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 aluminium-block 215 in³ V8
engine with
turbocharger, producing one horsepower
per cubic inch.