History We ALL Love a DARE! PIX of TRULY Extinct Makes?

I had sent this to John Kugler in Sept of 2007; It was on the HAMB but darn if I can find the thread now.

As the 'Rarerodder' I get enthusiastic over all cars that are alittle out of the ordinary-rodded or not. My collection of what I feel are rare cars include a 1931 Pontiac Cabriolet-(have only seen pictures of about five of these, non rodded), a 1942 Hudson Commodore Eight Club Coupe-(may be one of two known to survive), and a 1930 Pontiac Phaeton-(American built by Stewart Body Works-it's the only one I have ever heard of!). All of these cars are currently projects and planned for resto-rod modifications. My sources of establishing their rarity is through pictures and references from the Pontiac-Oakland Club International and the Hudson, Essex, Terraplane Club International, as well as just looking though every old car publication I can get my hands on and websurfing.

 

Here's a 1931 Oakland V8 still being used as a wedding hire car in Great Britain:

http://www.antiqueweddingcars.co.uk/index.htm



and from -

2008 Old Cars Festival
Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village

http://www.oaklandpontiacworldwide.com/documents/opwhomecoming.htm

 

1931 Oakland 2 Door Sedan

"Description:
Very nice original car with AACA HPOF (historical preservation of original features) designation. Four new Firestone tires, exhaust system and battery. Strong running V8. Original "flying lady" hood ornament on remarkly original condition radiator cover. The pictures tell the story.
Make: Oakland
Model: 2 door sedan
Year: 1931."

http://automega.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html

 

"Ray Hebert in an Oakland V8 at Renner, South Dakota - c1933"

http://www.sodcity.com/gallery2/vie...in_an_Oakland_V8_at_Renner_South_Dakota_c1933

 

1932 Pontiac V8 2dr Coupe-01


http://automoviles-amigosdelmundovirtual.blogspot.com/2010/01/fotos-de-autos-clasicos-8.html

 

Larry Shepard
Lebanon, IN.
1932 Pontiac V8 Sport Coupe

2008 Old Cars Festival
Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village

http://www.oaklandpontiacworldwide.com/documents/opwhomecoming.htm

PS. Same car as previous post???

 

http://www.pontiacregistry.com/members/viewtopic.php?t=1187&sid=445c5920aced4a7d3514b91c74fc81ea

 

Read -
http://history.gmheritagecenter.com/wiki/index.php/1932_Oakland_V8

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6569375&postcount=5129

BTW - PMG was Post Master General. In Australia, at that time, the PMG was solely responsible for all mail, telegrams, telephone services, radio and television licences. It was one of (if not) the largest Government agencies in Australia.

The second hand "Blitz" trucks were chosen because there were no other suitable options available, in Australia, at the time. The conversion to dual cabs would have represented a fairly substantial investment.

{The PMG continued to have twin cab vehicles constructed up to the late 1960's early 1970's. Later custom dual-cabs were based on International Harvester, Dodge and Bedford vehicles. The IH and Dodge vehicles, that were then being built in Australia, shared chassis and quite a few body components.}

 

THANKS, everybody, for the quality material on the
Oakland V-8 -- and especially RE the '32 Oakland and
Pontiac models. SEEMS if there was a '32-reqistered
Oakland, it is either hidden away, extinct OR misun-
derstood!




Wow, what a keen historical footnote here! From
the '50 Chicago Auto Show, as posted elsewhere
by HAMBer SouthPaw. The Henry J apparently
had not yet been "officially" named. Note, too,
NO trunklid! HJ may know more, as our resident
Kaiser/Frazer/Willys guy. And what do you suppose
that trunk script would be worth to a K-F collector?

 

American Metal Products Car





http://public.fotki.com/kfnut/american_metal_prod/



Kaiser Henry J

by Cookie the Dog's Owner on February 17, 2009
The ill-fated Hudson Jet has been called "The Car That Torpedoed Hudson." However, it's not the only car from the 1950s that can legitimately be charged with patricide against its manufacturer. There's a fair case to be made that the "Henry J" compact of 1951-54, intended to be the Model T of its day, was a major contributor to Kaiser exiting the passenger car business in North America.


Henry J. Kaiser, the flamboyant shipbuilding and steel magnate who went into the car business after the war, had fair success in the first few years building the Kaiser and Frazer, which were full-size sedans. Good old Henry J. had always dreamed of producing an inexpensive entry-level "people's car," a Model T for the postwar world. In 1949 he secured a $44 million loan from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, a government agency, on the condition that some of the loan funds would go to the development costs of a new small car. The loan agreement required that the car be introduced in the fall of 1950, that it should have room for six adult passengers, and that it sell for no more than $1,300.
The new small car--the name "Henry J" did not get hung on it until just before it was introduced--was built on a 100-inch wheelbase. The powertrain was a Willys 68-horsepower, four-cylinder L-head Jeep engine mated to a "three on the tree" transmission. An 80-horsepower, L-head straight six was optional. The basic engineering was competently done, the chassis had no vices, and the car had a sufficient power-to-weight ratio for its day, even with the four-cylinder engine.
The prototype body was built by American Metal Products, and looked rather like something Fiat or VW or even Austin might have come up with. (Thought to have been lost, the prototype was found in a barn in Michigan in 1998 and has been restored. It's now in the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum.) Kaiser stylists dressed up the design with tail fins, a "Darrin dip" in the rear fender line, a "faster" fastback roofline, and a fancier grille. The front-end sheet metal was raked back below the headlights, making the car look like it had an overbite. The end result wasn't bad--I'm not particularly a fan of the styling, but it was certainly within the range of acceptable public tastes, and from some angles it's almost cute.
Kaiser faced the same problem with its Henry J that Hudson later did with the Jet: as a smaller company unable to take advantage of economies of scale like the big boys, and unable to cross-subsidize the project with cash generated by other parts of a vast empire, how could it produce and sell a small car at a price the market would accept and still make money? In Hudson's case, it brought the well-appointed, superbly engineered Jet to market at too high a price point and lost sales as a result. Kaiser couldn't overshoot the price point or it would cause a default on the government loan, so it came at the problem from the other direction--it de-contented the car to keep the price down. The plan was to introduce the base model first, and then roll out the upscale trim levels later.
Base model it certainly was. The 1951 Henry Js are often described as Spartan. You could also describe them as minimalist ... austere ... ascetic ... or even "looking like they were stripped bare by a swarm of locusts."
The dashboard was just big enough to hold the speedometer and a few switches. There was no dome light, cigar lighter, horn, turn signal lever, or passenger side sun visor. There were no armrests. There was no glove compartment. The triangular "vent windows" on the doors didn't open. The rear windows didn't roll down or open in any way. In fact, there was no cabin ventilation system at all, not even fresh air ducts.
Most astonishingly, there was no trunk lid. You accessed the trunk--like, say, when you needed the jack and the spare tire, or wanted to get out your suitcases or put away the groceries--by folding down the rear seat.
Spartan? This was madness!
The idea of a small, economical car with a low price was quite appealing to the postwar American consumer--as Nash was finding out to its delight with the Rambler. However, the Rambler, even in its most basic base model, was a vehicle with all the amenities of a full-sized car. The Henry J lacked amenities in keeping with the concept of it as a Model T for the modern era. In thinking of the Henry J as "Model T Version 2.0," and (un)equipping it as such, Kaiser forgot the real reason why the Model T didn't have minor amenities such as dome lights and heaters--when the Model T came out, those amenities largely hadn't been invented yet. After 40 years of technological progress, it seemed inexcusable to leave them off even an entry-level car.
In comparison to the economical but well-trimmed Rambler, the Henry J looked cheap--and problems with build quality only added to the negative perception. At this price point, it wasn't so much competing with the Rambler and other new cars as it was with late-model used cars with a full (or at least fuller) feature set. As a result, the cheapskate Henry J didn't sell nearly as well as Kaiser had been hoping.
In December of 1950, Kaiser had an opportunity to export Henry Js to the Netherlands, but the Dutch made it clear that they would not accept a car with no trunk lid. In great haste, Kaiser's boffins concocted a working trunk lid and the factory assembled the Dutch export order. The very existence of a batch of Henry Js with functioning trunk lids was kept a closely-guarded secret because Kaiser didn't want its dealers, who were struggling to move Henry Js with no trunk lids, to complain that the foreigners were getting better product than they were. Realizing at last that the lack of basic amenities was a net disadvantage, Kaiser started cataloging an optional accessory group for the Henry J which consisted of a trunk lid, working vent windows, heater, and other little odds and ends that had been left off the original.
For the 1952 model year, the grille and front bumper were restyled, the tail lights moved out onto the tail fins, and the interior added a glove compartment and new plaid upholstery along with other amenities. However, because sales had been slow, Kaiser still had 7,000 unsold 1951s lying about, including quite a few of the pre-accessory group version with no trunk lid. The leftover '51s were given new serial numbers, jazzy "Continental kit" spare tires, and a revised hood ornament, and sold as the "1952 Henry J Vagabond." When the true 1952s were introduced, they were tagged as the "Corsair" (4-cylinder) and "Corsair Deluxe" (6-cylinder).
The 1952 version also appeared at Sears stores as the "Sears Allstate." An Allstate was a Henry J which came with Sears' "Allstate"-branded tires and battery and accessories. Otherwise, except for the badging, the Allstate was a box-stock Henry J. Only a little over 2,000 Allstates were sold in 1952 and 1953, after which Sears gave up on the idea of selling cars and went back to tires, batteries, and oil changes.
The Henry J continued in production through 1953, with the last leftover '53s being re-serialed and sold in the 1954 model year. There had been a few more minor improvements made for the 1953 model year, and by the end of its run the Henry J was actually a pretty decent small car. Unfortunately for Kaiser, the later upgrades failed to overcome the car's skinflint reputation, and sales had declined every year that it was in production--to a mere 1,125 in the disappointing '54 model year. After a halfhearted attempt to sell some full-sized 1955 Manhattans, Kaiser bailed out of the U.S. passenger car market completely and moved its production operations to Argentina.
The Henry J did not do the sort of massive damage to Kaiser's balance sheet that the Jet did to Hudson's, but the resources that went into the Henry J project likely could have been put to better use elsewhere. Kaiser's full-sized cars, after their 1950 restyling, were attractive, with good lightweight engineering beneath the sheet metal, but they were put at a competitive disadvantage by their L-head straight-six engines. Kaiser had a V-8 engine under development for a while, but it never reached production, largely due to budget constraints. Had the latter-day Manhattan sedan been available with a modern V-8, and had the brand equity of Kaiser's products not been tarnished by the el cheapo nature of the first Henry Js, perhaps Kaiser could have stayed in the passenger car business longer.

It's sometimes said that the Henry J was a car ahead of its time--not because it was too advanced or too radical for its day, but because it was released in the relatively prosperous year of 1950. 1950's buyers were looking for bigger, more powerful, more feature-laden cars, so there was only so much market share out there for economical compacts. Had the Henry J made its debut in the 1957-58 recession, it would have done a lot better--in 1958, Rambler was the only U.S. make that increased sales, and ailing Studebaker was pleasantly surprised by demand for its "Scotsman" line of de-contented sedans.
A few more fun things to note about the Henry J:

• Unadorned 1951s are hard to find, largely because so few have survived in their original state. The basic design of the Henry J did not change over the course of its existence, and parts from the 1952 and 1953 model years--including the many amenities the 1951s lacked--will bolt right in. Many owners of 1951s accessorized their cars in this fashion.

• If you want to restore a Henry J, and fit it with a modern engine, transmission, and running gear, you're in luck. By a happy coincidence, a Henry J body will fit nicely on a Chevrolet S-10 pickup frame. The car below, which belongs to Kaiser-Frazer expert "Kaiser Bill" Brown, was restored in this fashion. (There's a slideshow of the project from start to finish on Bill's website here, from which the photo here came.)

• Henry Js are popular with hot-rodders and drag racers. The engine bay was sized to accommodate a big straight six, and therefore can easily hold the V-8 of your choice--allowing you to stuff an insane amount of horsepower in a small, light car. The fire-breathing Henry below belongs to Robert W. Carpenter, and is powered by a 392 Hemi.

Henry J dragsters and hot rods are so popular that replica Henry J bodies are made in fiberglass. In fact, if you're so inclined, you can combine a new fiberglass body, a set of replica bumpers, and an S-10 frame and running gear and build yourself a nice, new 21st-century Henry J. Yours can even be equipped with 21st-century amenities like armrests, turn signals, a heater, a dome light, and a trunk lid.
The light yellow Henry J in the middle of the page once belonged to Edgar Kaiser, Henry's son, and the photo came from the website of its current owner, L.J. Fideler. Mr. Fideler's website is probably the best single source of historical Henry J information on the 'Net. The Henry J dragster is from the "Henry J Cars" website, which features a lot of hot rod and dragster projects. The photo of the AMP prototype came from the photo gallery documenting its restoration. The rest of the illustrations came from John's Old Car and Truck Pictures.
--Cookie the Dog's Owner

 

From Wikipedia;

Note that they say the Vikings were powered by a monobloc V-8 engine. I assume this is the same engine that was used in the Oaklands and Pontiacs we discussed recently. Can anyone find a picture of a Viking with a V-8 in it? Must show both the car and engine. According to this, all Vikings had the V-8 but I wonder if that is correct? Were there any Oldsmobiles built with a V-8 in the late '20-early '30s? Pictures?

Viking was an automobile manufactured by General Motors' Oldsmobile division for model years 1929 to 1931.

Viking was part of Alfred Sloan's companion make program introduced to help span gaps in General Motors’ pricing structure, and was marketed through GM's Oldsmobile division. Viking was one of four makes introduced by General Motors, the other lines (and their GM divisions) being Pontiac (Oakland), Marquette (Buick) and LaSalle (Cadillac). Of the four makes, Viking was the only one priced higher than its "parent" make.

Riding a 125 in (3,175 mm) wheelbase, Vikings were powered by a monoblock V8 engine, the first automobile using this type of engine construction. Vikings were available as 4-door sedan, deluxe 4-door sedan, convertible coupé with rear deck seat, deluxe convertible coupé with rear deck seat, close-coupled 4-door sedan and deluxe close-coupled 4-door sedan.

Viking production for 1929 was 4,058 units and 1930 2,813. GM discontinued the Viking and the Marquette at the end of the 1930 model year, preferring to bet on Oldsmobile and Buick which had better consumer awareness. However, an additional 353 units were assembled using existing parts and marketed as 1931 models.

 

Note that they say the Vikings were powered by a monobloc V-8 engine. 295+CID eight-cyl.; 5.1 comp. ratio; 81-hp @ 3,200 rpms

I assume this is the same engine that was used in the Oaklands and Pontiacs. 251+CID eight; 5.1 comp. ratio; 82 hp @ 3,000 rpms

Can anyone find a picture of a Viking with a V-8 in it? Lord, I hope so; it would probably answer the questions above.

According to this, all Vikings had the V-8 but I wonder if that is correct? I believe it is, yes.

Were there any Oldsmobiles built with a V-8 in the late '20-early '30s? I doubt it. Not on lists I've seen.
<!-- / message -->




Viking logo, in the public realm, but THANKS to Wikipedia
and the WikiMedia Commons project!

 

In the Standard and Special series, nothing exceeded the tried and true
197-CID six in '31, in terms of size or displacement.

<STYLE> .thumbs{ margin-top: 5px; } </STYLE>

1931 Oldsmobile Deluxe Patrician Sedan. Model F-31 Six, THANKS to PreWarCar!

<!-- end header -->Ad copy: A wonderful example of an original 27,000 mile automobile that
has been in the same ownership for over 40 years. Always maintained and
regularly exercised. Fantastic original interior is very comfortable. Powered
by the tried and true 197 CI six cylinder power plant along with a synchro-
mesh trans.

 

Cool...the store was actually out on Long Island, but close enough. I'm glad to see the ACD folks were able to pin down some more info on the vehicle and that they published the photos.

 

It is strange that Sloan didn't really understand the marketing structure he himself devised. He thought of it as a ladder; where it had success it wasn't a ladder but a table, a nine-square grid. The relationship between the five American GM marques was never linear, from Chevrolet at the bottom to Cadillac at the top; it was a cruciform diagram with Buick at the neutral intersection and the others radially disposed in directions representing "flavours".

I think it ultimately failed because no-one at GM really understood that. For instance, the Corvette should have been a Pontiac. Saturn should not have been a new marque but a reconstitution of Oldsmobile. Letting the marques trespass onto one another's territory made them melt into one another. The result was five or six pretty much identical product lines. Expect that to be bankrolled by a huge, cumbersome bureaucracy and it's not surprising they've had to ditch most of the marques.

 

[SIZE=-1]Need a truck? Make your own. Weird Vehicle!
[/SIZE]

 

Dawie, I am totally amazed to hear such an analytical -- honest -- assessment of this situation.

Nevertheless, even in a ladder-like (al la Chrysler Corp. in the '50s) model the GM model COULD have worked, save for the constriction of the depression AND the corporate laxness in controlling pricing. I can't believe they were so DUMB as to back themselves into such a corner in the late '20s.

Yet, they learned, and GM not only stayed afloat during the depression years but fared better than all the others in the U.S. field, even Packard (which had made its OWN market and product adjustments, rightly).

For the sake of brevity, I'll say: I only regret the demise of the "baby" Buick and the "baby" Cadillac -- Marquette and LaSalle!

 

Viking:



http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?1700567-The-Cars-We-All-Forgot/page6



http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_189731-Viking-1930.html




http://www.flickr.com/photos/26262745@N08/4005870319/



http://www.flickr.com/photos/26262745@N08/4005870963/



http://www.flickr.com/photos/26262745@N08/4005871567/in/photostream/

From: venator on http://forums.autosport.com/lofiversion/index.php/t141490.html

"Two General Motors engines of very similar layout (horizontal valves) from the late 1920s, the Oakland and the Viking V8, were different in particular in the crankshaft configuration. The Oakland, with a 180 degree crankshaft, produced 85 hp from 251 cubic inches displacement, while the Viking, with a 90 degree crankshaft, produced 81 hp from 259 cubic inch displacement. The Oakland had a patented balancing mechanism operated by an additional cam on the camshaft, with apparently excellent results."

 

Oy! What a beast! Though the valve config resembles that
of Oakland/Pontiac, those Viking engineers must have been
smoking something pretty exotic when they drew up the
manifolding! Makes the Oakland top end look almost con-
ventional, doesn't it??? Now, if we could see one of these
Viking V-8s in the flesh (er, I mean, cast iron!).

 

Funny, how you find something eye-opening when looking
for something ELSE! Olds V-8 from 1918, thanks to FlickR
pro member CarPhoto (Richard Spiegelman), a photo he
captured in 2010. Seems Olds offered a 246-CID V-8 from
from 1916 through 1923. Though the trusty 192 six was a
Northway product, I don't know who engineered the Olds V-8,
nor what traits it might have shared with the Cadillac.


Now, I can add the Olds to my running list of EARLY V-8 makes,
circa 1916 to late '20s!

 

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]1938 Oldsmobile 8 Convertible Coupe...Very Rare...1 of 475 Total....1 of 68 with factory installed sidemounts... Late '30s Oldsmobile 8's are not common in any body style.... Wish I still had the '38 Sedan that Dad bought in the late '50s and sold to a fellow who kept it forever...Last I heard it was given to the fellows son and taken to an upholstery shop and seems to have disappeared into oblivion. It was a big old '38 Olds 8cyl. 4 Door Sedan with the double sidemounts. Don't even have a picture of it.

[/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Courtesy Of "How Stuff Works"....[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Rumble-seat ragtops and sidemount spares were old news by 1938, but the 1938 Oldsmobile L-38 still offered both -- plus a forward-thinking transmission with no clutch pedal.[/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]<table align="center" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><center>
The redesigned grille and factory-sidemounted spare
tire complemented the Oldsmobile L-38's sleek look.
</center></td></tr></tbody></table>[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The Depression seemed to be lifting in 1938 when the stock market snapped, creating what Republicans gleefully called the "Roosevelt Recession." Sales slumped throughout the American auto industry -- especially at Oldsmobile, which turned out half as many cars as it had the year before.[/FONT] [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The '37 Oldsmobiles had been heavily redesigned, so the '38s were little changed. Still, all models sported more prominent grilles flanked by new "catwalk" trim in the inner front-fender aprons. Back for a second year was the "Automatic Safety Transmission," a clutchless manual gearbox presaging fully self-shifting Hydra-Matic in 1940. For '38, AST was newly optional for six-cylinder Oldsmobiles as well as Eights. Unchanged were Lansing's two L-head inline engines: 95-horsepower 230-cubic-inch six for F-38 models and 110-bhp 257-cid eight for L-38s.[/FONT]

<table align="center" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><center>
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The dashboard of the L-38 was a quasi-futuristic jumble of panels directly
in the eye-line of the driver, a style that was en vogue at the time.

[/FONT] </center></td></tr></tbody></table>[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Each line again offered a convertible coupe, but this was the last year for Olds droptops with rumble seats and optional sidemount spare tires. Both features were by then out of fashion with buyers -- and out of production at most other automakers. It's odd that Olds was so slow to drop them, considering its growing renown as General Motors' "innovator" division. [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The L-38 convertible coupe pictured here is one of only 68 with the factory sidemount, this out of 475 cars total. The six-cylinder version managed 1184 copies in all. Unlike later years, however, ragtops are not the rarest '38 Oldsmobiles. Though integral trunks had become popular for closed body styles, Olds also persisted with passé "trunkless" sedans. These, too, would vanish after 1938 and very low production in eight-cylinder form: just 200 of the four-door model and 137 of the two-door.[/FONT]

<table align="center" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><center>
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The rear of the L-38 displays Oldsmobile's persistence in
building a "trunkless" coupe.

[/FONT] </center></td></tr></tbody></table> [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Typical of late-prewar GM cars, the '38 Olds dashboard was rather "Buck Rogers," but put most instruments and controls directly ahead of the steering wheel. Such affairs may look quaint to modern eyes, but they were real "hep" at the time.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Rumble-seat ragtops and sidemout spares were old news by 1938, but the 1938 Oldsmobile L-38 still offered both -- plus a forward-thinking transmission with no clutch pedal.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]<table align="center" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><center>
The redesigned grille and factory-sidemounted spare
tire complemented the Oldsmobile L-38's sleek look.

</center></td></tr></tbody></table>[/FONT] [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The Depression seemed to be lifting in 1938 when the stock market snapped, creating what Republicans gleefully called the "Roosevelt Recession." Sales slumped throughout the American auto industry -- especially at Oldsmobile, which turned out half as many cars as it had the year before.

[/FONT] [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The '37 Oldsmobiles had been heavily redesigned, so the '38s were little changed. Still, all models sported more prominent grilles flanked by new "catwalk" trim in the inner front-fender aprons. Back for a second year was the "Automatic Safety Transmission," a clutchless manual gearbox presaging fully self-shifting Hydra-Matic in 1940. For '38, AST was newly optional for six-cylinder Oldsmobiles as well as Eights. Unchanged were Lansing's two L-head inline engines: 95-horsepower 230-cubic-inch six for F-38 models and 110-bhp 257-cid eight for L-38s.[/FONT]

<table align="center" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><center>
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The dashboard of the L-38 was a quasi-futuristic jumble of panels directly
in the eye-line of the driver, a style that was en vogue at the time.

[/FONT]</center></td></tr></tbody></table>[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Each line again offered a convertible coupe, but this was the last year for Olds droptops with rumble seats and optional sidemount spare tires. Both features were by then out of fashion with buyers -- and out of production at most other automakers. It's odd that Olds was so slow to drop them, considering its growing renown as General Motors' "innovator" division. [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The L-38 convertible coupe pictured here is one of only 68 with the factory sidemount, this out of 475 cars total. The six-cylinder version managed 1184 copies in all. Unlike later years, however, ragtops are not the rarest '38 Oldsmobiles. Though integral trunks had become popular for closed body styles, Olds also persisted with passé "trunkless" sedans. These, too, would vanish after 1938 and very low production in eight-cylinder form: just 200 of the four-door model and 137 of the two-door.[/FONT]

<table align="center" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><center>
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The rear of the L-38 displays Oldsmobile's persistence in
building a "trunkless" coupe.

[/FONT]</center></td></tr></tbody></table> [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Typical of late-prewar GM cars, the '38 Olds dashboard was rather "Buck Rogers," but put most instruments and controls directly ahead of the steering wheel. Such affairs may look quaint to modern eyes, but they were real "hep" at the time.[/FONT]

 

The Oldsmobile (1940). This was the first car to offer fully automatic transmission — dubbed Hydramatic — and thus literally changed the way we drive. Today, large segments of the American public couldn’t get half a block with a clutch and stick shift.

Hydra-Matic History: The First Automatic Transmission

Click here to view the entire 1939 Hydra-Matic Drive pamphlet.

 

<dl id="no"><dt id="automatictransmission">And "The Controversy" Begins;
</dt><dt id="automatictransmission">
</dt><dt id="automatictransmission">Automatic Transmission/Gearshift</dt><dd>
</dd><dd>Richard Spikes in 1932? No!</dd><dt>
</dt><dd> The first automatic-transmission automobile to enter the market was designed by the Sturtevant brothers of Massachusetts in 1904. US Patent #766551 was the first of several patents on their gearshift mechanism. Automatic transmission technology continued to develop, spawning hundreds of patents and numerous experimental units; but because of cost, reliability issues and an initial lack of demand, several decades passed before vehicles with automatic transmission became common on the roads.

http://www33.brinkster.com/iiiii/inventions/#automatictransmission

http://www.motorera.com/history/hist10.htm

 

This brings to mind a recollection of my Uncles 38 Oldsmobile. I had to be under 6 yrs old and the unique dashboard was a wonder of gadgets and it must have had something to do with my early automobile attraction, ahh infection. But this is the first time I've ever seen a '38 sidemount equipped convertible .

 

VIKING:





http://www.delcoremyhistory.com/Museums/reoldsmuseum.htm

PS Jimi, check out the mowers on that link.

 

I wonder how hard it may have been to keep the valve-lash right in these (frequency, access, etc.).

 

And SO, updating the list of EARLY U.S. V-8 makes, Olds is now included.

But SPEAKING OF LISTS! I occasionally put out another call
to ask: ANYBODY OUT THERE have the January 3, 1918, issue
of MOTOR AGE? Published in Chicago, it supposedly has a
complete list of all auto makes still in production at the time.
I'd love to see that list. Wow.

_______________________________________________________________

List of V-8 U.S. cars (1916 to ca. late '20s)

Abbott (Herschell-Spillman)
Apperson (Herschell-Spillman)
Cadillac (Cadillac)
Chevrolet (short-lived)
Cole (Northway)
Cord (Lycoming)
Cunningham (own, in-house)
Daniels (Herschell-Spillman)
Douglas (Herschell-Spillman)
Drummond (Herschell-Spillman)
Economy (Ferro)
Ford (Ford)
Hollier
Homer
Jackson (Ferro)
King (King)
La Fayette
Laughlin
Lincoln
Madison (Herschell-Spillman)
Majestic (H-S, 1917, unconfirmed)
Mercury (the non-Ford Mercury)
Monarch (aka "CB," 281-CID designed by Robt. Hupp;
one account holds they also used the H-S V-8)
Murray (Herschell-Spillman)
Oakland
Oldsmobile ('16-'23)
Peerless (Herschell-Spillman, redesigned after first year, 1916)
Pilot
Regal
Rock Falls (Herschell-Spillman)
Ross (Herschell-Spillman)
Scripps-Booth (Ferro)
Sheridan (Northway)
Standard (Herschell-Spillman)
Viking
Wills Saint Claire (own, in-house)
Yale (Massnick-Phipps and Colonial)


[Note: In blue are the known makes that bought the 331.8-CID
Herschell-Spillman V-8 engine, even though many said "own"
engine in their sales material. Well, they were, because they
PAID H-S for them! LOL]

 

Question of the day...Do you think this '33 Hupmobile should of been restored instead of rodded? of course, it's his car and he can do whatever he wants with it no matter waht somebody else thinks. Just curious what others on this thread feel...He did do a very nice job...I don't care for the wheels but that's just me.

 

Classy and pretty rare car (side mounts too!). I think it's a travesty.