Life, 1915-06-10 · page 41 of 48
Life — June 10, 1915 — page 41: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a Studebaker automobile advertisement disguised as editorial content. The image shows mechanics and salesmen inspecting a Studebaker Six automobile, presenting it as a thoroughly quality-built vehicle. The advertisement's central claim—"Look for Quality EVERYWHERE—not just in 'spots'"—responds to competitor advertising of the era, which typically highlighted one exceptional feature. Studebaker counters that its Six is comprehensively well-made across all components: engine, brakes, suspension, body, doors, and electrical systems. The context: Post-World War I Americans were buying cars eagerly, and manufacturers competed aggressively on value. At $1,385, the Six undercuts competitors charging significantly more for comparable quality. The ad emphasizes Studebaker's manufacturing capacity ("148-acre plants") and production volume (25,000 cars in six months) to suggest both efficiency and reliability. The "order NOW" box conveys artificial scarcity to motivate immediate purchase—a marketing tactic as old as advertising itself.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
\ E TEE Order NOW-—if you want a Studebaker That's our advice on the 4 this issue of Life goes to pres: ‘With 148-acre plants, the larg- est in the industry, most ot them running overtime, we aren't going to be able to fill anything like the orders we're getting. We've built 25,000ca during the last six mont! the winter months at thi and even then, there's a Shor ¢ of SIXES 'in sight. Your local Dealer may have a few left—but not for long. Better see him NOW. Studebaker Prices Studebaker ROADSTER - $ 985 Studebaker FOUR - - - 985 Studebaker SIX, 7-passenger 1450 F. 0, B. Detroit Prices in Canada Studebaker ROADSTER + $1250 Studebaker FOUR + 1250 Studebaker SIX: - - - - 1750 Studebaker SIX, 7-passenger 1825 F. O. B. Walkerville, Ont. See how wide and casy~ Note the room in the driver's seat — room forthe tallest man to sit in COMFORT y fish that's put BRIGHT with 20 fatishing operation? Look for Quality EVERY where —not just in spots” You can find many cars that excel in this or that detail of construction. One will talk POWER steadily—because it has paid most attention to power—developed that one quality more highly than others. Another, perhaps, will talk of its light weight—because its engineers have devoted especial attention to doing away with useless weight. Others will tell you of this or that BIG excellence. But Studebaker emphasizes no ONE ex- cellence in this Studebaker SIX to the exclusion of all others. For the simple reason that Studebaker has built this Six to be 100 per cent. quality from “stem to stern.” It's the “evenly built” SIX, Straight thro’ the car you can go and find QUALITY in every detail. No one feature over-developed. But every highly developed as Stude- $45,000,000 resources permit. And that is why men who have in the past paid high prices for Sixes—twice, thrice the price of this Studebaker buying Studebakers. at $1385 this Stude- baker SIX gives all that formerly they paid much higher prices for. They find a long and massive car—a car that sits close to the road. With a finish that few ca ny price can match—a smooth and satiny lus- tre that STAYS new. Handsome CROWN fenders and run- ning-boards free of tires and tool- boxes, hidden handles of the doors- all lend grace to the looks of the car They find a big, inviting car—with room enough in the driver's seat for the tallest man to sit in comfort,even thro’ long days of touring. Plenty of room in the tonneau, too—and wide, roomy cushions, deep and restful. STUDEBAKER—DETROIT The doors, too, are wide and easy to open. The hinges and the catches are cunningly hidden. And merely a glance at that simple motor suffices to show any man how. simply and cleanly designed it is —marvelously accessible in its every detail, And then, you find a simple, RELI- ABLE-at-any-speed Battery Ignition system developed on the THREE years’ road experience of over 100,000 Studeboker owners. And that Studebaker FULL-floating Rear Axle, for example, catches the eye ofevery man who has ever driven acar. Simplicity itself in design, it ge tg the, men whe knows cars—"SAFETY” and “AC- CESSIBILITY ” The EASIEST-riding Car you ever sat in The radius rods and torque arm say that thecar rides freely and smoothly FULL-foating Rear Axle with extra strong pressed steel housing on ANY roads, And three-quart elliptic springs with spring-shack! at both ends to take up end-pla: make the car marvelously EASY: riding. You find a brake equalizer such as only one ofthe $5,000 cars uses. Over- size brakes, too, that insure SAFETY. You find a deft balance of chassis that makes the car EASIER-riding, easier- driving—easier on tires, too, Can you get more—even *tho you pay more? And so youcan go from stem to stern of this Studebaker SIX and find QUALITY—in every little deta And when you stand it side by si price, you will have to answer a very decided doubt in your own ming to whether you CAN get more than $1385 will buy in this Studebaker SIX. See it at your local Studebaker deater's—and EARLY if you hope for prompt delivery. Canadian Plants, Walkerville, Ont. comicbooks.com