On October 29, 2004, the last Oldsmobile rolled off the assembly line, ending 107 years of automobile production related to that brand. During more than a century of production, more than 35 million cars were made carrying the Oldsmobile brand.
Ransom E. Olds (1864-1950) founded the Olds Motor Vehicle Company in Lansing, Michigan in 1897. While Henry Ford is often credited for inventing the assembly line, in fact the Oldsmobile Curved Dash was the first mass-produced car. Mass production of the Oldsmobile began in 1901.
The Olds Motor Vehicle Company merged with the Olds Gas Engine Works in 1899 and became the Olds Motor Works. In 1901, the company moved to a new plant in Detroit with plans to produce a full line of automobiles. However, the factory burned down, destroying all of the prototypes except for the Curved Dash model. Thus mass production began in a new factory for the Curved Dash Olds, which is generally considered to be the first mass-produced automobile. The car was produced on an assembly line using interchangeable parts. The Curved Dash models were produced until 1907. More than 19,000 Curved Dash Oldsmobiles were produced.
The Olds automobiles, as they were called by the manufacturer, were soon called Oldsmobiles by the general public. In 1905, the hit song In My Merry Oldsmobile reinforced this designation.
Ransom Olds left the company in 1904 and formed the REO Motor Car Company. In 1908 General Motors purchased the Olds Motor Works and Oldsmobile became a GM brand.
As a part of General Motors, Oldsmobile brought out the Limited Touring model in 1910. It sold for $4,600 (about the same as a three-bedroom house) and featured a straight-six engine, a starter, and room for five people. Purchasers could also have an optional speedometer, clock, and full glass windshield. During its three years of production, 725 Oldsmobile Limited Touring models were produced.
In 1940, Oldsmobile introduced the Hydramatic transmission making it the first car with a fully automatic transmission. There was no clutch pedal.
In 1949, Oldsmobile introduced the Rocket Engine which used an overhead valve V8 rather than the traditional flathead straight-eight. This gave the car more power, a feature which appealed to stock car racers and hot-rodders. During the 1950s, Oldsmobile marketed its “rocket” theme.
By 1976, Oldsmobile was the third best-selling brand in the United States (behind Chevrolet and Ford). By 1977, demand exceeded the production capacity of the Oldsmobile V8, and the Delta 88 models were equipped with the Chevrolet 350 engine. This turned into a major mess when loyal customers found out that their cars did not have the Oldsmobile engine. As a result, GM stopped associating engines with particular divisions: instead, GM cars from all divisions were simply powered by GM Powertrain.
By the early 1990s, Oldsmobile, facing competition from imports, was losing its place in the market. By 2000, GM announced plans to phase out the brand.
Shown below are some of the Oldsmobiles which are on display in the LeMay—America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington and in the Montana Auto Museum in Deer Lodge, Montana.
LeMay—America’s Car Museum
Harold LeMay, a Tacoma businessman, loved cars and managed to collect more than 3,000 automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles over forty years of collecting. A number of the vehicles from his collection form the nucleus of the LeMay—America’s Car Museum. This collection of more than 300 cars, motorcycles, and trucks is displayed in a four-level building in Tacoma, Washington.
Shown above is a 1903 Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout. Notice that it has a tiller rather than a steering wheel.
Shown above is a 1926 Oldsmobile Holden 30D, Touring RH.
Shown above is a 1948 Oldsmobile Model 66, 2-Door Coupe. The designation “66” indicated that it is body size 6 (other body sizes were 7, 8, and 9) and that it had a six-cylinder engine.
Shown above is a 1950 Oldsmobile Futuramic 88, 4-Door Station Wagon.
Tom McCahill, writing in Mechanix Illustrated described the 1950 Olds this way:
“The 1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 is as hot as a hornet’s kiss, especially when equipped with a conventional, three-speed transmission.”
However, the Olds station wagon was a disappointing seller and only 2,650 were built.
Montana Auto Museum
The Montana Auto Museum is housed in the Old Montana Prison in Deer Lodge, Montana. The museum displays more than 150 automobiles.
Shown above is a 1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2. It sold for $3,567. This was considered an upscale muscle car.
Paugh Regional History Hall
The Paugh Regional History Hall in the Museum of the Rockies on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana has one Oldsmobile on display.
Shown above is a 1922 Oldsmobile in front of a rural gas station.