Life, 1915-07-01 · page 5 of 44
Life — July 1, 1915 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **Hudson automobile advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It announces the 1916 Hudson "Road Cruiser" model at $1,350 (down $200 from a prior price). The ad emphasizes luxury features: yacht-line body, ever-lustre finish, roomier tonneau (rear seating), and leather upholstery. It boasts the company's production capacity—100 cars daily, 20,000 annually—positioning Hudson as a quality competitor to higher-priced models. The left sidebar lists competing features: yacht-line body design, graceful styling, and roomy interiors. The ad's tone suggests Hudson is marketing affordability without sacrificing luxury, appealing to middle-class buyers seeking status symbols. This reflects early automotive industry competition and the era's emphasis on mass production meeting consumer demand.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Four More Heights Scaled by HUDSON 1—Yacht-Line Body 2—Ever-Lustre Finish 3—Roomier Tonneau 4—A $1350 Price All these attractions are added now to this prince of the new-day Sixes. A body so graceful, so unbroken in line, that the car has been called “The Road Cruiser.” All the former attempts at flowing lines now seem crude in comparison with it. A roomier tonneau, an extra-wide rear seat. The most comfortable seats you have ever known. Room in plenty for seven people. Yet the tonneau room is doubled when the two extra seats disappear. Enameled leather upholstery. A leather-bound top-piece to body and doors. $100,000 Finish And now a finish, to equip for which cost us $100,000, We have built enormous ovens, which hundreds of bodies can enter at a time. Each coat of finish is now applied under pres. sure, Each goes to the oven for baking. The result is a brilliant finish which resists attack, This 1916 HUDSON will retain its look of newness. And now our output is 100 cars daily—of this one type alone, That has made possible a $200 reduction. ‘That, with last year’s reduction, makes $400 since this new-type car came out. This car sold at $1750 only 15 months ago. Since then, 51 improvements have been added. There is more of luxury, comfort, room and beauty, plus this Ever-Lustre finish, Yet the new price is $1350, because of a multiplied output. 24 Million Dollars Paid in 20 Months This new-type HUDSON has been a sur- prise. We knew it would win in the long run. But we did not expect such sudden change to lightness and refinement. t's the reason for past delays. On our first model we never caught up with our orders. On our second model, all last sum- mer we were thousands of cars behind. In 20 months this car trebled our output. And in those 20 months men paid for it over $24,000,000. greater marvel is the present HUDSON ‘ery old idea of a quality car is now This is apparent everywhere in the class of men who own it. We shall this season build 20,000—the largest output ever known ona Six. But this summer's demand—while the model is new—is bound to exceed our production. It will be the car you want if you buy a Six. We urge you who want carly summer delivery to sce your HUDSON dealer at once. If not, see the car as a matter of interest. See what the new things are. 7-Passenger Phaeton or 3-Pas- senger Roadster, $1350, f. 0. b. Detroit. Alsoa NewCabriolet, $1650, f. o. b. Detroit. HUDSON MOTORCARCOMPANY DETROIT, MICHIGAN Perhaps our strongest is the 5 ppeal to men who know SSS comicbooks.com