Life, 1914-03-05 · page 59 of 60
Life — March 5, 1914 — page 59: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **advertisement**, not satire, though it employs a satirical narrative frame. The "cartoon" is an illustration of a well-dressed couple in a 1914 automobile. The ad's central argument: A foreign manufacturer, given the Overland's specs, calculated it could only sell for ~$1500 if produced in small batches (1,000-1,500 cars/year). Willys-Overland counters that they produce **50,000 cars annually**, enabling economies of scale that allow a $950 price point—impossible under conventional manufacturing wisdom. The satire targets those who cannot imagine mass production's transformative power. The foreign manufacturer represents "small business" thinking; Overland represents American manufacturing innovation and scale. **For modern readers**: This reflects early-20th-century American pride in mass production as a competitive advantage—the ideology Henry Ford epitomized. The ad suggests American manufacturers understood efficiency foreign competitors grasped only theoretically. The $950 price undercuts luxury cars costing $1200-1400, positioning affordability as revolutionary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Comp'etely Equipped, f. 0. b. Toledo, With Electric Starter and Generator, $1075, f.0. b. Toledo PROMINENT foreign automobile manufacturer was given the blue-prints and detailed specifications of the 1914 Overland and asked to figure out what the car could be sold for. After considerable figuring and calculating he reported that if the model were manufactured in large lots of from one thousand to fifteen hundred cars a year, it could be sold for approximately $1500. Now note that he specified ‘°1000 cars a year’’ as large lots. week! And there is the difference. This man was an excellent manufacturer, but accustomed to doing business on, what we call, a small basis. Our idea of small business was his idea of big business. Fifty thousand cars a year (our production) was beyond his limited conception. We make that many ina When we told him we could market the car for $950 he said it was a mechanical im- possibility; inferred we were crazy. A good many people are like this foreign manufacturer. They cannot grasp what $0,000 cars a year means. They cannot understand the numerous and various manufacturing economies, which such an enormous production effects. Yet if they will but compare the $950 Overland with most any of the $1200 to $1400 cars they will be unable to find much material difference. There are over 3000 Overland dealers. Look up the one in your town. Examine this car carefully. Handsome 1914 catalogue and name of nearest dealer on request. Please address Dept. 16 The Willys-Overland Company, Toledo, Ohio Electric, hi side 35 Horsepower Stewart speedometer SPECIFICATIONS: tail and dash lish lide salar” Mohair top, exrtains — ——$___ Storage battery 3324 Q. D, tires and boot Manulacturers of the Jamous Overland Delivery Wagons, Garlord and Willys-Utility Tracks. all information on request Cear-vision rain vision wind shield Electric horn