Life — August 5, 1920 — page 7: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

rld hes w n reed fight, is right] nyt brows droll and how ea cr cost m coe red-pe s I ma to bey -diatel| LIFE: 219 7 7 - e - e a e ~~ e In Anticipation of a Motor Car i. Almost 2,000 Distributors and Dealers apply for Sales Franchise, and more than 1,000 individuals place orders for Lincoln Motor Company’s new Leland-built car I: is doubtful whether any event in motor- dom has ever created such profound interest as the mere anticipation that a new motor ar would be built by the Lelands and their splendid organization. When, after the armistice was signed, and the Lincoln Motor Company—of which Henry M. Leland and Wilfred C. Leland were the chief executives—was completing its contracts with the government for the production of Liberty Aircraft Motors, it was only natural for the world to assume that these men would re-enter the field as makers of motor cars of the finer sort. Notwithstanding the Lelands had made no announcement —in fact themselves had not determined upon their future activities—the offices of the Lincoln Motor Company became the Mecca of motor car distributors from all over the world. These Distributors, most of whom were already handling cars of the better class, in- sisted upon filing ations for sales fran- chises and binding them with deposits. Incidentally, one Distribu tendered a certified check for one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) as a deposit, to evidence his good faith, _ From one city there were 61 applications ; from another 38; from another 37. There is scarcely a city of size in Ameri from which there have not been from one to a dozen or more Distributor’s applications, From Cities in the United States and Canada up to June 1, 1920, the applications totaled 1252. Henry M. Leland President Lincoln Motor Company And from across the seas, from nearly every country in the civilized world, the applications aggregated 123. Of these, 13 were from England—where the esteem in which Leland standards and Leland ideals are held, is second only to the admira- tion in which those qualities are held in America. 8 were from Cuba; 9 from Argen- tina; 6 from Australia; 5 each from France and Spain; 4 cach from New Zealand, Sweden, Norway and Hawaii, And they came from Russia, China, Japan, Straits Settlements, Union of South Africa, and from the utter- most corners of the earth. To June 1, 1920, the Distributors’ appli tions had reached the impressive total of 1375, not taking into account hundreds received since that date, nor the hundreds of applica- tions made direct to Distributors by dealers in the smaller cities. It will be seen therefore that we have been in position to select as our Distributors, the very cream of the trade, and to embark with a field sales organization in every way in keep- ing with the car itself, with the organization which produces it and with the class of citizen- ship to whom a car of the Leland-built type must naturally appeal. And in not one single instance did the Lincoln Motor Company solicit a Distributor. Nor was this all. In addition to the Distributors’ applications, more than 1000 individuals have placed orders with deposits, despite the fact that the Lincoln Motor Company had made no announcement concerning the details of its car, and, too, de- Wilfred C. Leland Vice-Pres. and Gen. Mgr. Lincola Motor Company spite the fact that the Company had not en- couraged advance orders, There are also, in the hands of Distributors, hundreds of orders of which the factory has’ not been advised in ail de Imagine, if you can, the attitude of these Distributors, who, solely through their faith in the Lelands, deliberately obligate themselves to merchandise millions of dollars’ worth of motor cars. Imagine the attitude of these clear-headed husiness men, representing the best citizenship f the land, who, with confidence in Leland ideals and standards as their incentive, coolly affix their signatures and place deposits, in order that they may be among the early ones to possess the new Leland-built cars—cars of whose price and details their knowledge was nil sole No matter whether it was to have one cyl- inder or ten; no matter whether its price was to be six hundred or six thousand dollars. these seemed to be of secondary importance. But they knew the history of the men; they knew their records. They knew the Leland traits; they knew the Leland traditions—never to retrograde, never even to pause; they knew that the Leland vision was always forward So of one thing they were supremely satis- fied. They were sure thet if the Lelands built a car, it would be a car such as the Lelands know how to build; plus Leland progressive- ness; plus what might logically be expected of Leland determination and Leland ability to achieve—and to surpass. LINCOLN MOTOR CO., DETROIT, MICH. comicbooks.com