Life, 1922-08-10 · page 4 of 36
Life — August 10, 1922 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **primarily advertising, not satire or political commentary**. It's a full-page advertisement for the F.B. Stearns Company's new Stearns-Knight Six automobile, published in *Life* magazine (circa 1923, based on the date visible in the letter extract). The ad emphasizes the car's "vibration-less" 6-cylinder engine as a major innovation. The only non-advertising content is a brief extracted letter praising the engine's smoothness. The illustration shows a side-view of the Landaulet Brougham model. Pricing ranges from $2,700 to $3,700 depending on body style. There is no political cartoon or satire present—this is straightforward commercial promotion typical of *Life* magazine's content during the 1920s automotive boom.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
At Last—The Vibration-less Engine! It’s the New Stearns-Knight Six was first in America to adopt and build the Knight Sleeve-Valve En- gine. From that day to this the demand for Stearns-Knight Motor Cars has been greater than the supply, although the company has manufactured to the limit of its facilities. Te ¥. B. STEARNS COMPANY And now The F. B. Stearns Company an- nounces its greatest achievement — the 6-CYLINDER Stearns- Knight Engine, which combines all the pre-eminent ad- vantages of the six cylinder type with those remarkable qualities unobtainable except in sleeve-valve construction. The flexibility and acceleration of the New 6-CYLINDER Stearns-Knight are things to wonder at. But greater yet is the achievement of building what we be- lieve to be the first engine to operate en- tirely free from periodic vibration—a feature heretofore thought impossible of attainment. This marvelous motor, built into sturdy chassis surmounted by bodies beautiful in design and finish, sets a new standard of motor car value. Never, until you have driven the New Stearns-Knight Six, will you know the meaning of “no periodic vibration”—the feel of power so great that you'll wonder at its silent smoothness and ease of con- trol—the sensation of superlative com- fort made possible by huge springs of the most sensitive flexibility and upholstery of unusual depth. Stearns Dealers everywhere invite you to see and to drive the New Stearns-Knight Six—a product of unequalled engineer- ing skill, and artistic beauty. Roadster or 4 or 5 pass. Touring $2700.00 7 passenger Touring a 2850.00 Coupe... 3350.00 Coupe Brougham 3500.00 Sedan < 8, te oe 3700.00 Landaulet Brougham (Price on application) F. 0. B. Cleveland Landaulet Brougham Stearns-Knight Six Extract from a letter to the president of The F. B. Stearns Company from the inventor of the famous Knight Sleeve-Valve Engine after a recent visit of inspection to the factory. To Dealers: Owing to a recent increase in pro- duction facilities, The F. B. Stearns Company, for the first time in five years, is able to increase its distri- bution. Dealers of high standing, regardless of location, are invited to write for particulars of the Stearns Dealer Franchise. Your territory may be open. May 24, 1922 “—I am thinking of that beautiful six of yours. The engine dimensions please me awfully well— the length of the connecting rods, the position of the eccentric shaft, the shape of the lugs on the sleeves, and the fine workmanship which makes a motor with long life and smooth action. I like the proportions about the best of any engine I have ever seen. With kind regards, (Signed) C. Y. Knight.” Production of the 4-CYLINDER Stearns-Knight will be continued The F.B. Stearns Company, Cleveland, Ohio comicbooks.com