Life, 1929-08-02 · page 20 of 40
Life — August 2, 1929 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising copy**, not political satire. It promotes "America's First Front-Wheel-Drive Motor Car"—the Ruxton automobile. The text describes how a group of prominent men (from art, letters, commerce, and finance) discussed cars over dinner and decided to build an innovative vehicle with front-wheel drive. The ad claims this design offers superior "body silence, riding comfort, flowing motion" and individual styling. The image shows a stylized side-view sketch of the car's profile, emphasizing its low stance. The bottom tagline—"A car so low that you can look over it! A car so smart none can overlook it!"—plays on the vehicle's design innovation. This is **product marketing**, not political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
MERICA'S FIRST FRONT-WHEEL-DAIVE moToR CAR It was a notable group of men who had met for dinner... representative men in thea several fields of achievement... art and letters, commerce and finance... and te conversation eventually centered upon motor cars... And it was the common that the automobiles they owned, while rated fine and dependable, fell somewbat of the consummate. Body silence, riding comfort, flowing motion, all the other attributes so glowingly ised had never been realized to the full... More than all else, these cars lacked individuality of design which sets their homes and their other personal possessions And these men of sound judgment and good taste finally got to wondering, out if something couldn't be done about it. Ideas were exchanged, and suggestions And because they bave the money and the will to bave just what they want, if wants are humanly attainable, they reached this decision: “Let's see if these conjectures of ours are practical. If they are, why not finana build such a car? Maybe something good will come out of it.” So engineers were called in, blueprints were made, ideas were translated inte md And this car, today, after two years of unhurried development, rides the boulevards One of its twelve sponsors has given to it bis name... Ruxton. The engine that it is a straight-eight, of course. The body is handcrafted by Budd... Joseph Urban, yet supreme in the sphere of stage decor, bas created its colorings . . . Schumacher loomed its exclusive fabrics, And in this starkly, smartly individual car, the decided advantages of the drive may be enjoyed ... for the first time in history of American automobile desgt comicbooks.com