Life, 1917-05-17 · page 31 of 35
Life — May 17, 1917 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page automobile advertisement**, not political satire or a cartoon. It promotes the Studebaker Series 18 car from the early 1920s era. The illustration shows a stylized open-air touring car loaded with well-dressed passengers and their belongings (including what appears to be a house), emphasizing the vehicle's spaciousness and social appeal for leisure travel. The ad's messaging targets middle-class buyers by highlighting: - **Quality**: "ninety distinct improvements" over previous models - **Economy**: fuel efficiency and tire durability - **Service**: extensive dealer network (6,500 dealers, 21 branch houses) Notable period details include the tonneau (rear passenger area) with folding auxiliary seats, emphasizing the car's social function for entertaining. The prices ($985 for the Four, $1,250 for the Six) and manufacturing locations (Detroit, South Bend, Walkerville) reflect Studebaker's prominence as a major American automaker before its eventual decline.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
QUALITY S LUDEBAIER has spent four years in refining, improving and perfecting a single basic design. Each year Studebaker has made better automobiles. The Series 18 Studebakers are the best cars Studebaker has ever produced. -y embody ninety distinctimprovements nements of mechanical construction, ience and comfort over the Series -which was the car that made such aremarkable record for Studebaker in 1916. Studied accessibility reduces inspection, adjustment and repair costs toa minimum. In ratio to weight the Studebaker Series 18 cars are probably the most powerful cars on the market. In ratio to power they are most economical in gasoline consumption. FOUR*985 Detroit, Michigan * ECONOMY * Their balance is so perfected that a single set of tires frequently runs from 8,000 to 10,000 miles. Studebaker carsare furnished ina distinctive and pleasing shade of dark gun-metal gray with ivory stripings— the paint and var- nish work is excellent. All upholstery is of genuine leather — leather not only genuine but high grade. The individual front seats are form-fitting and adjustable forward and backward to all leg lengths. A touch of the hand will reverse the right hand front seat so that its occupant may face the tonneau—think what this adds to the sociability of a party. The auxiliary arm chairs in the tonneau fold away out of sight under the rear seat when not in use, thus converting the ESTABLISHED 4852 South Bend, indiana Address all correspondence to South Bend SERVICE seven-passenger car into a perfect five-pas- senger car. All Studebaker equipment is of the highest class— for example, the deep crimson ton- neau carpet is bound with leather, the ignition lock is a real pin-tumbler Yale lock. Studebaker systematic service, rendered by 21 branch houses and 6,500 Studebaker dealers everywhere, insures your perman- ent service satisfaction. The industry's own figures show that to equal Studebaker cars in all essential points you must pay hundreds of dollars more Studebaker cars are guaranteed for one year against all defects of material and workmanship. Studebaker dealers will gladly show you, point by point, the convincing proof of Studebaker value. SIX $1250 Walkerville, Ontario comichooks.ceyn)