Oldsmobile Cars
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Oldsmobile History
Ransom Olds formed the Olds company in 1887 to build steam-powered vehicles which they did until 1895. In 1896 they presented a prototype of an internal-combustion engine powered vehicle. On August 21, 1897 the Olds Motor Vehicle Company is formed in Lansing, Michigan. It is Michigan's first automobile manfacturing company.
After early experiments with both steam and electric propulsion, Ransom Eli Olds switched to the internal combustion engine for his automobile. His light runabout, with a unique curved dash layout, was completed in 1900, and readied for sale in early 1901. However, a fire at the factory delayed the start of production, and the first production Oldsmobiles did not reach the public until the late summer of 1901. The 650-pound vehicle sold from $650 when new.
Propelled by a horizontally mounted, single-cylinder engine under the seat, the Oldsmobile featured a two-speed planetary transmission and driver controls on the right, with a central-mounted steering tiller. The chassis design was simple yet elegant, with a long leaf spring on each side connecting the front and rear axles. The wooden body was attached directly to the top of the springs, while a small transverse full-elliptic spring in front damped out any rocking motions from the front to the rear. The cars were carefully refined, and a set of truss rods were added to the axles in 1902. The car’s popularity grew and grew, surpassing the steam-powered Locomobile as America’s best-selling car by 1903. There were successive improvements, and the curved-dash models remained in production through 1907, by which time they were joined by a straight-dash model, as well as larger models, including a four-cylinder, 106-inch wheelbase car.
November, 1908 - General MotorsCorp acquires the Olds Motor Vehicle Company.
1928 - In 1928 Oldsmobile introduced its "F" series of automobiles. A longer chassis and larger, more powerful six-cylinder engine set the line apart from its predeccessors. The series featured twelve body styles, ranging from the 2-passenger coupes and roadsters to 5-passenger 2-door sedans.
1942 - The Olds Division of GM is renamed as the Oldsmobile Division.
1949 - Oldsmobile introduces its Rocket V8 engine.
Oldsmobile entered the 1950s with strong momentum, thanks to advancements in styling and engineering that trumped many competing marques. While the new-for-1949 Oldsmobiles carried the exciting aircraft-inspired styling of Harley Earl’s Art & Colour Section, the big news was release of the modern, overhead valve “Rocket” V8 engine. Oldsmobile posted sales of over 288,000 units for 1949, an impressive increase of 67 percent over 1948. While the entire new car market dipped in 1950, Oldsmobile continued to post strong sales results throughout the 1950s. Racing victories, including first place in the inaugural Carrera Panamericana, translated into sales success in the showroom as well.
In 1964 the 442 cid high-performance engine option became available. It was so popular that in 1968 the 442 was made its own model series.
In April 2004, the last Oldsmobile was made.
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