Life — April 3, 1913 — page 33: what you’re looking at

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

In Many a car will run well for one summer. But in five years from now where will flimsy cars be? And what will they cost in the meantime? “Dear Mr. Olds: I have run one of your cars for 75,000 miles, and it still runs as well as any new car I know.” That's from one of the letters which come to me constantly. And legions of men saying such things to others give to my cars the place they hold after 26 years of car building. It Isn’t Easy It isn’t easy in these days of fierce competition to build a really honest car. In Reo the Fifth it means $200 more than such a car need cost. And nearly all that extra cost is hidden. It is years, sometimes, be- fore users learn its meaning. Note what it means to the maker. He must have all steel made to for- 1918—What? By R. E. Olds, Designer mula. To make sure of its strength he must analyze it twice. Each driving part must be given all the strength it needs, then 50 per cent extra strength must be added. He must use big tires—we use 34x4 —to cut down tire upkeep. He must use roller bearings—we use 15—where common ball bearings cost one-fifth as much. To escape all flaws he must use drop forgings. We use 190. He must use a $75 magneto—a doubly-heated car- buretor—big brake drums, big springs, He must test his gears in a 50-ton crusher. He must test his engines for 48 hours in many radical ways. And he must have scores of in- spectors and testers watching every part of that car. To the User To the user it means an almost trouble-proof car. A car with low cost of upkeep. A car that meets every strain. A car that continues, year after year, to render perfect service. And a car that saves hundreds of dollars in repairs, upkeep and trouble. You get this all in Reo the Fifth, and countless users know it. And you get it at an underprice. For all this extra cost is saved by our wonder- ful factory efficiency. We save 20 per cent in one way alone—by building a single model. Every machine and tool in this fac- tory is adapted to this one car. And we make all our own parts. That's how a car such zs I describe can be sold at the Reo price. New Control This car has our new control. All the gear shifting is done by one center rod, entirely out of the way. It is done by moving this rod only three inches in each of four directions. There are no levers to clog the way of the driver. Both brakes are oper- ated by foot pedals. And this car, like all the leading cars, has the left side drive. Write for our catalog and we'll direct They you to the nearest Reo showroom. are everywhere. R. M. Owen & Co., General Sales Agents for Reo Motor Car Co., Lansing, Mich. 30-35 Horsepower Wheel Base— 112 Taches Tires— 34x4 Inches Ceater Control 15 Roller Bearings Demountable Rims Three Electric Lights 190 Drop F Made with 5 2 Passenger Bodies ‘Top and windshield not tacluded In price. Wi shield, gas tank for headlights, speedometer, Canadian Factory, St. Catharines, Ont. \. Ip this car with mohalr top, side curtal ter, extra rim and brackets—all for $ Reo the Fifth The 1913 Series 14 slip cover, winds ra (list price $170). (Gray & Davis Electric Lighting and Starting System at an extra price, if wanted.) comicbooks.com