Life, 1913-10-02 · page 8 of 48
Life — October 2, 1913 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page advertisement** for The Locomobile Company of America, not satirical content. The ad presents a business philosophy contrasting two manufacturing approaches: mass production (1000 cars daily) versus limited production emphasizing quality. Locomobile positions itself in the second category, claiming to be "The Best Built Car in America." The text argues their strategy of producing only four cars daily allows superior craftsmanship compared to competitors pursuing volume. Locomobile claims each vehicle receives individual attention and represents the highest quality, like a "Chronometer" rather than a "dollar watch." The advertisement reassures potential buyers that despite demand, Locomobile will maintain limited production and quality standards rather than expand manufacturing. This reflects early 1900s automotive industry debates about production philosophy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
= = ore << G) Qs. ASD) as rss posins) TSS DOOD Four Cars a Day There are but two logical methods of building motor cars. One method is to produce cars in enormous quantities so as to bring the price down as low as possible. The other method is to produce cars in limited quantities so that each car will be of the highest quality. Each system has but one real exponent. In a middle Western city, ‘‘mass pro- duction’’ enables a good small car to be made and sold at a low figure. Ina New England city, ‘‘The Best Built Car in America”’ is produced practical- ly car by car, by the finest mechanics in the world. One car carries out one ideal, the other a totally different ideal. Both are right. Both are built, not assembled. One company makes 1000 cars a day, the other company Four Carsa Day. The idea back of one car is to give the most for the money; the idea back of the other is to give the best, regardless of price. The smaller car is turned out like the well-known and worth while ‘dollar watch.”’ The greater car is built like a Chronometer. Any other car is a compromise. The Locomobile now occupies a pecul- iar position. It is the only high-grade car whose sales have increased during the past two years. ‘This success of the Locomobile is due to the policy of building not more than four cars a day. All of the power and the experience of the Locomobile organization has been concentrated on a limited production. Years ago we concluded that just so surely as the best cheap car could only be produced in very large number, just so surely could the car af highest quality be produced only in limited quantities. Our policy from the very start was to build cars in small lots so that each car could have the most intimate attention. When others were increasing their plants and building more cars, we were increasing our quality, striving to make the Locomobile ‘The Best Built Car in America.” Every Locomobile has been like every other Locomobile. Every Locomo- bile has been built with the utmost care. Every Locomobile has been built to carry out the ideal of quality, not a commonplace, commercial ideal. The Locomobile will. be made as it always has been made, in limited quan- tities—and with unlimited care. _ (De- spite the present demand for the Loco- mobile and despite any rumor to the contrary, we will not increase our production and make more cars). There will always be a demand for the limited number of cars we make. Because we have been building for the fatare, our plant will always run at capacity, without reducing the quality of our prodact or price. THE LOCOMOBILE COMPANY OF AMERICA BRIDGEPORT, CONN. = SSE? IS Z9) CCU Ci SSS Oe = SE OSE (OPS = OSSEe (c (MMA. xx 229 KOS KOoFX wa)! == za [LLG IRD BSE x CEs PEAS! comicbooks.com