Life, 1927-05-12 · page 3 of 43
Life — May 12, 1927 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **advertising, not satire or political commentary**. It's a 1920s promotional page for Ethyl Gasoline, a fuel additive developed by General Motors Research Laboratories. The illustration (a crashed car) supports the product claim: Ethyl's anti-knock compound supposedly eliminates engine "knock"—the undesirable noise caused by premature fuel combustion. The ad argues this improves performance and efficiency. The marketing pitch emphasizes Ethyl's superiority over competitors and its adoption by the U.S. Navy, aircraft manufacturers, and racing drivers. The "trade mark" logo at bottom identifies authorized retailers. This represents early automotive-fuel branding and technical marketing from the era when leaded gasoline was being introduced (later proven harmful).
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ETHYL GASOLINE knocks out that“ knock”. ..turns carbon into power What Ethyl Gasoline will do in your own automobile It will end all carbon trouble and make carbon formation an asset. As carbon forms, both temperature and compression (pressure) are increased. Ethyl! Gasoline neutralizes the higher temperature end the increased compression becomes increased power. 2 Iwill give you more power, particu- larly on hills and heavy roads. 3 It will make your engine operate more smoothly. 4 It will reduce gearshifting. 5 It will increase acceleration, making your car easier to handle in traffic. 6 It will eliminate “knocking” under all driving conditions. 7 It will reduce vibration and engine wear and tear. 8 It will save the expense of carbon removal 9 It will give you more power from each gallon of fuel that you use. I sort, the advantages of Ethyl Gasoline over regular gasoline are so marked as to make the small premium it costs a real economy. T is important that you differentiate between Ethyl Gasoline and other “anti-knock” gasolines. Ethyl Gasoline is the on/y fuel which eliminates “knocking” under a// conditions, thereby making present day auto- mobiles perform more efficiently. It was developed by General Motors Research Labora- tories after 8 years of scientific research which resulted in these two important discoveries: 1 That “knocking” is an inherent characteristic of ail gasolines. What had previously been called a “carbon knock” or “ignition knock” or “engine knock” is in reality a fuel knock, due to the too rapid combustion of gasoline in the cylinders. That “knocking” could be completely eliminated in gasoline by the addition of Ethyl Brand of Anti-Knock Compound. This ingredient was discovered by General Motors research en- gineers after experimenting with more than 33,000 chemical compounds. o suPERIOR is Ethyl Gasoline to other so-called “anti- knock” fuels that it has been adopted wherever unusual performance by a gasoline engine is required. That is why the United States Navy uses Ethyl Gasoline in its latest types of airplanes. That is why Ethyl Gasoline is used by the racing car drivers who are setting up new records. Ethyl Gasoline is available throughout the United States and Canada through leading oil companies and responsible jobbers. It is sold at pumps which display the “ETHYL” trade mark shown below. ETHYL GASOLINE CORPORATION, 25 Broadway, N.Y. N.Y,, N. Y. Subscription, $5.00. Vol. 89. No. 2323. May 12, 1927. Pati a9 20d Clase Matter, June 6, 1583, ot Now York Pest UPE: Published We Life Pub. 598 Madson At cole acl Mad, ise ised a Ue a ard eo dad Clans Matter tthe Poot Otce Depts Canada. Copyright 1927, Life Pub. Co. in 11. 8., comicbooks.com