Life, 1912-08-15 · page 27 of 40
Life — August 15, 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, circa 1913. The page advertises the **Overland 1913 Model 69-T**, a 5-passenger touring car priced at $985, described as "completely equipped." The ad emphasizes value proposition: claiming that the same car stripped of equipment would cost $1,200 elsewhere, but Overland achieves this price through mass production (40,000 units annually). Features listed include a self-starter, 30 horsepower, Timken bearings, and various optional upgrades (magneto, speedometer, mohair top, windshield). The manufacturer, **Willys-Overland Company of Toledo, Ohio**, positions this as "the industry's record value." The ad reflects early automotive marketing strategy: emphasizing technological features (self-starters were still relatively novel) and economies of scale as selling points to a readership for whom automobiles were luxury goods.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
1985 guyze 1913 Completely Equipped Some of the Big Features Self Starter . $50 Remy Magneto 30 Horsepower $50 Warner Speed- 5 Pi Te i ometer "are $50 Mohair Top and Boot 110 fach Vinee i Base $25 Clear Vision Timken Bearings Wind Shield Center Control $25 Prestolite Tank N any other make this car, stripped of its complete equip- ment, would cost you $1200. A production of 40,000 automobiles a year makes this car at this price possible. It is the industry’s record value. Study the specifications. Absorb the big facts and you'll realize the big value. See the Overland dealer in your city. Let us send you one of our 1913 catalogues. Please ask for book D 28. comicbooks.com