This may be one of the greatest approaches to advertising ever used in the history of automobiles:
This persuasive argument was part of a 1911 advertisement for the National automobile. Many companies utilized the term “National” in their titles, but this ad was for the National Motor Vehicle Co. of Indianapolis. The company had begun as National Automobile & Electric in 1900, a builder of electric automobiles, then reorganized as National Vehicle. The company underwent another reorganization and was calling itself the National Motor Vehicle Co. by the beginning of 1903. They offered an electric vehicle as late as 1905, but those were soon phased out. Arthur Newby, one of the founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was a director of the company and later became president.
National called itself “King of the Speedway” and “Monarch of the Road,” and it did seem deserving of those titles based on the impressive number of wins the National 40 racked up beginning in 1909. This list detailing some of those achievements was published in a 1911 National advertisement.:
The wins continued into 1912, and then the automobile became the undisputed “King of the Speedway” when Joe Dawson won that year’s Indy race behind the wheel of a National. The #8 stock National averaged 78.72 mph and was powered by a 4-cylinder T-head engine with a whopping 490.8ci displacement (a record for Indy winners).
The following photo of the National team was published in May of 1912, just before the victory at Indy. The caption identifies them, left to right, as Joe Dawson, pilot; Willard Rader, relief driver; David Bruce-Brown, pilot; Howard Wilcox, pilot; Frank Farver, mechanician; William Kepner, mechanician; Dan Herr, relief driver; Tony Scudellari, mechanician; and Harry Martin, mechanician. Sadly, David Bruce-Brown and Tony Scudellari were killed a few months later while on a practice run in Milwaukee before the 1912 Vanderbilt Cup Race.
The famous #8 National toured the country after the Indy win. When it got to Dallas, the police chief refused to allow it to be driven within city limits due to the amount of noise it made. In protest, National reps hired a team of mules to pull it through the city’s business district.
This is another neat ad celebrating the win, published by the Iowa state distributor for the National:
One would think the National’s many triumphs would easily translate into a winning strategy for marketing the automobiles, but, inexplicably, the company moved away from motor sports and began focusing on luxury as seen in this 1914 advertisement.
In November of 1916, it was reported that the assets of the Indianapolis company were being taken over by the National Motor Car & Vehicle Corporation of New York. Newby resigned the following month. National later combined with the Jackson and Dixie Flyer companies, but financial difficulties forced them into receivership in 1924, and that was the end of the National.
The below photo can be found on Wikimedia where it is identified as “1910 National 40 Indianapolis;” it does not identify the event this car was taking part in. It seems to be one of the Nationals sold at auction and seen on Gooding Christie’s site here and here.
Sources:
“500-Mile Contest for Next Thursday.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 26 May 1912, p. 47, 52.
Advertisement. Eaton & Harper. The Pittsburgh Press, 27 Sept 1915, p. 25.
Advertisement. Iowa Automobile & Supply Co. Des Moines Tribune, 31 May 1912, p. 11.
Advertisement. National Motor Vehicle Co. The Indianapolis Star, 26 Feb 1911, p. 80.
Advertisement. T. I. Wilson & Son. The Chattanooga News, 4 Mar 1911, p. 2.
“Dawson Wins When De Palma Falters.” The Daily Times [Indianapolis], 31 May 1912, p. 15.
“Motor Racers Smash Records.” Elmira Star Gazette, 21 Aug 1909, p. 1.
“Mules Pull Racer When Dallas Police Chief Orders It Off Business Streets.” Fort Worth Star Telegram, 21 Dec 1913, p. 34.
“National Motor Car.” The Wall Street Journal, 10 Nov 1916, p. 7.
“National Motor Car Plant Sold.” The Indianapolis Star, 24 Oct 1916, p. 1.
“National’s Great 1911 Racing Season.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 19 Nov 1911, p. 18.
“Racing Team That Keeps Railbirds Guessing.” The Indianapolis News, 25 May 1912, p. 12.
“Success of Indianapolis Speedway Rests on These Shoulders.” The Indianapolis Star, 27 Jun 1909, p. 12.
“Tony Scudellari Yields to Death.” Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct 1912, p. 25.
“Transfer Receivership Suits.” The Indianapolis Star, 31 October 1923, p. 16.