Life, 1919-09-25 · page 6 of 40
Life — September 25, 1919 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **primarily an advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It's a Packard Motor Car Company ad from *Life* magazine (page 532). The top section shows a cross-section diagram of the Packard Twin-Six engine, emphasizing its engineering refinement. The main ad below, titled "How Packard 'Equation' Reduces Transportation Cost," argues that while Packards cost more initially, their low maintenance expenses and reliability make them economical over a car's lifetime. The small cartoon ("Ask the Man Who Owns One") is Packard's famous advertising slogan, showing a satisfied owner—not political commentary. The appeal targets affluent buyers concerned with long-term value rather than purchase price alone, positioning Packard as a sound investment comparable to stocks.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HE basic design of the Packard Twin Six motor has been wonderfully justified dur- ing the past few years of both peaceand warwork. So that any changes that may be made from time to time will be merely in thenature of refinements. “Ask the Man Who Owns One”’ PACKARD MOTOR CAR COMPANY, Detroit Simplicity and Accessibility, attributes of Twin-Six Engineering How Packard “Equation” Reduces Transportation Cost THE average motor car buyer misses the true relationship between the first cost of a car and its final cost—its running charges, upkeep and repairs through the life of the car. “Equation” is found when the cost of maintenance is low enough to offset a higher initial expendi- ture; when the used-value is suffi- cient to count materially towards the purchase of a new car; when the quality of the transportation is such that it delivers you at your destir nation fresh in nerves and body. It does not take long for high upkeep and unreliability to out- weigh low purchase price. And this is the secret of that well known fact that a compromise car always proves more costly in the long run than the Packard. Because of the perfect balance of the Packard Twin Six, it is less expensive to maintain than auto mobiles costing two-thirds or one- half as much. Its ease of motion, its freedom from vibration, its tremendous re- serve of power, combine to give it the longest life of any car in America. In fact, motor car investment is like any other investment—in the end the seasoned security pays better than the speculative stock. The Packard people are trans- portation experts. They have more to tell you on this subject than any other organization in the world. You can ask them to discuss your car problem without obligation. It is to your interest and profit to do so. comicbooks.commy