Life, 1912-06-13 · page 29 of 44
Life — June 13, 1912 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **automobile advertisement** for the Hupmobile car, not a political cartoon. The page showcases two car models ($750 and $900) and emphasizes manufacturing quality through detailed imagery. The centerpiece is a photograph of a factory worker reaming out engine bearings, accompanied by lengthy technical explanation. This demonstrates the company's quality-control philosophy: meticulous craftsmanship that ensures longevity rather than quick sales. The advertising message emphasizes durability and value—"to build for the future, and not for the sales of the moment." By highlighting the three-bearing crankshaft (typically found only in expensive $2,500+ cars), Hupmobile positions itself as offering luxury-level engineering at mid-market prices. This reflects early automotive industry competition, where manufacturers differentiated through claimed superior construction rather than style or performance. The page targets buyers valuing reliability and long-term value over fashion.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Standard 20 H. P. Runabout, $750 oit, with same power plant that took the ar around the workl—4 cylinders, 20 H. P.. - ped with top, wind= fas lampa and generator, oil lamps, tools and horn. er, 10-inch wheelba Long-Stroke ‘32’ Touring Car, $900 F, O, B, Detroit, including equipment of windshield, rE wae Z oil lamp, stools and ¢ speeds forward and reverse; # cylinder’ motor, ch stroke, Bosch ma; lo Blue, This man’s duty is to ream out the main bear- ings of the motor. The three bearings are reamed out at the same time; perfect alignment being thus assured by the very first operation to which they are submitted after having been cast. From this operation, the crank case passes on to the led workers who scrape the bi ings to a minute degree of exa marvelous smoothness, fitting the crank- shaft with such nicety that any possibility of undue or uneven wear is precluded. Please note the extra-generous width of the two end bearings; and the third or center bearing for the crankshaft—a decidedly unusual feature, in a motor cast en bloc, unless the car costs about $2,500. ‘The careful workmanship told of here is typical operation in the great Hupmobile ° crankshaft bearings, instead of the two usually vided in a medium priced car, are indicative of the quality and the exceptional value that stamp the mobile an unusual car, 4 the crank caso in the pieture is shown the crank- \. with connecting roda in place; and on the floor own the three-bearing camshaft. MMU wheelbase: 3: tires, dard Hupmobil . One thought dominates this organization and impresses itself upon every operation that enters into the construction of the car. To build for the future, and not for the sales of the moment—to build so scrupulously, so soundly and so well, that the lapse of years will find in the Hupmobile owner a deep and abiding sense of service rendered and value received. We believe the Hupmobile to be, in its class, the best car in the world. Hupp Motor Car Company 1231 Milwaukee Ave., Detroit, Mich. Canadian Factory, Windsor, Ontario