Life, 1927-12-29 · page 39 of 41
Life — December 29, 1927 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Willys-Knight automobile advertisement**, not political satire. The page promotes the Willys-Knight car's technical superiority, specifically its patented sleeve-valve engine. The illustration shows a 1920s touring car in a snowy mountain setting with fashionably dressed people, establishing the vehicle as desirable and reliable for leisure travel. The advertiser's key claims: the engine achieves "higher compression with any gas" and "grows smoother and quieter with use"—unusual advantages for the era. The tagline "No valves to grind" references a common maintenance burden of competing automobiles. At $1,295, this positioned the Willys-Knight as an upscale choice. The ad cites 300,000 existing owners to build credibility—a significant market share claim for the period. **For modern readers**: This reflects 1920s automotive marketing emphasizing mechanical innovation and luxury. The appeal to "graceful lines" and refined aesthetics shows how cars were marketed as status symbols, not mere transportation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
* Higher Compression with any Gas / Plus Willys-Knight silence, velvet smoothness, graceful lines, rich colors ILLYS-KNIGHT offers you all the advantages of high compression — greater speed, flashier activity — with none of the disadvantages. Only the patented Knight sleeve-valve engine, be- cause of the fundamental principle of its design—spherical head and sliding sleeves, which provide the most efficient compression chamber —gives highest uniform compression—with any gas! For high, sustained efficiency, the Knight- powered car has set high standards all its 51295 own. Its patented, exclusive sleeve-valve engine is the only type of automobile power plant that actually grows smoother and quieter with use. See and drive this finer Willys- Knight at your earliest opportunity. Your enthusi- asm will be added to that of its more than 300,000 owners. Once a Knight owner, always a Knight owner. Co., Ltd., Tor fi WILLYS-KNIGHT NO VALVES TO GRIND — GROWS SMOOTHER WITH USE comicbooks.com