Life, 1914-05-28 · page 31 of 44
Life — May 28, 1914 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward automobile advertisement from Life magazine's early automotive era. The page compares two cars through contrasting images: a speedy roadster (top) labeled "Sixty Miles an Hour and No Stops" versus a slower family sedan (bottom) labeled "Fifteen Miles an Hour and Many Stops." The ad promotes **Delco electrical systems** (cranking, lighting, ignition), manufactured by Dayton Engineering Laboratories. It argues that Delco-equipped cars are superior because they maintain battery charge and reliability regardless of driving speed or frequency of stops—a significant technical advantage when automobiles were still relatively new and unreliable. The "satire" is implied humor: wealthy buyers want fast cars without stopping; ordinary drivers need reliable cars for frequent stops. Yet Delco works equally well for both, making it the intelligent choice. This reflects early 1920s American automotive culture when car ownership was still a marker of status.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
appetizing in stamps Sixty Miles an Hour and No Stops-Or, \ BECO RANKING LIGHTING IGNITIONS é Why Are Delco Equipped Cars So Eagerly Sought After by Intelligent Automobile Buyers? Why is it_that before the end of the season Delco Equipped Cars are almost invariably oversold? Why is it that Delco factories in spite of their constantly increasing output have never been able to supply the demand made upon them? Frankly—it is because more than 115,000 car owners have so emphatically demonstrated Delco efficiency— Because—owing to the fundamentally correct principles upon which Delco engineering is based, the owner of a Delco Equipped Car is practically certain of perfect cranking, lighting and ignition no matter whether he drives his car sixty miles an hour with few stops or fifteen miles an hour with many stops. There are three underlying principles of successful electrical equipment for a gas car— eS SPS First—Its ability to maintain a fully charged battery no matter how fast, or how slow the car is driven Second—Its ability to stand up under the excessive strains and stresses of hard driving. Third—Its adaptability to the particular car upon which it is used. The simplicity and correctness of Delco design—the almost unbreakable character of Delco construction and the wide range of Delco efficiency have back of them the testimony of three years of actual service on the very highest type of American cars, and the experience cf more than 115,000 thoroughly satisfied owners. That is why this season as in former seasons, the de- mand for Delco Equipped Cars is greater than the fac- tories can supply. The Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co. Dayton, Ohio ifteen Miles an Hour and Many Stops comicbooks.com