Life, 1927-08-25 · page 35 of 36
Life — August 25, 1927 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire** — it's a straight automobile advertisement from Life magazine (likely 1920s-early 1930s). The page promotes Packard luxury cars by claiming their design has remained essentially unchanged for six years, positioning this constancy as a virtue. The advertisement compares Packard's "enduring style" to Eastern architecture (the Taj Mahal image at top), arguing that timeless design cannot be improved upon. The key sales pitch: Packard's stable appearance protects resale value better than competitors' cars, which undergo frequent style changes. The tagline "Ask the man who owns one" was Packard's actual slogan. This reflects 1920s-30s marketing philosophy — before planned obsolescence became standard — when manufacturers advertised durability and classical design as luxurious selling points rather than annual model redesigns.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
g=b Car ty ep The Sugreme Combination of all that is fone in Motor Cars €onduring Style 7 Only an expert can point out the slight external differences which distinguish Packard cars built during the past six years. A Packard, no matter what its age or mileage, always stands out as a Packard. The reason is easy to find. Packard has created an enduring style in motor car design. Packard has achieved that difficult combination of luxurious interior roomi- ness and beautiful, slender exterior lines. Packard has no reason to make radical changes annually, Like the beautiful proportions of Eastern architecture which centuries have been ASK THE MAN unable to improve upon, Packard lines have set a standard which the whole motor industry has been unable to more than copy. And this famed stability of Packard apy pearance means much to every Packard buyer—it means insurance against depre ciation. For depreciation is largely a matter of appearance. The Packard owner knows that he is pro’ tected in the economical use of the long life built into every Packard chassis by Packard’s policy of stabilized beauty of design. PACKARD wu oO OWNS ONE comicbooks.com