Life — September 9, 1915 — page 33: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘LIFE: THE WORLD’S RECORD LOW GEAR RUN Me HE life of the average motor car,’’ says a writer from the war zone, ‘‘is less than thirty days.’ Not referrin to destruction by shot anil shell, but to wear and tear —the inability’ of the car to hold up under hard service over rough roads. Here for the first time, the automobile world is finding out what happens when a motor car is driven by men _ who cannot spare a thought for the car but only for the service they get out of it. The biggest problem the mo- torist faces today is wear and tear and depreciation. Last year these two items alone cost the car own- ers of America $400,000,000. Your average owner hesitates to demand from his car all the service he hasaright to expect. He is always favoring the engine, the tires, the complex system of parts and plumbing. Taking all possible care, he still faces an unreasonable depreciation. Car owners, patient and a bit timid. at first, are asking in more insistent terms than (B60NILES 83 hours and 40 Pass in California. Low Gear. ever—What will the car do and what will it cost in upkeep and depreciation ? How many motorists have ever seen a Franklin Car in the Used Car Dealers’—or offered in the Sale and Exchange columns of the Sunday papers? Hankin cars built in 1902 and 1903 are still running. tan ben roe el he Larszessen seed Here is the hardest test an automobile was ever put to—a practical demonstration of what a Franklin Car can do, and of the great efficiency of Franklin Direct-Air-Cooling. At 5.50 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, August 4th, this Franklin Car arrived in San Francisco at the finish—after a run of 860 miles on low gear from Walla Walla, Washington, all the way withoat once stopping the engine. High and Second gears were removed from the car, and the transmission sealed before the start low car officially inspected and affidavit made by technical observers in San Francisco. Run: hour. route was the hardest pastbin, ead was purposely chosen as an additional test of the dependability of the Franklin Car—through the John Day River Gorges, the Harney Desert in Southern Oregon, the Siskiou Mountains and the Burney minutes—over 10 miles an Two things are responsible for the long service life of the Franklin Car—The Franklin System of Direct- Air-Cooling, and the Frank- lin Scientific Light-Weight. The Franklin: Direct-Air- Cooling System does away with L177 parts—piping, pump, gears and fittings— the weight of water, the ILESetcacees| ~=WHEN 14468 te re bs Se Faces db uy olen Cea Te bt ad reared fs will he Arrive § danger of freezing in Winter, of boiling in Summer, of bursting pipes, leaky radiator and cracked water jackets. Scientific Light-Weight means first of all a critical selection of cvatertale For the Franklin alloy steel we pay a premium of fifty per cent, to obtain the highest quality. The vanadium cast iron in Frank- lin cylinders costs ten per cent more than the gray cast iron commonly used. Owing to the grade of steel, Franklin springs cost fifty per cent more than the usual automobile springs. The laminated wood sill of the Franklin costs fifty per cent more than the typical steel frame—but is stronger, lighter, more resilient: adds to the flexibility and comfort of the car. If you have owned and operated any make of motor car, you have some first-hand experience with repair costs and depreciation. The Franklin Facts about long service life can be obtained from any Franklin dealer. Get them. They mean more to you today than ever. FRANKLIN AUTOMOBILE COMPANY SYRACUSE, N. Y. comicbooks.com