Oldsmobile

Oldsmobile
Industry Automotive
Successor Buick
Pontiac
Founded 1897
Founder Ransom E. Olds
Defunct April 29, 2004 (April 29, 2004)
Headquarters Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
Products Luxury vehicles, mainstream vehicles
Parent General Motors
Website http://www.gm.com/owner-assistance/oldsmobile.html
The first logo

Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobiles produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Olds Motor Vehicle Co. was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory. When it was phased out in 2004, Oldsmobile was the oldest surviving American automobile marque, and one of the oldest in the world, after Daimler, Peugeot and Tatra. Though it was closed in 2004, it still remains an active trademark of the General Motors Corporation. The closing of the Oldsmobile division presaged a larger consolidation of GM brands and discontinuation of models during the company's 2009 bankruptcy reorganization.

History

Early history

Ransom Eli Olds, the founder and namesake of Oldsmobile.

Oldsmobiles were first manufactured by the Olds Motor Vehicle Co. in Lansing, Michigan, a company founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In 1901, the company produced 425 cars, making it the first high-volume gasoline-powered automobile manufacturer. (Electric car manufacturers such as Columbia Electric and steam powered car manufacturers such as Locomobile had higher volumes a few years earlier). Oldsmobile became the top selling car company in the United States for a few years around 1903-4. Ransom Olds left the company in 1904 because of a dispute and formed the REO Motor Car Company. The last Curved Dash Oldsmobile was made in 1907. General Motors purchased the company in 1908.

The 1901 to 1904 Oldsmobile Curved Dash was the first mass-produced car,[1] made from the first automotive assembly line, an invention that is often miscredited to Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company. (Ford was the first to manufacture cars on a moving assembly line.) After Olds merged Olds Motor Vehicle Co. with the Olds Gas Engine Works in 1899, it was renamed Olds Motor Works and moved to a new plant in Detroit. By March 1901, the company had a whole line of models ready for mass production. However, a mistake by a worker caused the factory to catch fire, and it burned to the ground, with all of the prototypes destroyed. The only car that survived the fire was a Curved Dash prototype, which was wheeled out of the factory by two workers while escaping the fire. A new factory was built, and production of the Curved Dash commenced.

Setting the Pace painted in 1909 by William Hardner Foster depicts the race between an Oldsmobile Limited and the 20th Century Limited train
December, 1903 Oldsmobile advertisement
1904 Olds model 6C Curved-Dash-Olds
Oldsmobile 10HP Tonneau 1904
Oldsmobile 7HP Curved-dash runabout 1904
1922 Oldsmobile
1928 Oldsmobile 4-door sedan
1934 Oldsmobile 8 convertible coupe
1957 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday coupe

Officially, the cars were called "Olds automobiles," but were colloquially referred to as "Oldsmobiles." It was this moniker, as applied especially to the Curved Dash Olds, that was popularized in the lyrics and title of the 1905 hit song "In My Merry Oldsmobile".

The 1910 Limited Touring was a high point for the company. Riding atop 42-inch wheels, and equipped with factory "white" tires, the Limited was the prestige model in Oldsmobile's two model lineup. The Limited retailed for US$4,600, an amount greater than the purchase of a new, no-frills three bedroom house. Buyers received goatskin upholstery, a 60 hp (45 kW) 707 CID (11.6 L) straight-six engine, Bosch Magneto starter, running boards and room for five. Options included a speedometer, clock, and a full glass windshield. A limousine version was priced at $5,800. While Oldsmobile only sold 725 Limiteds in its three years of production, the car is best remembered for winning a race against the famed 20th Century Limited train, an event immortalized in the painting Setting the Pace by William Hardner Foster. In 1926, the Oldsmobile Six came in five body styles, and ushered in a new GM bodystyle platform called the "GM B platform", shared with Buick products.[2]

In 1929, as part of General Motors' companion make program, Oldsmobile introduced the higher standard Viking brand, marketed through the Oldsmobile dealers network. Viking was discontinued already at the end of the 1930 model year although an additional 353 cars were marketed as 1931 models.

1930s

Oldsmobile dealer in Taylorville, Illinois, circa 1948

In 1937, Oldsmobile was a pioneer in introducing a four-speed semi-automatic transmission called the "Automatic Safety Transmission", although this accessory was actually built by Buick, which would offer it in its own cars in 1938. This transmission features a conventional clutch pedal, which the driver presses before selecting either "low" or "high" range. In "low," the car shifts between first and second gears. In "high," the car shifts among first, third and fourth gears.[3]

1940s

For the 1940 model, Oldsmobile was the first auto manufacturer to offer a fully automatic transmission, called the "Hydramatic", which features four forward speeds. It has a gas pedal and a brake—no clutch pedal. The gear selector is on the steering column.

Starting in 1941 and continuing through 1996, Oldsmobile used a two digit model designation. As originally implemented, the first digit signifies the body size while the second represents the number of cylinders. Body sizes were 6, 7, 8, and 9, and six- and eight-cylinder engines were offered. Thus, Oldsmobiles were named "66" through "98".

The last pre-war Oldsmobile rolled off the assembly line on February 5, 1942. During World War II, Oldsmobile produced numerous kinds of material for the war effort, including large-caliber guns and shells.

Production resumed on October 15, 1945 with a warmed-over 1942 model serving as the offering for 1946.

Oldsmobile once again was a pioneer when, for the 1949 model, they introduced their Rocket engine, which used an overhead valve V8 design rather than the flathead "straight-eight" design which prevailed at the time. This engine produces far more power than the other engines that were popular during that era, and found favor with hot-rodders and stock car racers. The basic design, with a few minor changes, endured until Oldsmobile redesigned their V8 engines in the mid-1960s.

1950s

1953 Oldsmobile advertisement

Oldsmobile entered the 1950s following a divisional image campaign centered on its 'Rocket' engines and its cars' appearance followed suit. Oldsmobile's Rocket V8 engine was the leader in performance, generally considered the fastest cars on the market and by the mid-1950s their styling was among the first to offer a wide, "open maw" grille, 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-styled taillights as a nod to its "Rocket" theme. Oldsmobile was among the first of General Motors' divisions to receive a true hardtop in 1950 called the "Holiday coupe", Buick's version was called the "Riviera", and Cadillac's was called the "Coupe DeVille", and it was also among the first divisions (along with Buick and Cadillac) to receive a wraparound windshield, a trend that eventually all American makes would share at sometime between 1953 and 1964. New for 1954 on 98 coupes and convertible ( Starfire ) would be front and rear "sweep cut" fender styling which would not show up on a Chevrolet until 1956 and a Pontiac in 1957.

Oldsmobile dealership in Wisconsin, circa 1940s-1950s

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 and the highline Super 88. Other full-size model names included the "Holiday" used on hardtops, and "Fiesta" used on its station wagons. When the 88 was retired in 1999 (with a Fiftieth Anniversary Edition), its length of service was the longest model name used on American cars after the Chrysler New Yorker. Mid-1955 also saw the introduction of the four-door Holiday pillarless hardtop, the industry's first (along with Buick).

General Motors' styling as a whole lost its frontrunner status in 1957 when Chrysler introduced Virgil Exner's "forward look" designs. When compared side to side, Oldsmobile looked dated next to its price-point competitor DeSoto. Compounding the problem for Oldsmobile and Buick was a 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.

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 US automobile sales were down for the model year. Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac received a heavy-handed makeover of the 1957 GM designs. The Oldsmobile that emerged in 1958 bore little resemblance to the design of its forerunners; instead the car emerged as a large, overdecorated "chromemobile" which many felt had overly ostentatious styling.

Up front, all 1958 Oldsmobiles received one of General Motors' heavily styled front fascias and quad-headlights. Streaking back from the edge of the headlights was a broad belt consisting of two strips of chrome on regular 88s, three strips on Super 88s, and three strips (top and bottom thin, inside thick) on 98s that ended in a point at mid-body. 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 taillight housings. Two chrome stars were fitted to the trunklid.

1958 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday coupe

Ford styling consultant Alex Tremulis (designer of the 1948 Tucker sedan) mocked the 1958 Oldsmobile 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 Oldsmobile in the early 1960s, driving it daily to work. He detached and rearranged the Oldsmobile lettering above the grille to spell out slobmodel as a reminder to himself and co-workers of what "bad" auto design meant to their business.

In 1959, Oldsmobile models were completely redesigned with a rocket motif from front to rear, as the top of the front fenders had a chrome rocket, while the body-length fins were shaped as rocket exhausts which culminated in a fin-top taillight (concave on the 98 models while convex on the 88 models). The 1959 models also offered several roof treatments, such as the pillared sedan with a fastback rear window and the Holiday SportSedan, which was a flat-roofed pillarless hardtop with wraparound front and rear glass. The 1959 models were marketed as "the linear look", and also featured a bar-graph speedometer which showed a green indicator through 35 miles per hour (56 km/h), then changed to orange until 65 miles per hour (105 km/h), then was red above that until the highest speed read by the speedometer, 120 miles per hour (190 km/h). Power windows were available on the 98 models, as was two-speed electric windshield wipers with electrically powered windshield washers. The 88 still relied on vacuum-operated windshield wipers without a washer feature. 1959 Oldsmobiles were offered with "Autronic Eye" (a dashboard-mounted automatic headlight dimmer) as well as factory-installed air conditioning and power-operated front bench seat as available options.

The 1959 body style was continued through the 1960 model year, but the fins were toned down for 1960 and the taillights were moved to the bottom of the fenders.

1960s

Oldsmobile Headquarters (1966) - Building 70

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 produced in the United States (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" (1964–1966) and Delmont 88 (1967–1968) on its least expensive full size models in the 1960s.

From 1948 until 2004, Oldsmobile used a variety of logos employing a rocket theme that played off its Rocket line of V-8 engines. This variation, a stylistic representation of a rocket taking off was used only for the 1962, 1963, and 1964 model years, and only then on full size vehicles.

Notable models for the 1960s:

1970s-1980s

1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme sedan
Logo used from 1981 to 1996, also applied on a few early 1997 models.

Oldsmobile sales soared in the 1970s and 1980s (for an all-time high of 1,066,122 in 1985) based on popular designs, positive reviews from critics, and the perceived quality and reliability of the Rocket V8 engine, with the Cutlass series becoming North America's top selling car by 1976. By this time, Olds had displaced Pontiac and Plymouth as the third best-selling brand in the U.S. behind Chevrolet and Ford. In the early 1980s, model-year production topped one million units on several occasions, something only Chevrolet and Ford had achieved.

The soaring popularity of Oldsmobile vehicles resulted in a major issue in the late 1970s. At that time, each General Motors division produced its own V8 engines, and in 1977, Oldsmobile, Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Buick each produced a unique 350-cubic-inch displacement V8.

It was during the 1977 model year that demand exceeded production capacity for the Oldsmobile V8, and as a result Oldsmobile began equipping most full size Delta 88 models (those with Federal emissions specifications) with the Chevrolet 350 engine instead. Although it was widely debated whether there was a difference in quality or performance between the two engines, there was no question that the engines were different from one another. Many customers were loyal Oldsmobile buyers who specifically wanted the Rocket V8, and did not discover that their vehicle had the Chevrolet engine until they performed maintenance and discovered that purchased parts did not fit. This became a public relations nightmare for GM.[4][5]

Following this debacle, disclaimers stating that "Oldsmobiles are equipped with engines produced by various GM divisions" were tacked onto advertisements and sales literature; all other GM divisions followed suit. In addition, GM quickly stopped associating engines with particular divisions, and to this day all GM engines are produced by "GM Powertrain" (GMPT) and are called GM "Corporate" engines instead of GM "Division" engines. Although it was the popularity of the Oldsmobile division vehicles that prompted this change, declining sales of V8 engines would have made this change inevitable as all but the Chevrolet version of the 350-cubic-inch engine were eventually dropped.

Oldsmobile also introduced a 5.7L (350 cu-in, V8) diesel engine option on its Custom Cruiser, Delta 88 and 98 models in 1978 and a smaller 4.3L (260 cu-in, V8) displacement diesel on the 1979 Cutlass Salon and Cutlass Supreme/Cutlass Calais models. These were largely based on their gasoline engines but with heavier duty cast blocks, re-designed heads, fast glow plugs, and on the 5.7L, oversized cranks, main bearings, and wrist pins. There were several problems with these engines, including water and corrosion in the injectors (no water separator in the fuel line), paraffin clogging of fuel lines and filters in cold weather, reduced lubrication in the heads due to undersized oil galleys, head bolt failures, and the use of aluminum rockers and stanchions in the 4.3L V8 engines. While the 5.7L was also offered on various Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, and Pontiac models, it was eventually discontinued by all divisions in 1985. 4.3L V6 diesels were also offered between 1982 and 1985.

1987 Oldsmobile Delta 88

Notable models:

1990s

1994 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight Royale

After the tremendous success of the early and mid-1980s, things changed quickly for Oldsmobile, and by the early 1990s the brand had lost its place in the market, squeezed between other GM divisions, and with competition from new upscale import makes Acura, Infiniti and Lexus. Oldsmobile's signature cars gave way to rebadged models of other GM cars, and GM shifted the performance mantle to Chevrolet and Pontiac. GM continued to use Oldsmobile sporadically 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. For 1995, Oldsmobile introduced the Aurora, which would be the inspiration for the design of its cars from the mid-1990s onward. The introduction of the Aurora marked as General Motors' catalyst to reposition Oldsmobile as an upscale import fighter. Accordingly, Oldsmobile received a new logo based on the familiar "rocket" theme. Nearly all the existing model names were gradually phased out: the Cutlass Calais in 1991, the Toronado and Custom Cruiser in 1992, the Ninety-Eight and Ciera (formerly Cutlass Ciera) in 1996, Cutlass Supreme in 1997, and finally the Eighty-Eight and Cutlass (which had only been around since '97) in 1999. They were replaced with newer, more modern models with designs inspired by the Aurora.

First Generation Oldsmobile Aurora

Redesigned & new models introduced from 1990 to 2004:

2000s

2002 Oldsmobile Alero

In spite of Oldsmobile's critical successes since the mid-1990s, a reported shortfall in sales and overall profitability prompted General Motors to announce in December 2000 their ideas to shut down the Oldsmobile organization. That announcement was officially revealed two days after Oldsmobile distributed the Bravada SUV - which became another critical hit for the division and turned out to be their final vehicle. The phaseout was conducted on the following schedule:

The final 500 Aleros, Auroras, Bravadas, Silhouettes and Intrigues produced received special Oldsmobile heritage emblems and markings which signified 'Final 500'. All featured a unique Dark Cherry Metallic paint scheme. Auroras and Intrigues would be accompanied by special Final 500 literature.

The final production day for Oldsmobile was April 29, 2004. The division's last car built was an Alero GLS 4-door sedan, which was signed by all of the Olds assembly line workers. It was on display at the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum located in Lansing, Michigan, until GM's bankruptcy when they retook possession of the car. It is now located at the GM Heritage Center in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

Oldsmobile models

Production

Model Year(s) Model H.P. Rating Cyl. Remarks
1901–1903 Curved Dash Model R 5 1
1902 Pirate 7 1 Racer
1904 Curved Dash Model 6C 7 1
1904 Model T 10 1 a.k.a. "Light Tonneau"
1904–1905 Model N 7 1 a.k.a. "Touring Runabout"
1905–1906 Curved Dash Model B 7 1
1905 Side Entrance Tonneau 20 2 5-passenger
1906 Model L 2, opposed
1906 Model S 4
1907 Curved Dash Model F 7 1
1907 Model H 4
1907 Model A 4
1908 Model M / MR 4
1908–1909 Model X 4
1908–1909 Model Z 40 6
1909 20 22 4 Derived from Buick 10
1909 Model D / DR 4
1910 Special 40 4 Replaces all previous 4-cylinder cars
1910–1912 Limited 60 6 Introduced 1909 as 1910 model
1911 Special 36 4 Compressed-air starter (all)
1911-12 Autocrat 40 4
1912–1913 Defender 35 4 el. Starter & lighting (all)
1913 53 50 6 Replaces Limited and Autocrat
1914–1915 42 20 4 "Baby-Olds"
1914 54 50 6 "6th Generation Six"
1915-16 43 30 6 "4th Generation Four"
1915 55 50 6 "6th Generation Six"
1916 44 "Light Eight" V-8
1917 45 "Light Eight" V-8
1918 45A "Light Eight" V-8

Concept

Canadian market

In Canada the range was much more limited, with the Oldsmobile Silhouette and Oldsmobile Bravada being unavailable to Canadian consumers until much later in their production life.

Other markets

In Mexico all Oldsmobile models were sold under the Chevrolet brand.

The Oldsmobile Alero was sold as a Chevrolet in Europe but it retained Oldsmobile's badge / logo on the front, the Chevrolet name was used due to buyers' unfamiliarity with Oldsmobile in Europe.

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 Motorama, a "one company" auto show extravaganza. Millions of Americans attended, in a spirit not unlike a "mini-World's Fair". Every GM division had a "Dream Car". Oldsmobile's dream/concept car was called "The Golden Rocket".

1970 Oldsmobile 442

The Dr. Oldsmobile theme was one of Oldsmobile's most successful marketing campaigns in the early '70s, it involved fictional characters created to promote the wildly popular 442 muscle car. 'Dr. Oldsmobile' was a tall lean professor type who wore a white lab coat. His assistants included 'Elephant Engine Ernie' who represented the big block 455 Rocket engine. 'Shifty Sidney' was a character who could be seen swiftly shifting his hand using a Hurst shifter. 'Wind Tunnel Waldo' had slicked back hair that appeared to be constantly wind blown. He represented Oldsmobile's wind tunnel testing, that produced some of the sleekest designs of the day. Another character included 'Hy Spy' who had his ear to the ground as he checked out the competition.

A public relations campaign in the late 1980s proclaimed that this was "not your father's Oldsmobile." Ironically, many fans of the brand say that the declining sales were in fact caused by the "this is not your father's Oldsmobile" campaign", as the largest market for Oldsmobiles was the population whose parents had, in fact, owned Oldsmobiles and that by going away from the traditional vehicles that Oldsmobile's brand was built upon, lost many loyal buyers and put the brand on a collision course with Pontiac and Buick which led to internal cannibalization and a downfall from which it could never recover.[6]

A 1902 advertisement for Oldsmobile - Galveston Daily News, December 28, 1902
A 1904 advertisement for Oldsmobile - Syracuse Post-Standard, September 30, 1904
A 1905 advertisement for Oldsmobile.
A 1906 Advertisement for Oldsmobile, Amos Pierce Automobile Company - Syracuse Post-Standard, February 10, 1906
Oldsmobile four-cylinder touring car (Model S) - Syracuse Herald, April 7, 1906
A 1908 advertisement for Oldsmobile (Model M) - La Crosse Tribune, May 8, 1908
A 1910 advertisement for Oldsmobile - Mansfield News, April 23, 1910
A 1910 advertisement for Oldsmobile - Syracuse Post-Standard, June 11, 1910

Motorsport

NASCAR

Oldsmobile is especially known for its competition in NASCAR. Beginning with the Rocket 88, Oldsmobile proved heavily competitive in stock car racing. In the sixties, the Rocket 88 was replaced by the 442. Eventually, the Cutlass would lead Oldsmobile into the eighties before GM reduced its entries to Chevrolet and Pontiac in the nineties.

IMSA GT

In the IMSA GT Championship, Oldsmobile would provide power for IMSA GT Prototypes alongside Chevrolet and Buick.

IndyCar

Oldsmobile was almost the only engine supplier in the IndyCar Series in the nineties. .

Trans Am Series

Oldsmobile Cutlasses have been used in Trans Am since the eighties.

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Michigan Yesterday & Today. Voyageur Press.
  2. ↑ http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Oldsmobile/1926%20Oldsmobile/album/1926%20Oldsmobile%20Foldout-03.html
  3. ↑ "Automatic Transmission Saves Gas And Power" Popular Mechanics, August 1937
  4. ↑ Mateja, James (March 13, 1977). "GM engine lawsuit: When does Olds become a Chevrolet?". Chicago Tribune.
  5. ↑ Stuart, Reginald (April 3, 1978). "G.M.'s Image Under Fire In New Type of Lawsuit; Latest Charges Challenge Internal Operations, Not Size Factors Credibility and Durability 'A Set of Principles' G.M. Image Assailed in New Cases Murkier Waters Today 'Little Attention' Given Approach Challenged". The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  6. ↑ In the '90s, General Motors hired marketers from outside the auto industry -- gurus of selling soap, toothpaste, disposable diapers and the like. But given the blunders behind Oldsmobile's failure, perhaps GM should have taken its marketing lessons from radio instead! WINTER, 2001, RESEARCH INSIGHTS.

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oldsmobile vehicles.
Oldsmobile road car timeline, Post WW2–1970s — next »
Type 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
6789 0123456789 0123456789 0123456789
Subcompact Starfire
Compact F-85
Cutlass Omega
Mid-size F-85 F-85
Cutlass Cutlass Cutlass Cutlass
Mid-size station wagon Vista Cruiser Vista Cruiser Vista Cruiser Cutlass Cruiser
Full-size 66/68
76/78 76
88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88
98 98 Ninety-Eight Ninety-Eight Ninety-Eight Ninety-Eight Ninety-Eight Ninety-Eight Ninety-Eight
Full-size station wagon 76 88 Fiesta 88 Fiesta 88 Fiesta Custom Cruiser Custom Cruiser
88
Personal luxury Starfire Starfire
Toronado		 Toronado Toronado
« previous — Oldsmobile road car timeline, 1980s–2004
Type 1980s 1990s 2000s
0123456789 0123456789 01234
Compact car Starfire Firenza
Omega Cutlass Calais Achieva Alero
Mid-size car Cutlass Cutlass Ciera Cutlass
Cutlass Supreme Cutlass Supreme Intrigue
Mid-size station wagon Cutlass Cruiser Cutlass Ciera Cruiser
Full-size car Eighty-Eight Eighty-Eight Eighty-Eight
LSS
Ninety-Eight Ninety-Eight Ninety-Eight Regency
Aurora Aurora
Full-size station wagon Custom Cruiser Custom Cruiser
Personal luxury car Toronado Toronado
Minivan Silhouette Silhouette
SUV Bravada Bravada Bravada
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