Life, 1918-05-23 · page 39 of 40
Life — May 23, 1918 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **car advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes the Templar automobile—"The Superfine Small Car"—a four-passenger vehicle manufactured by Templar Motors Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio. The ad emphasizes practical features appealing to early 20th-century consumers: four doors for easy entry, comfortable individual front seats, rear legroom, and an economical top-valve motor. The text targets both individual buyers seeking an affordable, reliable car and merchants recognizing market demand for such vehicles. The illustration shows a side-view technical drawing of the Templar's chassis and body, highlighting its compact design. The decorative border and "Vitalic Top-Valve Motor" branding are typical period advertising aesthetics. There is **no political cartoon or satire present**—this is straightforward commercial marketing from the early automotive era, when small cars represented new accessibility for middle-class consumers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“The Superfine Small Car’ THE FOUR PASSENGER ERE’ combination of antages—the first “ Superfine Small Car” and the first really comfortable small four passenger sport model. Four doors—a comfortable car to get into and out of. Two form fitting individual front seats, with je-way between and a really comfortable rear seat for two—with plenty of leg room. The Templar Top-Valve Motor—small—com- pact—exceptionally powerful—lively and smooth. “The Superfine Small Car “—the Templar— is the only car built that is both good enough and small enough to be truly economical. We are glad to hear from those who want to own such a car—also from motor car merchants who appreciate the big field for such a car. Write to us. The Templar Motors Corporation a 2200 Halsted St., Lakewood, Cleveland, Ohio Body Styles and Prices, f. 0. b. Cleveland F Pe Rg g - 5 Vitalic Top-Valve Motor comicbooks.com