUA NMINANTNSAN ASN OUTS ana e Tata abana a at at staat Ta aa aala rato at a etarnarararer ara lstaatowstote es THE PACKARD IS THE BEST CASH ASSET PACKARD car bought this spring will have a higher relative cash value next Y fall, next year or five years hence than any other car purchased at the same time 2 who owns one FASTEST GETAWAY Sixty miles an hour in 30 seconds from a standing start EASIEST TO DRIVE The Packard ‘‘Six” Touring Car, with a wheelbase of 133 inches, will turn around in a street 44 feet wide THE SMOOTHEST RUNNING MOTOR AND THE EASIEST RIDING CAR, EVEN AT SPEEDS FROM 60 TO 70 MILES AN HOUR Any kind of a demonstration on any kind of a road by any Packard dealer 32-PAGE CATALOG UPON REQUEST Packard Motor Car Company, Detroit HEIR eee (III Ee 080 Comicbooks.com