Life — August 29, 1912 — page 33: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Its mi who owns—or expects to own an automobile. During the past year the Cadillac Motor Car Company has manufactured and sold 12,000 cars, each one equipped with an electric self-cranking, lighting and ignition system, known as the Deleo—and made by The Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company. . This does not mean much until you know that these were the first such equipments used in the history of the automobile industry— Today these 12,000 Delco equipped cars are giving positive satisfaction to their delighted owners— It is a rather remarkable thing that an absolutely new product should achieve such a pronounced success that the very first car equipped with the Delco system should give perfect the first year of its use service to its owner— And yet it is not remarkable when you know the reason. Here is an Advertisement that is not trying to sell you anything ion is entirely educational—it tells you about something that you couldn’t buy individually if you wanted—and yet it is of intense interest to every man The Delco Electric System Cranking — Lighting — Ignition is the result of bringing together in a highly refined state the principles of automobile and electrical engineering. Theconception of the Delco system dates back anumber of years— the experimental work was all done quietly in our own laboratories. Haste was made slowly in this pioneering work. It was realized at the outset that the vital factor was the perfecting of the system from a mechanical standpoint—It was a device designed to relieve the auto- mobile driver of trouble, annoyance and danger—hence it was especially important that the system itself should be trouble proof and fool proof; that it would not defeat the very purpose for which it was intended. took capital, courage and foresight to spend years in the perfecting of a device for which the automobile world was cagerly waiting—but the wisdom of it all has been fully demonstrated in this first year of actual service. Another vitally important phase of the development work was the safe- guarding of manufacturers and owners by proper patent protection— the Delco company has surrounded its product with broad basic patents that not only insure the ability to make future improvements unham- pered, but that insure the protection of all Delco users from patent an- noyances— year ago with the Delco system thus fully developed and protected it was offered for the first time to an automobile manufacturer—it was thoroughly investigated and tested by the expert engineers of the Cadillac company and was thus adopted as part of the regular equip- ment for 1912— The initial contract called for the entire output of the Delco plant. This was significant—Here was one of the largest and most successful automobile companies in the world practically staking its reputation on the success of the Delco system—Its cars were sent out, to be put into the hands of the owners without any other provision for cranking, lighting and ignition than the Delco system. And the Delco system has made good—positively and emphatically made good, I > It has proven its ‘efficiency in hard dai service to 12,000 delighted owners— The coming year will see more than 40,000 additional Delco equipped cars on the highways— The Cadillac company will again equip its entire output with the Delco system. The Packard Motor Car Company has taken the lead in its class in the use of the Delco equipment. The Hudson Motor Car Company has also contracted for the Delco system for its entire output— So has the Cole Motor Car Company— And there are others—a number of them—all cars that represent the high- est standards in automobile building, announcements of which will be made shortly. And herein is demonstrated the wisdom of the superb foundation that has been laid by the Delco company. ! The same foresight that led this company to expend time and money in the perfecting of the Delco system led it also to provide plant and equipment to care for the business after it had been developed— Twelve hundred expert workmen are now employed in the production of the Delco system. The plant at Dayton covers half a city block and is five stories high. It is one of the most remarkable plants in point of equipment in the United States. Over a million and a half dollars have been invested in the business and there is ample capital back of it—Automobile buyers stand in no danger of being held up because of the inability of the Delco plant to meet its deliveries, The Delco system is very simple and easy to understand—it requires practically no attention—it adds less than 75 pounds to the weight of a car—it will positively and reliably crank the motor. It makes the last word in efficient ignition, and furnishes abundant current for lighting purposes—and it does’ its work 365 days in the year—under all sorts of conditions. And now may we send you the Delco Book giving details of construction and operation—You can’t buy the Delco system direct— You can buy a Delco equipped car, however, and you'll find it the best car in its class in America. THE DAYTON ENGINEERING LABORATORIES COMPANY, Dayton, Ohio 1691 comicbooks.com