Life, 1920-04-08 · page 31 of 44
Life — April 8, 1920 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Packard automobile advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. The page promotes the Packard Motor Car Company's vehicles to potential buyers. The headline "Does the Car Buyer Want the Facts" frames the ad's argument: buyers should prioritize practical transportation benefits over flashy marketing. The text references Joseph Choate (a historical figure) to suggest people repeat old mistakes—here, supposedly choosing inferior cars. The photograph shows executives outside a building with a Packard automobile, establishing the car's association with business success and corporate standardization. The advertisement emphasizes **durability and economy**: a Packard lasts 6-10 years versus competitors requiring replacement every 2-3 years; superior steel construction; excellent fuel mileage; and reduced maintenance costs over time. The Twin-Six engine receives technical praise. The tagline "Ask the Man Who Owns One" became Packard's famous slogan, implying satisfied owners would endorse the brand. This represents early automotive advertising targeting rational, cost-conscious buyers rather than emphasizing luxury or speed.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ooo0000g0000000¢C 000000 oo0000000000000 oo0000000 oooonr }00000 (e) 00000 = Executives (caving in Company Puckard for conference. Hundreds of Corporations have standardized on Packard on an economy basis—high mileage per dollar of investment and running cost over a term of years Does the Car Buyer Want the Facts HE late Joseph Choate used to say that lawyers would go out of busi- ness if men were not so bent on making the same old mis- takes the same old way. No one need—or can—make the old mistakes in selecting his motor car, if he will look for transportation facts in- stead of ‘‘features’’ and ‘‘talk- ing points.” The strong Packard opinion which he finds on every hand does not express itself in tech- nical details or costly luxury— but in such everyday words as economy, comfort, ability and lasting value. “Ask the Man ET a man figure on keep- ing his Packard from six to ten years—and he has a material saving in invest- ment, as against the car that must be traded in every two or three years. Think of the stability of the Packard design! His Packard always a ‘‘new model.” His gasoline mileage will be from ten to fourteen, depend- ing on road conditions. Oil mileage, one thousand to the gallon. Tires, properly cared for, ten thousand to sixteen thousand miles. The steel in his Packard costs more than twice as much as the steel in the ordi- nary car. The moving parts in the Twin-Six ‘engine weigh less for the power developed than in any other automobile en- gine. There is less vibration and less wear on bearings. HEN a man buys a mo- tor car he knows pretty well what sort of transporta- tion he expects it to deliver. Economy does not lie in the direction of temporary make- shifts or compromises. Packard first-class trans- portation will give him a defi- nite and permanent advance in his way of traveling. It will cost him less per passen- ger mile during his whole mo- toring experience—than even second-class transportation. Who Owns One” PACKARD MOTOR CAR COMPANY, Detroit 000000000000000000000000000 000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000 comicbooks.com