Classic Cars, Tech Center News, January 08, 2001

RECENT ARTICLE - CLASSIC CARS

TOP HAT JOHN-CLASSIC CARS COLUMN - Tech Center News, January 08, 2001

SINCE the story broke - that so many Oldsmobile watchers, historians and probably car owners have been keeping an ear open to - I have been personally reminiscing and having conversation with people of differing lifestyles in regards to Olds and its impending demise.

Interesting, that not a single comment was made in defense of Olds going away. Business or otherwise. Granted that all the conversations were with people that remember the Oldsmobile as my grandfathers and/or fathers car, and most all made certain comments about the advertising of Olds, "This is not your fathers Oldsmobile" as ‘fodder’. Same overall comments from pretty much everybody-bad marketing killed the Oldsmobile. Maybe it would have been better if Olds was advertised and marketed more like the ‘General’ it was in the automotive industry. Maybe.

Olds did not start out building automobiles, P.F.Olds & Son machine repair came first, then steam engines and in 1887 Ransom E. Olds built a steam powered car. Ranny as he was called, was born just a year before the end of the United States Civil War, got involved in the family business in 1883 and became the "Son" in the company title in 1885 at age 21, buying out his brothers interest-the same year that Grover Cleveland began his first term as president of the U.S. September 9, 1897 marks the incorporation of the Olds Motor Vehicle Company.

My first memory of Oldsmobile was the ‘Rocket V8’ of 1949. A neighbor across the street from us drove only Oldsmobile cars and Ed had an 88 coupe with the Hydramatic transmission. Problem was the Hydramatic was fitted with a racing transmission that Ed kept breaking-I think Ed was a ‘hot dog’ and enjoyed too many stoplight gran prix exercises. In 1955 Ed parked a new Olds next to that ’50 in his two car garage.

A family friend of my dads had a ’56 Olds and boy do I remember so very well going to the old Motor City Speedway that was on 8 Mile and Schoenherr Roads in that turquoise and white Olds 98 four-door sedan. Almost every Wednesday evening it was a ride in that Olds to the racetrack. And that beautiful symmetrically styled Olds dash in combinations of body colored steel and gleaming chrome.

In 1957 the neighbor sold the ’50 and bought a new ’57 Olds 98 four-door hardtop, a light mauve color body with white top and twin split rear window design-what a stunning automobile with black, white and silver interior trim. Fast and smooth … you ‘better believe it! In 1964 Ed bought another 98 four door sedan that was called a ‘Luxury Sedan’ that was sleek and looked like ten miles long with its slab sided styling with flat hood and rear deck.

This desert sand colored Olds was absolutely uncanny as to road holding, effortless driver control and smoothness of operation, as I remember so vividly the first time I drove this very car and never forgot how well it drove-I did own two ’64 model Oldsmobile cars some years later just due to that drive.

For 1965 Olds brought out a new ‘Rocket’ engine that was 425CID and up to 370HP for the Starfire models. Dad bought his first Olds that year and of course it was important to have the ‘big’ engine for towing that 14-foot Chris Craft boat around. It also helped my image, with "Hub’s Dyno-Tuning" efforts and my learned driving prowess on frequent Woodward excursions. Had a hard time keeping engine mounts intact from the ‘Rockets’ 500 ft.lbs. of torque.

Dads 1970 Olds 98 LS sedan wasn’t so good as it wore its brakes out consistently, blew head gaskets, had electrical ‘gremlins’ and just plain old, was again, not so good and actually really bad. Yeah, I do remember my parents staying at a friends home in Lexington right on Lake Huron and calling me to come and get the car as it was overheating. It was blown head gaskets. Hooked a bumper hitch to my ’63 Buick LeSabre 401, rented a four-wheel car hauler and brought the Olds home … what a scary ride that was with 5,000 lbs. balanced on a bumper hitch. Whew!

Me, I have owned a good number of Oldsmobile cars, maybe 10 or better, with my ’50 Club Coupe and the three 1965 models being my all time favorites. The silver 1965 Oldsmobile 98 LS four-door sedan, that I brought back from a salvage yard and restored was my favorite though.

You know, I’m sitting here writing this and find myself getting a little emotional. It was good times with these Oldsmobile cars. I‘ll remember all these cars like an old ‘Teddy Bear’ whose coat is wearing thin … but still keeps you secure at night, just knowing its’ there. And I would never throw away a ‘Teddy Bear’.

Thank you Ransom, "Boss" Kettering, Gilbert Burrell, Gibson Butler, Helen Earley and John Rock … Oldsmobile.