Life — April 24, 1913 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a **full-page advertisement**, not satirical content. It promotes the Packard automobile (models "38" and "48") from the Packard Motor Car Company in Detroit. The ad emphasizes luxury features: mechanical reliability, suspension comfort, spring suspension with plush upholstery, and control on rough roads. A notable technical claim is that the Packard Six is "the only car that combines left drive and electric self starter with separate magneto ignition and centralized control." The closing line—"Ask the man who owns one"—became Packard's famous advertising slogan, implying that satisfied owners would endorse the vehicle. For modern readers: this represents early automotive marketing targeting affluent buyers by emphasizing engineering sophistication and comfort rather than speed or style.