Life, 1926-09-02 · page 27 of 41
Life — September 2, 1926 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Chrysler automobile advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It appears in Life magazine (page 25) and promotes Chrysler's manufacturing innovation under founder Walter P. Chrysler. The ad's central claim is that Chrysler pioneered "quality standardization" in car manufacturing—ensuring consistent quality across four different car lines (50, 60, 70, and Imperial 80 models, named for their speed capabilities). The text argues this eliminates "purchaser's risk," meaning buyers of cheaper Chrysler models receive the same quality assurance as those buying premium versions. The highlighted boxed quote emphasizes that standardized quality in production was accomplished "for the first time" by Chrysler. This was genuine industrial marketing—the company distinguishes itself from competitors by claiming uniform quality control across its entire product range, offering better value at all price points. No cartoon or caricature is present; this is straightforward corporate advertising using rhetorical emphasis and design elements typical of 1920s-era trade publications.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life CHRYSLER Standardized Quality: Guarantees Greater Value to the Car ‘Buyer Chrysler manufacturing, like Chrysler engineering, is different from ordinary manufacturing—radically and immeasurably different in principle and practice Merely building several cars is one thing. Building four lines of cars under one name and one management in one unified group of plants on a rigid system of quality standardization is a totally different thing. Quantity production has long been standardized — quality standardization has been accomplished for the first time in motor car manufacturing by Walter P. Chrysler. 50, 60, 70, Imperial 80— These car numeralsattached to the name Chrysler mean miles per hour and they mean something vastly CHRYSLER SALES CORPORATION, DETROIT, CHRYSLER CORPORATION OF CANADA, LIMITED, By J. E. Fields Quantity production has long been standardized — quality standardization has been ac- complished in motor car manu- facturing for the first time by Walter P. Chrysler. At one step this eliminates “purchaser's risk’? and makes possible the purchase of either the lowest or the highest-priced Chrysler car with the positive assurance that the quality in each is equally unquestionable. more important than that in creating value. They mean a common basis of quality for all four lines of cars—a rigid system of close measurement and fine manu- facturing applied alike to each and every one of the four lines —a common source of engi- neering skill—a division of overhead and operating costs into four parts—a combination of buying resources—a mag- WINDSOR, nificent system of special machines and special proc- esses devised to insure in- variable accuracy in the manufacture of all four lines of cars—a positive protective process of guaranteeing the owner exactly the same basic quality no matter what price he pays or which Chrysler car he buys. Certainty of unsurpassed performance is thus built into every Chrysler car, no matter what its price classification. The Chrysler plan makes possible greater value for the investment than has here- tofore been dreamed by the automobile buyer. At one step it eliminates “‘purchaser’s risk’’ and makes possible the purchase of either the lowest-priced or the highest-priced Chrysler with the positive assurance that the quality in each is equally unquestionable. MICHIGAN ONTARIO CHRYS TER “BO — 60 — 70 - 80” CHRYSLER MODEL NUMBERS MEAN ee PER HOUR. comicbooks.com