Founded by Ransom E Olds in 1897 as the Olds
Motor Vehicle Company of Lansing, Michigan, the
company began the serious manufacture of cars
in 1901, that year manufacturing 425 - not many
by today’s standards but at the time it
was enough to make Olds the first high-volume
car manufacturer of the day.
Olds left the company
following financial difficulty to form the REO
Motor Car Company, the last of the famous “Curved
Dash Olds” being manufactured in 1907 before
a GM buyout in 1908. Developed a well deserved
reputation for innovative firsts, including the
speedometer (1901), out-sourcing of parts, chrome
plating, mono-block V8’s and automatic
chokes.
In the mid 1940’s Oldsmobile were
the first to offer an automatic transmission
in more mainstream models, their “Hydra-Matic” is
widely considered the forefather of every automatic
transmission offered to this day. The “Rocket” engine
of 1949 was the first mass-produced, high-compression
OHV V8, then in 1962-1963 Oldsmobile released
the “Jetfire”, the first turbocharged
passenger car featuring an aluminum-block 215 in³ V8
engine with turbocharger, producing one horsepower
per cubic inch.
The Tornado of 1966 may not have
been the first front-wheel-drive American built
car, but it was the first to be successful and
gain acceptance with the motoring public. It
would go on to win the Motor Trend Car of Year
award in 1966 for its unique and innovative styling.
