Life, 1926-07-15 · page 35 of 37
Life — July 15, 1926 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **car advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes the American-made Willys-Knight "70" automobile by claiming royal endorsement. The ad asserts that King Alfonso XIII of Spain has approved the car, joining an "ultra-select group" of European royalty (King of England, Prince of Wales, King of Belgium) who own Knight-motored vehicles. The strategy is aspirational marketing: by associating the American car with European nobility and prestigious marques (Minerva, Panhard, Mercedes, Daimler-Knight), Willys-Knight positions itself as luxury and high-performance despite being domestically manufactured. The technical claims emphasize the Knight sleeve-valve engine's efficiency and power relative to competitors. The financing plan at the bottom targets middle-class buyers. This reflects 1920s American marketing that leveraged European prestige to validate domestic products—the implicit message being that American manufacturing could match Old World quality and royal approval.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Saas Congratulations ~on a wonderful car a by order of King Alfonso XI. of Spain N company with that ultra-sclect group of world-notables who have registered in favor SLO) of Knight-motored cars for their personal use—the King of England, the Prince of Wales, the King of Belgium, and half the Ministers and Peerage of Conti- nental Europe—now, graciously, His Spanish Majesty extends felic- itations to the American-made Willys-Knight. . . . With the same type of patented power-plant, and building it under one and the same license, as the finest and costliest European cars Minerva, Panhard, Mercedes, Voisin, Peugeot, Daimler-Knight (vou know what these great names stand for)—the **70"" Willys- Knight, by virtue of its established super-efficiency, has earned title to its distinction as the fastest and most powerful product of its size among all American-built auto- mobiles. . - . No other car in America has the super-efliciency of the new **70"" Willys-Knight Six. None other of i‘ 7 = ae CLI DEI REI, the new 66 99 NO iy. QELS EE SE its dimensions develops such phe- nomenal power. Perfected to a point that has gained for it swift recognition as the world’s highest typeofhigh peed engine construc- tion, the Knight sleeve-valve en- gine in this car outperforms any- thing that ever was built of its size, or type, or class. With a 2 15/16-inch bore and a 4 3/8-inch stroke, the improved Knight sleeve-valve engine of the “Jo Willys-Knight Six develops greater: Power per cubic inch of piston displacement, throughout its entire range, than any other stock American engine built today. . ~ . Don't fail to see and drive this new leader among Sixes at your earliest opportunity. And ask about the Willys Finance Plan which means less money down, smaller monthly payments; and the lowest credit- cost in the industry. . . . ght Six Sedan, $1495; touring, $1295; Willys-Knight Great Six models, from $1750 to $2495, prices f. 0. b. We reserve the right to change ices and specifications without notice. Willys-Overland, Inc. ,Toledo,Ohio. Willys- Overland Sales Co, Ltd., Toronto, Canada, VI LLYS-KN IGHT SIX “WITH AN*ENGINE-YOULL*>~NEVER*WEAR-OUT’ _ A comicbooks.com