I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)

fintail

Woody looks like maybe a 41 Ford to me. Pickup perhaps a 39+ Dodge maybe with some kind of utility body.

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

Only GM could make a small car steer and handle like a Ford F-350. But kudos for GM for the effort, even though (as usual), too little, too late.

In November 1986 my wife and I celebrated winning our first election by renting an MR2 for a Thanksgiving weekend trip. I loved it; it was one of the very few times I was sorely tempted to stray from Bavarian machines.

kyfdx

Spotted an Infiniti Q45t today.

I think it was the facelifted version of a 1st Gen model. It had a grill in the front.

fintail

The grille Q45s were MY 1994-96.

ab348

roadburner said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Only GM could make a small car steer and handle like a Ford F-350. But kudos for GM for the effort, even though (as usual), too little, too late.

In November 1986 my wife and I celebrated winning our first election by renting an MR2 for a Thanksgiving weekend trip. I loved it; it was one of the very few times I was sorely tempted to stray from Bavarian machines.

I loved my '85. It was like driving a go-cart on the street. Such fun.

tjc78

fintail said:

Too bad in typical GM fashion it got the good engine at the end. A Fiero will always be Jeanie Bueller's car.

“I got a car, he got a computer” 

kyfdx

fintail said:

The grille Q45s were MY 1994-96.

Ah... thanks

andre1969

Just rescued a Plymouth Superbird, from behind the abandoned/condemned house two doors down...


Guessing it had the Hemi, as someone yanked the engine

fintail

But it still has the body/VIN tag, right?

andre1969 said:

Just rescued a Plymouth Superbird, from behind the abandoned/condemned house two doors down...

fintail

I found the evolution of that car to be interesting. Quite daring in original form, then sales slowed, it was normalized with a grille out of desperation - minimal results, then for 97 to be a parallel universe MB like the LS, maybe helped a little, but always (as far as I know) behind the LS.

kyfdx said:

fintail said:

The grille Q45s were MY 1994-96.

Ah... thanks

benjaminh

Since some people seemed to enjoy the selection of images from Oldsmobile brochures from the 1930s, I'm going to waste some time by posting a few pages from each year from Oldsmobile brochures of the 1940s. In 1940 the biggest news for Oldsmobile, and for the whole auto industry, was the introduction of Oldsmobile's Hydra-Matic transmission. Here's some history from wikipedia on the Hydramatic, a picture of one of the first Hydramatics from a car museum, and then a few pages from the special brochure that Oldsmobile put out that year to explain the new automatic transmission. After 8 years of development at GM, starting with Cadillac, and what would be in today's money billions of dollars in R&D, Oldsmobile almost gave away the first Hydramatics for just $57 in 1940. A few years later Cadillac was charging $125, which was still a bargain but getting closer to the real cost.

From wikipedia:

"Cadillac, under Thompson, began working on a 'shiftless' transmission in 1932, and a new department within Cadillac Engineering was created, headed by Thompson and including engineers Ernest Seaholm, Ed Cole, Owen Nacker, and Oliver Kelley. During 1934, the Cadillac transmission group had developed a step-ratio gearbox that would shift automatically under full torque. This same group of engineers was then moved into GM Central Research, building pilot transmission units during 1935-36 which were then handed to Oldsmobile for testing....

The HydraMatic was designed to combine hydraulic operation of a planetary gearbox (allowing much shifting to be automated) with a fluid coupling instead of a friction clutch, eliminating the need for de-clutching. The transmission would have four forward speeds (3.82:1, 2.63:1, 1.45:1, and 1.00:1) plus reverse, with all acceleration provided by gearing; its fluid coupling did not multiply the engine output as a torque converter does....

The result, dubbed "Hydra-Matic Drive," went into production in May 1939 for the 1940 model year. The first Oldsmobiles so equipped were shipped in October 1939. Oldsmobile was chosen to introduce the Hydra-Matic for two reasons: economies of scale—Oldsmobile produced more cars than Cadillac at the time, thus providing a better test base—and to protect the reputation of Cadillac in case of a market failure of the new transmission. Advertising proclaimed it "the greatest advance since the self-starter."

In 1940, the Hydra-Matic was a $57.00 option, rising to $100.00 for 1941. In 1941, it also became an option on Cadillacs for $125.00. Almost 200,000 had been sold by the time passenger car production was halted for wartime production in February 1942."

benjaminh

1941....

benjaminh

1942....

benjaminh

1946....

benjaminh

1947....

benjaminh

For 1948 Oldsmobile whisked you "into a new golden era" with the "Futuramic Oldsmobile":

benjaminh

And for 1949 Oldsmobile for the first time had a "Rocket Engine." I've sometimes thought that the globe integrated into the front of the Olds at this point and for the next few years was a sign of the new global role the United States had as the Cold War was starting....

omarman

Good looking dash on the 1942 Olds.


And 35 years later Buick Electra was my favorite down-sized big GM sedan with this dash.

ab348

Great stuff, @benjaminh ! I always thought Olds would have done better in the '40s if their styling had been improved. The vertical grille appliques under the headlights on the 1940 and especially the ornate 1941 models always made the front of the car look like it was crying. The '42 was absolutely hideous up front - I remember the first time I saw one at a car show I could not believe how awful it looked in the flesh. Then post-war, all of the front ends had that frowning "moustache" grill design which again made the car look sad. It was mitigated, but only a bit, with the '48 and '49 Futuramic redesign.

benjaminh

PS All of the images from the Oldsmobile brochures are high rez, and so if you click on them twice you can actually read the text....

(Before I looked at these brochures I'm not sure I quite got that "Futuramic" is a melding of "dramatic" and "future," although maybe I did.....?)

fintail

The 41 Olds front end has always seemed a bit fussy to me, maybe too much moderne gingerbread - reminds me of a fancy radio or waterfall furniture, but the 42 is strangely cool, something about that front end reminds me of a period airplane, fitting for that year I suppose. The 48-49s must have been a head turner when new, quite trim and modern for the time.

benjaminh

Some Oldsmobile ads from the late 1940s paralleling the design of the car with modern architecture....

benjaminh

I think those previous three magazine ads were all from 1948. These two are from 1949....

fintail

Speaking of ads - When I was a kid, and my parents had a space in an antique mall, I would make money by buying bulk lots old National Geographics at yard sales, cutting out the car ads with an exacto knife, and selling them in bundles of 10 for $10. They always sold well.

I remember this ad:

Mr_Shiftright

My 150 year old neighbor, Mr. Davidson, from Queens NY had a 1941 Oldsmobile. He was wayyyyyy too old to be driving but he refused to get rid of the car. I offered to buy it (it was a hydramatic) but he declined.

So I would drive him around to do his errands. I remember the car quite well. Very solid, and that transmission shifted quite well.

benjaminh

Mr_Shiftright said:

My 150 year old neighbor, Mr. Davidson, from Queens NY had a 1941 Oldsmobile. He was wayyyyyy too old to be driving but he refused to get rid of the car. I offered to buy it (it was a hydramatic) but he declined.

So I would drive him around to do his errands. I remember the car quite well. Very solid, and that transmission shifted quite well.

How old was that Hydramatic? Had it been rebuilt?

Mr_Shiftright

Not as far as I know. The car had very low miles, maybe 50,000 on it. His wife had a car and from what I could tell, did most of the work around the house--lol!

omarman

Should there be a mandatory ineligible age limit at the upper end of the actuarial table?

I mean compared to an old Toyota with +200K miles, some have likened that to a 90 y/o man who plays tennis but could drop dead at any time.

How long will you keep driving? There was an old Deep Thoughts sketch that went something like, "I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather. Not screaming and crying like the passengers in his car."

kyfdx

My uncle was complaining about his car insurance cost. “Why is it so high?”.

You are 90, and you insure two cars, when you shouldn’t even be driving one.

Mr_Shiftright

The problem with a lot of really old folks and their driving is that they have lost a lot of flexibility in their body. They can't turn around and look for danger. Of course, reflexes are a lot slower, and the world is always getting faster--not a good combination. Maybe autonomous cars would be the solution someday?

I just helped a 94 year old sell his Prius (and NO, it wasn't "too dull for him"- ). He was pretty cool about it. Apparently he had a very close call a few weeks back and it so unnerved him that he made the big decision.

I did notice though that his seemingly immaculate, low mileage Prius was peppered with all kinds of little dings and scrapes, and...oh, the right side rear bumper was missing.

xwesx

Mr_Shiftright said:

I did notice though that his seemingly immaculate, low mileage Prius was peppered with all kinds of little dings and scrapes, and...oh, the right side rear bumper was missing.

That sounds about right! My grandmother is the same way. She really should not be driving any longer, but try telling her that (then duck)!

Mr_Shiftright

Well the old guy lives in a swank full-service retirement residence and he can have transport just about anytime he needs it--and his kids are nearby.

I actually drove the car for a few days to sort it out prior to sale (his kids are my good friends), and it took a while to stop driving it like it was a Mini Cooper. I about slid from one side of the car to the other making turns and forgot to count to 20 on freeway on ramps.

You know what a Prius really reminds me of? Driving an old Citroen DS. Kind of slow and poofy, with a springy seat and odd-duck styling.

benjaminh

1950....

benjaminh

1951....

benjaminh

By 1952 we're almost entering "Bulgemobile" territory....

benjaminh

For 1953 Oldsmobile says that its cars have become "The New Ruling Power of the Road!" Hubris? But at this point a top-of-the-line Olds optioned out had a powerful engine, power brakes, power steering, fancy radio, Autronic Eye, Quadra-Jet Carburetor, new 12 volt electrical system, etc., etc.

sda

benjaminh said:

And for 1949 Oldsmobile for the first time had a "Rocket Engine." I've sometimes thought that the globe integrated into the front of the Olds at this point and for the next few years was a sign of the new global role the United States had as the Cold War was starting....

Keep them coming, very enjoyable. Thanks for taking the time and effort to share!

benjaminh

For 1954 Air Conditioning was available, the rocket engine was up to 185 horsepower, and I think Oldsmobile had better visibility than probably any car you can get today....

stickguy

on the trans, what is the "S" speed range stand for? Drive and Low are easy to figure out!

stickguy

oh, and funny to see the autronic eye feature. The Lexus I looked at last night had that feature, and the salesguy was so proud of it he went out of his way to point it out because it was so rare and special.

benjaminh

1955....I see that the men in the art are no longer wearing hats.

benjaminh

For 1956 the Oldsmobile Rocket 8 had 240 horses....

benjaminh

For 1957 the Olds T-350 (T stands for torque, of course) had become the T-400....

benjaminh

For 1958 the Bulgemobile offered the disaster that was "New-Matic Drive." The J-2 engine, according to the brochures, was manufactured and tested to exacting standards....

benjaminh

And with 1959 at least for a while I'm finished with this bizarre tour through Oldsmobile brochures. But I will mention that the outward visibility on the 59 is astonishing. But in a rollover....Yikes.

benjaminh

stickguy said:

on the trans, what is the "S" speed range stand for? Drive and Low are easy to figure out!

I think just in-between....? Interesting there's no P for Park from 1940 up the early 1950s, but starting in the mid-50s the P is added.

Again, these are all high rez images, and so if you click on them a couple of times you should be able to enlarge them and read the text.

kyfdx

benjaminh said:

stickguy said:

on the trans, what is the "S" speed range stand for? Drive and Low are easy to figure out!

I think just in-between....? Interesting there's no P for Park from 1940 up until this point, but later in the 50s the P is added.

Second?

ab348

S stood for Super in Oldspeak. It kept the transmission from going into 4th gear until you were doing about 65mph, so the car felt more responsive.

Olds in the '50s had a name for everything, some of which are quite amusing today.

It all started with Hydra-Matic Drive, which later became "Whirlaway" and even later, "Jetaway" Hydra-Matic. But then we also got "Safety" Power Steering with Co-Pilot, which became "Roto-Matic" power steering later on. "Pedal-Ease" power brakes too. The '57 had a "Span-A-Ramic" windshield, which became a "Vista-Panoramic" for '59. Don't forget the "Pivot-Poise" front suspension, the "L-Bow prop shaft, or the "Auto-Thermic" pistons either.

roadburner

ab348 said:

S stood for Super in Oldspeak. It kept the transmission from going into 4th gear until you were doing about 65mph, so the car felt more responsive.

Olds in the '50s had a name for everything, some of which are quite amusing today.

It all started with Hydra-Matic Drive, which later became "Whirlaway" and even later, "Jetaway" Hydra-Matic. But then we also got "Safety" Power Steering with Co-Pilot, which became "Roto-Matic" power steering later on. "Pedal-Ease" power brakes too. The '57 had a "Span-A-Ramic" windshield, which became a "Vista-Panoramic" for '59. Don't forget the "Pivot-Poise" front suspension, the "L-Bow prop shaft, or the "Auto-Thermic" pistons either.

The father of a girl I knew in high school had a 1974 Cutlass; The owners manual still said that "S" stood for "Super Performance."

fintail

When I see a 58 Olds, I always think of the story (urban legend?) of the owner who rearranged the letters to read "Slobmodel". They just applied the gingerbread with a cannon. The 59 is quite a bit cooler way, especially the flat tops.