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Oldsmobile

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Image:Oldsmobile logo.png Image:Olds2.jpg Oldsmobile (or Olds + Mobile) was a brand of automobile founded by Ransom E. Olds, and was produced in the United States from 1897 to 2004. In its 107 years, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing factory. When it was phased out, Oldsmobile was the oldest surviving American automobile marque, and one of the oldest in the world, after Daimler and Peugeot. Two of Oldsmobile's models, mainly trucks, have now been given new life as Buicks, such as the Buick Terraza (formerly the Oldsmobile Silhouette) and the Buick Rainier (formerly the Oldsmobile Bravada).

Contents

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History

Oldsmobiles were first manufactured by the Olds Motor Vehicle Company in Lansing, Michigan, a company founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In 1901, Olds introduced the Curved Dash Olds which sold 425 cars, becoming the first high-volume car of the day. Olds became, for a few years, the top selling car company in the United States. Ransom Olds left the company in financial difficulties and formed REO Motor Car Company. The last Curved Dash Olds was made in 1907, and in 1908, General Motors purchased the company.

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Oldsmobile Advances

After acquisition by General Motors, Oldsmobiles were marketed for their technical sophistication. The list of "firsts" is quite extensive: the first to use chrome (1920), the first to use a mono-block V8 (Viking, 1929) and the first American car with a fully automatic transmission, "Hydramatic" Drive (1940). They were frequently early with other features, such as automatic headlight dimmers, and the 1950's panoramic windshields. Their "Rocket 88" theme hood ornament treatment, was also the reference name for their advanced over-head valve V-8 engines,from 1949 onward. While not the first U.S. built passenger car to use front-wheel drive, Oldsmobile's Toronado was the first of its type to prove successful in the American marketplace.

Oldsmobile introduced the first fully automatic transmission, "Hydromatic" in 1940. Their 1949 Rocket V8 engine was especially notable as the first mass-produced OHV V8.

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Model Timeline

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Early Models

The 1901-1904 Curved Dash was the first mass-produced car, and was also the first American car to be exported. Oldsmobile set a land speed record of 54.38 mph at Daytona Beach in the 1903 Pirate. The 1903 Model R curved dash was the number one selling car in the United States, selling for $650. Ransome Olds left Oldsmobile in 1904. Oldsmobile advertising pointed out that keeping a horse cost its owner and estimated $108 a year, whereas the owner of an Oldsmobile spent an average of $35 per year in fuel and maintenance.

In 1908, Oldsmobile became the first manufacturer to begin using nickel, rather than brass, trim.

Image:SettingthepaceWHF.jpg

The 1910 Limited Touring was a high point for the company. Riding atop 42” wheels, and equipped with factory “white” tires, the Limited was the prestige model in Oldsmobile’s two-model line-up. The Limited retailed $4,600, an amount greater than the purchase of a new, no frills three bedroom house. For their money, buyers received goat skin upholstery, a 60 hp (45 kW) 707 in³ (11.6 L) straight-6 engine, Bosch Magneto starter, running boards and room for five. Options included a speedometer, clock and a full glass winshield. A limousine version was priced at $5,800. While Olds only sold 725 Limited models in its three years of production, the car is best remembered for winning a race against the famed 20th Century Limited locomotive, an event immortalized in the painting “Setting the Pace” by William Harnden Foster.

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1912-1938

In 1912, Oldsmobile began using two-digit model designators, beginning with the Oldsmobile 40 and Oldsmobile 53. The first digit generally signified the body size and the second signified the year throughout the 1920s. The company introduced chrome-plated trim, on the radiator shell of their 1926 model.

In 1929, the marque launched the V-8 powered Viking designed to help bridge the price gap between Oldsmobile and Buick, however the Viking was discontinued in 1930.

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1939-1959

In the 1930s through the 1990s, Oldsmobile used a two-digit model designation similar to that used by the European makes today. As originally implemented, the first digit signified the body size while the second represents the number of cylinders. Body sizes were 6, 7, 8, and 9, and 6- and 8-cylinder engines were offered. Thus, Oldsmobile’s were named 66 through 98.

Olds dropped its "66" line before the introduction of its "Rocket" engines, leaving only the "88" and "98". In the 1950s the nomenclature changed again, and trim levels also received names that were then mated with the model numbers. This resulted in the Oldsmobile 88 emerging as base Dynamic 88 the better trimmed Delta 88, and the highline Super 88. Other full-size model names included the "Holiday" used on hardtops, and "Fiesta" used on its station wagon lines. When the "98" was retired in the in the early 1990s, its length of service was the longest of any model name in American passenger car lines.

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Olds 1950s Styling

Oldsmobile entered the 1950s following a divisional image campaign centered on its "Rocket" engines, and its cars appearances followed suit in their themes. By the mid 1950s, their styling was among the first to offer a wide, "open maw" intake grill, suggestive of jet propulsion. Oldsmobile adopted a ringed-globe emblem to stress what marketers felt was its universal appeal. Throughout the 1950s, the make used twin jet pod tail lights, again, as a nod to its "Rocket" theme. Oldsmobile was amoungst the first of GM's divisions to receive a true hardtop in 1948, and it was also the among the first divisions (along with Buick and Cadillac) to receive a wrap around windshield - a trend that eventually all American makes would share at sometime between 1953 and 1964.

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1957

GM styling as a whole lost its frontrunner status in 1957 when Chrysler introduce Virgil Exner's Forward Look designs. When compared side to side, Oldsmobile looked dated next to its price-point competitor De Soto. Compounding the problem for Olds and Buick was styling mistake which GM called the "Strato Roof". Both makes had models which contained the heavily framed rear window, but Detroit had been working with large curved backlights for almost a decade - consumers disliked the roof and its blind spots forcing GM to rush a redesign into production on some of its models.

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1958

Image:58oldsdynam88.jpg

Oldsmobile's only off year in the 1950s was 1958. The nation was beginning to feel the results of its first significant post war recession, and all U.S automobile sales were off for the model year. But GM's senior makes of Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac received heavy a handed make-over of the weak 1957 GM designs, instead of something crisp and clean like Chryslers "Forward Look". The Oldsmobile emerged in 1958 bore little resemblance to the clean design of its forerunners; instead the car emerged as large over decorated "Chrome-mobile".

Popular Mechanics automobile writer Tom McCahill liked the cars performance, but felt that the outside appeared to be designed by two separate studios, working without knowing what the other was up to. Up front, all 1958 Oldsmobile’s received one of GM's heavily styled front ends and quad-headlights. Streaking back from the edge of the headlights, was a broad belt of consisting of two strips on regular 88's, three strips Super 88's, and three strips (top and bottom thin, inside thick on 98's)of chrome that ended in a point at mid-body. But the bottom of the rear fender featured a thick stamping of a half tube that pointed forward, atop which was a chrome assembly of four horizontal chrome speed-lines that terminated into a vertical bar. The tail of the car featured massive vertical chrome tail light housings; two chrome stars were fitted to the trunk lid.

Ford styling consultant Alex Tremulis (designer of the 1948 Tucker Sedan) mocked the '58 Olds by drawing cartoons of the car, and placing musical notes in the rear trim assembly. Another Detroit stylist employed by Ford bought a used 1958 Olds in the early sixties, driving it daily to his work at Ford; he had detached and rearranged the OLDSMOBILE lettering above the grille of the car to spell out SLOBMODEL as a reminder to himself and his co-workers of what "bad" auto design meant to their business (see: Lawler).

Notable models produced from 1939 to 1959:

  • Oldsmobile Series 60 Special - 66/68
  • Oldsmobile Series 70 Dynamic Cruiser - 76/78
  • Oldsmobile Series 90 Custom Cruiser - 96/98
  • Oldsmobile 88 (1949-1999) - Oldsmobile's standard car line. Introduced with Oldsmobile's new overhead-valve, high-compression Rocket V8, giving the 88 a reputation for performance.
  • Oldsmobile Super 88 (1951 - 1964} - An upgraded Olds 88 with a more powerful engine and luxurious interior trim.
  • Oldsmobile DeLuxe 88 (1952 - 1953} - Lowest priced Oldsmobile line that replaced the original Olds 88.
  • Oldsmobile 98 (1946-1997) - Oldsmobile's premium standard car line.
  • Oldsmobile Fiesta (1953) - Ultra-luxurious and expensive convertible based on the 98 ragtop and featured distinctive two-tone paint scheme and one of the first automobiles to feature the wrap-around windshield that would appear on all Oldsmobiles (as well as Buicks and Cadillacs in 1954 and most other American cars by 1955. Fiesta nameplate would reappear on Olds station wagons from 1957 to 1964.
  • Oldsmobile F88 (1954) - The XP-20 project. Concept car designed by Harley J. Earl. Four were made but only one survived. The last one, styling order #2265 (which sold for $3 million at the 2005 Barret-Jackson Auto Auction), was snuck out of the Oldsmobile factory in pieces then rebuilt and either sold or given to E. L. Cord. Oldmobile's response to the Chevrolet Corvette; also designed by Harley J. Earl. GM terminated the project as it was a threat to its strong Corvette base.
  • Oldsmobile Golden Rocket 88 (1957) - One-year only nameplate used on Oldsmobile's lowest-priced line previously known as the "88".
  • Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 (1958 - 1966) - Oldsmobile's lowest-priced line of full-sized cars, usually powered by a lower horsepower Rocket V8 engine than its Super 88 and 98 counterparts.
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1960s

Image:Olds6098vista.jpg

In the 1960s, Oldsmobile's position between Pontiac and Buick in GM's hierarchy began to dissolve. Notable achievements included the introduction of the first turbocharged engine in 1962 (the Turbo Jetfire), the first modern front wheel drive car (the 1966 Toronado), the Vista Cruiser station wagon (noted for its roof glass), and the upscale 442 muscle car. Olds briefly used the names Jetstar 88" (1963-1966) and Delmont 88" (1967-1968) on its least expensive full-size models in the 1960s.


Notable models for the 1960s:

  • Oldsmobile 442 - began as a 1964 muscle car option package (4-barrel carburetor, 4-speed manual transmission, 2 exhausts) on the F-85/Cutlass series. In 1965 to better compete with Pontiac's GTO the original 330 cubic-inch V8 rated at 310 horsepower was replaced by a new 400 cubic-inch V8 rated at 345 horsepower. The 4-4-2 definition was changed to "4" hundred-cubic-inch V8 engine, "4" barrel carburetor, "2" exhaust pipes. In later years the 4-4-2 became its own model series on the Olds intermediate body and got an even larger 455 in³ (7.4 L) V8 engine in 1970.
  • Oldsmobile Cutlass (1961 - 1999) - mid-size car. Oldsmobile's best seller in the 1970s and 1980s, and in some of those years America's best selling car. In 1966, a top-line Cutlass Supreme was introduced as a four-door hardtop sedan with a more powerful 320 horsepower 330 cubic-inch Jetfire Rocket V8 than the regular F-85/Cutlass models, a more luxurious interior and other trimmings. In 1967, the Cutlass Supreme was expanded to a full series also including two-door hardtop and pillared coupes, a convertible and a four-door pillared sedan.
  • Oldsmobile F-85 (1961 - 1972) - compact sedan, coupe and station wagon powered by 215 cubic-inch aluminum block V8 engine from 1961 to 1963. In 1964, the F-85 was upgraded to an intermediate-sized car and the aluminum V8 was replaced by conventional cast-iron six-cylinder and V8 engines. The Cutlass was initially the top model of the F-85 line but became a model in its own right by 1964 with the F-85 nameplate continued only on the lowest-priced models through the 1972 model year after which time all Olds intermediates were Cutlasses.
  • Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser (1964 - 1977) - Stretched wheelbase Cutlass station wagon (to "120" inches from "115" inches) featuring elevated roof over rear seat and cargo area and glass skylights over the rear seat. Three-seat models featured forward facing seating at a time when most three-seat station wagons had third seat facing the rear.
  • Oldsmobile Starfire (1961 - 1966 - Sporty and luxurious hardtop coupe and convertible based on B-Body 88. Featured interiors with leather bucket seats and center console with floor shifter along with a standard Hydra-Matic transmission, power steering and brakes (and power windows and seats on convertibles). Powered by Oldsmobile's most powerful Rocket V8 engine including a 394 cubic inch engine from 1961 to 1964 with 330 to 345 horsepower and a larger 425 cubic-inch Super Rocket V8 for 1965-66 rated at 375 horsepower.
  • Oldsmobile Jetstar I (1964 - 1965) - Sporty hardtop coupe based on the 88/Starfire with a sporty interior featuring Moroceen vinyl bucket seats and console along with the powerful Rocket V8 shared with the Starfire. Offered as lower-priced alternative to the Starfire. Transmission offerings included a column-shift three-speed manual, Hydra-Matic or four-speed manual with floor-mounted Hurst shifter. (Note, between 1963 and 1966, Oldsmobile named its least expensive full-size carline the Oldsmobile Jetstar 88 which was not related to, and priced $500-$600 below the Jetstar I.)
  • Oldsmobile Toronado (1966-1992) - front wheel drive coupe in the personal luxury car category, introduced in 1966; at the time, the largest and most powerful front wheel drive car ever produced - and one of the first modern front-drive cars equipped with an automatic transmission. The original Toronado was powered by a 425 cubic-inch Super Rocket V8 engine rated at 385 horsepower mated to a three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission. The Toronado was Motor Trend magazine's 1966 "Car of the Year."
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1970s-1980s

Image:Trofeo.JPG Oldsmobile sales soared in the 1970s and 1980s, with the Cutlass and Cutlass Supreme becoming the best-selling vehicles in the United States. Less impressive was the company's widely-used but problem-prone LF7 and LF9 Diesel V8s. In 1984 in fact, it was claimed that Oldsmobile was making more vehicles per year than the Ford Motor Company.

Notable models:

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1990s

Image:AuroraClassic4.jpg

By the 1990s, Oldsmobile had lost its place in the marketplace. The performance cars Oldsmobile had been known for gave way to rebadged models of other GM cars, as GM had shifted the performance mantle to Chevrolet and Pontiac. GM tried to use Oldsmobile to showcase futuristic designs and as a "guinea pig" for testing new technology, with Oldsmobile offering the Toronado Trofeo, which included a visual instrument system with a calendar, datebook, and climate controls. Later on, Oldsmobile introduced the Aurora which would be the inspiration for the design of all Oldsmobile from the mid-1990s onward. However, by this time, GM shifted Oldsmobile from a technology "guinea pig" to a manufacturer that filled the slot between Chevrolet and Buick. Oldsmobile also received a new logo and by 1997, all of the early-1990s models were gone (except for the Aurora, Bravada, and the Silhouette, which was redesigned that year) and new models were introduced with rounded designs, inspired by the Aurora. Even though the new (and final) Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme sold very well as did the Alero, but there was just not enough to salvage the slowly dying brand, and GM announced the brand's demise in 2000.

Notable models, 1970-1989:

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The end

Image:DSCF0011.JPG Image:Bravada.jpg


In December 2000, General Motors announced they would be phasing out the Oldsmobile brand, which had become the oldest surviving American automobile brand. The 2004 model year was to be Oldsmobile's last, with the last new Oldsmobile model being the GMT360-derived Bravada introduced in 2002.

The actual phaseout of Oldsmobile models was conducted on the following schedule:

  • Late 2001: The 2002 Bravada becomes the company's last

new model

The final production day was April 29, 2004, when the last Alero was built in Lansing, where Ransom E. Olds first began his company. The last 500 Aleros manufactured were painted a metallic cherry red and carried special "Final 500" markings. The last of these cars went to the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum.

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Oldsmobile models

Image:P1030090.JPG Image:2000bravada.jpg Image:Silhouettetan2000.jpg

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Oldsmobile in popular culture

Image:In My Merry Oldsmobile a2701-1-72dpi.jpeg The Oldsmobile is notable for having inspired several popular songs:

Oldsmobile cars can also been seen in several popular movies:

  • Any Which Way You Can (1980) - When Clint Eastwood arrives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for the big fight, his opponent and friend William Smith is driving a beautiful brand new, red 1980 Olds 98 Regency sedan which is featured prominently in the end of the film.
  • The Hunt for Red October (1990) - Alec Baldwin can be seen getting out of a dark-colored early eighties Olds 98 Regency just before he enters the White House briefing.
  • Get Shorty (1995) - John Travolta's character is incredulous at being given an Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan for a rental instead of his requested Cadillac, to which the rental clerk responds, "You got the Cadillac of minivans," a line oft-repeated outside of the movie.
  • Fargo (1996) - late 1980s Oldsmobile cars including the Cutlass Ciera and Ninety-Eight Touring Sedan were featured, as William H. Macy's character was an Oldsmobile salesman.
  • The X-Files (1998) - an Oldsmobile Intrigue was heavily used by the characters as part of a promotional tie-in between General Motors and the movie's producers.
  • Kingpin (1996) - Roy Munson's car is a Cutlass convertable that he received new when he left home, but after several years pass, the car is in very questionable shape.
  • The Matrix Reloaded (2003) - many Oldsmobiles are used as cameo vehicles, especially during the famous highway chase scene. Even though the characters never drive an Oldsmobile in the film, there was interaction between Oldsmobiles in the scene. There is one part when Agent Smith jumps on top of the front of an Aurora, completely destroying the front end and causing the car to do a front flip and land on its roof. Another scene involves the Twins gunning down an Intrigue and shoving it into the divider wall, causing it to do a barrel roll and land on its roof.
  • Sam Raimi, the film director, tends to feature a 1973 yellow Oldsmobile Delta 88 automobile as a cameo in many of his films.
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Marketing Themes

Early on in their history, Olds enjoyed a healthy public relations boost from the 1905 hit song " In My Merry Oldsmobile". The well known, song was updated in the fifties to sing about "The Rocket 88".

The strong public relations efforts by GM in the 1950s was epitomized in the GM Motorama auto show. The impact of that traveling show, was literally a "one company", auto-show extravaganza. Millions of Americans attended, in a spirt, not unlike a mini-world's fair. Every GM division had a "Dream Car". Olds' dream/concept car was called "The Starfire".

While Oldsmobile had long promoted its "Rocket" engines heavily, GM's cost containment program of engine sharing emerged in 1977 on its "down-sized" full sized vehicles. Consumers buying an Oldsmobile soon found out that their Olds was powered by a Chevrolet built engine. Some discovered this when they attempted to change the engines air filter and discovered that the standard 1977 Olds filter replacement wouldn't fit in the air clearer. Other discovered either from their mechanics or from GM which sent notices to owners explaining the situation and assuring them that a GM built engine was GM built engine, regardless of what division built it. Ohio Attorney General Anthony Celebreeze was the first State Attorney General to reach a settlement with GM, which resulted in claimant owners each receiving a small portion of the multimillion dollar settlement.

In the 1970s, the mid-sized Oldsmobile Cutlass was the division's best selling model, and for several years in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was the best-selling car in America. But the sales of the Cutlass and other Olds models fell beginning in the 1990s. The brand was hurt by its image as old and stuffy and this public perception continued despite a public relations campaign in the late 1980s that this was "not your father's Oldsmobile."


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See also

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External links

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References

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  • 1957-58 Oldsmobile: From Beautiful to Baroque. John Lawler, author. Collectible Automobile Magazine. February, 1994, pp.22-37.de:Oldsmobile

nl:Oldsmobile no:Oldsmobile pl:Oldsmobile sv:Oldsmobile

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