American Vintage & Oldsmobile Restoration Experts Read This
Oldsmobile has a unique place in American automotive history. Why? For one, it has the proud and distinct honor of being the oldest passenger car maker in the United States, as well as being one of the world's oldest. Oldsmobile started with two young men, both hailing from Lansing, Michigan, Frank Clark and Ransom Eli Olds, who joined forces to create a "horseless carriage." Olds' father built motionless gasoline engines, so Olds provided the engine and other mechanical parts and Clark supplied the carriage (his father was in carriage works business). They were able to make their vehicle run successfully, and shortly thereafter Olds met with some Lansing businessmen and established the Olds Motor Vehicle Company in 1897. Olds later relocated to Detroit in 1899 where it was renamed Olds Motor Works. They built a new facility there, along the banks of the Detroit River. The facility was the first one to be purposely designed to manufacture vehicles. The plant at Lansing was kept as an engine factory.
The Oldsmobile curved dash Runabout was developed after moving to Detroit. From 425 cars in 1901, sales gradually increased to a staggering 5,508 units in 1904. Olds Motor Works was then selling more cars in America than anyone had sold before. Many Olds were also being exported to the Royal Houses of Italy and England, and even to the Middle East and Russia. In 1908, the Olds Motor Works was made part of the upstart General Motors Corporation, which had the Buick Motor Company as its chief asset. Olds continued to prosper under GM, and in 1915 production rose to almost 8,000 cars.
The economic boom during the Roaring Twenties pushed production to 45,000 Olds in 1925, and also started the use of chromium-plating as trims on cars. The Depression slowed sales but in 1935 new Oldsmobile sales reached 183,000 cars, and the 1 millionth Oldsmobile was built. In 1939, the first completely automatic transmission, the Hydra-matic, was released by Oldsmobile and drew considerable sales; thus the 2-millionth Oldsmobile was produced in 1941.
General Motors Corporation officially made Olds Motor Works its Oldsmobile Division on January 1, 1942. Oldsmobile continued to make milestones after the war. It pioneered the first overhead valve, high-compression V-8 engine. Then came power brakes and air conditioning in 1958. The 5-millionth Oldsmobile rolled out in 1955. Olds introduced the "Trans-portable" radio in 1958. To achieve greater fuel economy, a new carburetor, the "Econo-o-Way" in 1958, and a split choke system in 1959, were introduced.
1960 saw the introduction of Oldsmobile's compact F-85. Designed to fight imports, it was rated at 18 mpg on the highway, targeted for people who wanted a small, economical car but disliked the austerity of the then existing imports. 1966 saw one of the most important innovations of that decade; the introduction of front-wheel drive on the Tornado. Although strange to many observers, it made possible some long-wanted Oldsmobile aims: a flat floor to provide more room and comfort, and a chassis/drive-train assembly which would enable superior traction and handling unavailable in cars of this bulk. Oldsmobile also introduced its "muscle cars" like the 4-4-2, the Hurst Olds, and the W-30, 31 and 32. In 1978, they introduced the first V-8 diesel
The Oldsmobile curved dash Runabout was developed after moving to Detroit. From 425 cars in 1901, sales gradually increased to a staggering 5,508 units in 1904. Olds Motor Works was then selling more cars in America than anyone had sold before. Many Olds were also being exported to the Royal Houses of Italy and England, and even to the Middle East and Russia. In 1908, the Olds Motor Works was made part of the upstart General Motors Corporation, which had the Buick Motor Company as its chief asset. Olds continued to prosper under GM, and in 1915 production rose to almost 8,000 cars.
The economic boom during the Roaring Twenties pushed production to 45,000 Olds in 1925, and also started the use of chromium-plating as trims on cars. The Depression slowed sales but in 1935 new Oldsmobile sales reached 183,000 cars, and the 1 millionth Oldsmobile was built. In 1939, the first completely automatic transmission, the Hydra-matic, was released by Oldsmobile and drew considerable sales; thus the 2-millionth Oldsmobile was produced in 1941.
General Motors Corporation officially made Olds Motor Works its Oldsmobile Division on January 1, 1942. Oldsmobile continued to make milestones after the war. It pioneered the first overhead valve, high-compression V-8 engine. Then came power brakes and air conditioning in 1958. The 5-millionth Oldsmobile rolled out in 1955. Olds introduced the "Trans-portable" radio in 1958. To achieve greater fuel economy, a new carburetor, the "Econo-o-Way" in 1958, and a split choke system in 1959, were introduced.
1960 saw the introduction of Oldsmobile's compact F-85. Designed to fight imports, it was rated at 18 mpg on the highway, targeted for people who wanted a small, economical car but disliked the austerity of the then existing imports. 1966 saw one of the most important innovations of that decade; the introduction of front-wheel drive on the Tornado. Although strange to many observers, it made possible some long-wanted Oldsmobile aims: a flat floor to provide more room and comfort, and a chassis/drive-train assembly which would enable superior traction and handling unavailable in cars of this bulk. Oldsmobile also introduced its "muscle cars" like the 4-4-2, the Hurst Olds, and the W-30, 31 and 32. In 1978, they introduced the first V-8 diesel