Life, 1915-11-11 · page 35 of 44
Life — November 11, 1915 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire page**, but rather a **straightforward automobile advertisement** from Life magazine (1916). The Studebaker company advertises their 40-horsepower, seven-passenger touring car, emphasizing a dramatic price reduction from $985 to $885—a $100 cut—while claiming the vehicle itself has been *improved* in nearly every way: better materials, larger wheelbase (108 to 112 inches), increased tire size, upgraded motor, and expanded seating capacity. The ad's rhetorical strategy—"nothing but the price has been decreased"—attempts to convince buyers that this represents unprecedented value: you're paying *less* while getting *more*. The photograph shows well-dressed passengers in an open-air touring car, and the tagline "More than 195,000 Studebaker Cars now in use" serves as social proof. There is **no political satire or social commentary** visible. This is a period automobile advertisement targeting middle-class American consumers by leveraging the appeal of both affordability and quality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE vorst ctor, 1 the | the yther gen than nes: from & pplied fr HIS FORTY Horse Power, SEVEN-passenger, 4-cylinder Studebaker at $885 represents one of the most remarkable accomplishments of the year. It is a history-maker. Price has been REDUCED from $985 to $885—and yet even with this reduction of $100, the car itself has been GREATLY INCREASED in POWER, size and quality. Nothing but the price has been decreased. Wherever a change was made in material, BETTER materials were used. The upholstery, for example, is the finest, genuit hand-buffed, semi-glazed leather he wheelbase fe INCREASED from 108 to 112 laches. The capachty is INCREASED from FIVE to SEVEN passengers. The tires are INCREASED from 3324 to34x4Goodrich. The motor is INCREASED from 34 x5 to 3/t-in, bore x S-in stroke, FORTY Horse Power, and in power and flexibility equals most of the ‘SIX motors on the market. Xet the car has the SAME rellable Wagner Electric System, the SAME. quick stop b: Safety-INSURING Full-floating 1 ‘one man top; control equipment— 6 gauge, peedometer, etc., all grouped on center of dach under one light—in unobstructed view and within easy reach of the driver. By REDUCING the price and yet giving even GREATER value at the reduced price, Studebaker has set a new standard of value for 4-c: the car at once. And write for 1916 catalog STUDEBAKER South Bend, Ind. Walkerville, Ont. Detroit, Mich. Address all correspondence to Detroit Four-Cylinder Models Touring Cer, 7-pase. . $885 Roadsters 3} Landi pass. 1495, F. 0. B. Walkerville Six-Cylinder Models Touring Car. 7-pase. . $1050 Readeter, S-pase Landau-Roa r.3-paan 1350 a, ss. 1550 F.0.B. Det Canadian Price Towing Car, 7-pass. EoaieutHocdater'S pase, 1898 sae OB. Walkccrile More than 195.000 Studebaker Cars now EDU Ay" in use comicbooks.com