Life, 1919-05-22 · page 6 of 42
Life — May 22, 1919 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a satirical cartoon page** but rather a **straightforward advertisement** for the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit. The ad argues that corporations should buy Packards instead of cheaper cars, claiming superior business value through reliability, durability, and professional appearance. It emphasizes the car's smooth handling, efficiency on high gear at low speeds, and low maintenance costs—positioning the Packard as economical despite higher initial cost. The tagline "Ask the Man Who Owns One" was Packard's actual advertising slogan. The illustration shows a side-profile drawing of a Packard automobile. This represents early automotive advertising targeting business executives, not political satire. The appeal is practical and economic rather than humorous or satirical.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
EES TS STS Teles ay Cheaper Transportation instead of Cheaper Cars ORPORATIONS require cars for the use of executives. They can afford to buy to the best advantage. They choose Packards for definite busi- ness considerations: longer life and higher second-hand value; ease of hand- ling ; lower maintenance cost; reliability; economy and safety; and because the Packard is professional through and through. HERE are a good many men in a rut as to motoring possibilities. They don’t know what they are missing or what it is costing them to use a compromise car. They never will know until they get their hands on the steering wheel of a Packard Twin Six, fecl its sensitive response, its pick- up and get-away, its pep and go, its ease of control, its absolute smoothness and accuracy. The Twin Six is a remarkable car to handle in traffic. It is a revelation to the man who now grinds and jerks along in congested city streets. It canbe throttled down on high gear as low as two miles an hour and most of its work is done on high. From two miles an hour it will, in a few blocks, pull up to better than a mile a minute. But with all its speed and power, it is not a racing machine; it has none of the limita- tions of the car built for fast travel over short distance; and it doesn’t make you pay for power you don’t use. One prominent industrial man says, ‘‘The Packard has added at least three hours to my potential business day.’’ Another says, ‘‘With the Packard I can live 20 miles farther in the country.’" Another says, ‘‘I can cover more ground and keep to schedule by my watch. These days the Packard is more reliable than the train: Another, ‘‘The Packard is one shining example of a motor car that an owner might elect to drive and care for himself."" There is a new science of transportation— that of motor-vehicle performance, mainte- nance and cost. It has to do with your car and its duty, however limited its use. The Packard people are transportation ex- perts; they have more to tell you on this sub- ject than any other organization in the world. You can ask them to discuss your car prob- lem without obligation. It is to your interest and profit to do so. ) PACKARD MOTOR CAR COMPANY, Detroit “Ask the Man Who Owns One”’ Toad ca TER a mea eae rea eae eee Pea cee Tem eae ea renee ered a Tren Te comicbooks.com