The Death of Oldsmobile: Already 10 Years...
Published on April 26, 2014 in Galleries by Frédérick Boucher-Gaulin
April 29 will mark the 10th anniversary of Oldsmobile's death. In 2004, after 107 years of operation, the company is shut down by its owner, GM. Here are some of the highlights of its history.
The first car Oldsmobile made, the Curved Dash.
The 1910 Limited Touring. It was sold for $4600, which was more than an average house!
In 1929, Oldsmobile launches a sub-brand, Viking. It is shut down after only one year.
Oldsmobile were the first to offer a semi-automatic transmission, in 1937. It had two ranges: low and high.
In 1940, Oldsmobile launches the Hydramatic, the first fully automatic transmission.
The V8 Rocket engine is unveiled in 1949. Oldsmobile is now seen as a performance brand, and the engine is used by many hot-rodders.
The car of the fifties were styled like futuristic rockets.
1968 Oldsmobile 442, one of the best Muscle car of the era.
En 1964, Olds introduce the Vista-cruiser.
1966 Oldsmobile Toronado, the most powerful front-wheel drive car ever produced.
In 1977, the Delta 88 were sold with a Chevrolet 350 engine... sometimes without the owner's consent!
The 5.7L Diesel engine is offered in 1978. It is known as one of the worst GM engine ever sold.
1982 Cutlass Ciera, a very popular car in the 80's.
Oldsmobile Firenza: Oldsmobile version of the J-body platform.
In the 90's, Oldsmobile loses it's edge, and become ''just another division'' of GM.
In 1995, the Aurora is launched. It was Oldsmobile last attempt at creating a ''world-beating'' luxury car.
Things are not going well for Olds. GM mainly uses the company to sell generic version of its vehicles. For example, this Silhouette is a rebodied Chevrolet Venture.
The last new car launched by Oldsmobile, the Bravada.
The very last car produced by Oldsmobile was this Alero GLS, on April 29, 2004.