Life, 1926-10-14 · page 31 of 44
Life — October 14, 1926 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is not a cartoon or satire—it is a **straightforward automobile advertisement** for the Kissel Motor Car Company of Hartford, Wisconsin. The ad promotes the new 4-door Sedan, emphasizing its innovative "cushioned-in-rubber" design for all major mechanical units, claiming this eliminates rattling, squeaking, and maintenance problems. It highlights other features: low profile (70 inches), smooth ride, luxury upholstery, and flat fenders for improved visibility. Pricing is listed at $1,895 for the standard 4-door Sedan and $2,295 for the Straight Eight model (f.o.b. factory). This appears in *Life* magazine's advertising section. There is no political or social satire here—merely period automotive marketing emphasizing comfort and engineering superiority as selling points to potential buyers of this mid-range American automobile.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Li KIS Body by Kissel Motor by Kissel CUSTOM @ BUILT The New 4-door Sedan The only American-built car that has all major units completely CUSHIONED-IN-RUBBER In this beautiful new 4-door Sedan, you will find a buoyancy, a roadabil- ity, a travel ease different from any- thing you have ever known before. All major units are completely cush- ioned in rubber. That means there are no shackles, spring bolts or work- ing joints! No more oiling of these and other points! No more rattles or squeaks! You will also find other notable im- provements which stamp Kissel as a leader in fine car building. For in- stance, this new car is lower cradled —the distance from the ground to the top is only 70 inches, It fairly hugs the road at high speed without sidesway, slipping or wandering. Extra riding comfort is afforded by a new wheelbase. The Chase Velmo Mohair Velvet upholstery, Marshall Springs and form fitting seats are in- dicative of the interior luxury. There is a new Straight Line Drive which means still greater smoothness of performance. No change, however, has been made in either the Six or Straight Eight Engines. Anyone who knows motors will tell you that the Kissel power plants are recognized to be as near engineering perfection as motors can be. You will be captivated by the strik- ing beauty of the body and the taste- ful harmony of the new colors. Note particularly the new flat fenders and the narrow corner posts which give a wider sweep of vision. The new 4-door Sedan is unquestionably America’s greatest fine car value. De- mand for it has already broken all Kissel production records for a sin- gle model. °1595 for the 4-door Sedan fo. b. factory *2295 for the 4-door Straight Eight fo. b. factory © Standard Equipped THE KISSEL MOTOR CAR COMPANY @ HARTFORD, WISCONSIN SEL comicbooks.com