Life, 1914-09-24 · page 37 of 45
Life — September 24, 1914 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **car advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes the Overland automobile by the Willys-Overland Company (Toledo, Ohio), priced at $850—positioned as unexpectedly affordable for its features. The illustration shows a well-dressed family and gentleman with a dog admiring the vehicle, emphasizing it as a desirable product for respectable middle-class consumers. The "unexpected" angle is the value proposition: a five-passenger touring car with electric starter, electric lights, and quality construction selling below $1,000—remarkable for 1915. Key selling points include modern conveniences (electric starting/lighting), comfort features (high-grade upholstery, ventilation), and specifications (30 H.P. motor, stream-line body). This reflects early automotive marketing targeting consumers transitioning from horses to motorized transport. The page includes variant models and pricing, suggesting broad market appeal across income levels.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Unexpected— An Overland—electrically This is the very first car started, electrically lighted, of this design, quality, size, stream-line body, 4-inch tires, capacity, power and elec- large five-passenger touring trical equipment, to sell be- car—priced at only $850. low $1000. Specifications: 30H. P. motor High-grade upholstery Left-hand drive Stream-line body Thermo-syphon cooling Center control Ample room for five passengers Five bearing crankshaft Body color: Brewster green with Electrically started : ivory white stripin: Electrically lighted Rear axle; floating type ry ping Electric horn Rear springs ; extra long, Complete equipment, including elec- High tension magneto underslung, 3-4 elliptic tric head, side, dash and tail All electric switches on instrument 106-inch wheelbase lights, electric horn, top, top cover, board of cowl dash 33-inch x 4-inch tires robe rail, speedometer and ven- Ventilating, rain-vision type Demountable rims tilating, rain-vision type wind- windshield One extra rim shield. Two-Passenger Roadster - : . : - $795 Delivery Wagon with open body - - $850 Delivery Wagon with closed body - - $895 The server four-cylinder Overland Touring car - + $1075 35 H. P. four, -passenger Coupe . - $1600 All Prices f. 0. b. Toledo, Ohio Handsome 1915 catalogue on request. Please address Dept. 016 The Willys-Overland Company, Toledo, Ohio