Talk:Oldsmobile

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
Portal:Cars
 Cars Portal
This article is supported by Wikipedia Project Automobiles, a collective approach to creating a comprehensive guide to the world of Automobiles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you are encouraged to visit the project page, where you can contribute to the discussion.
Good article GA This article has been rated as GA-Class on the Project's quality scale.
(If you rated the article please give a short summary at comments to explain the ratings and/or to identify the strengths and weaknesses.)
Good articles Oldsmobile has been listed as a good article under the good-article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do.
If it no longer meets these criteria, you can delist it, or ask for a review.
Portal:Cars selected articles Oldsmobile is a selected article in Portal:Cars.


Contents

[edit] Year of model pictured

I was told by an afficionado that the car in the top picture is a 1932, not a 1935. The 1935 model does not have louvers in the hood. Please corroborate this.

Pacific1982 15:14, May 10, 2004 (UTC)
Did I miss something? I see no '32 or '35 pic. Was it taken down? --trekphiler, 24/11/05

[edit] Open Directory links

I don't agree with the deletion of the Open Directory links page link. Although it's true that wiki is not primarily concerned with external links, in a case like this, where one link can give easy access to many more on the exact subject at hand, it seems to me well within our guidelines to make use of it. RivGuySC 00:38, 13 Aug 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Oldest? Second oldest?

The opening paragraph says that Oldsmobile is the 2nd oldest (ha) car brand after Daimler, yet in "The End," Oldsmobile is sited as being the oldest (vis a vis GM). Which is it? -To0n 15:15, June 3, 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Sam Raimi

Added the Sam Raimi bit. I thought that was a good addition. (Although it will most probably be removed like all my other edits)

[edit] History of Curved-Dash

I've read the Curved-Dash had a 1563cc 1-cyl, the prototype was saved from a disastrous factory fire by foreman James J. Brandy, and the loss of parts forced Olds to subcontract (including the engine, which was a Leland, I think), creating the auto parts industry. I can't confirm, & I'm unsure how, or if, any of this should be included. It does seem appropriate to include, if verifiable. --trekphiler, 24/11/05

[edit] Deleted Movie References

I deleted the Olds movie references as irrelevant. Are we to include evey appearance of every car brand in a movie? Unltess it's important to the film, or somehow iconic (the Mach 1 in "Bullitt", say), leave it out. I also deleted the "455 Rocket" reference; it isn't historic, the way "Rocket 88" is, so it doesn't merit inclusion. I'm ambivalent about re-post of the Sam Raimi bit; it's a bit off the wall, but interesting enough to leave in. --trekphiler, 24/11/05

Re the Curved-Dash: I've read it used Holley carbs. Trekphiler 20:53, 17 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] 1903 LSR/442

Who was driving the '03 LSR car? Also, confirm the 442 etymology; it did not always mean 4bbl, 4sp, dual. --trekphiler, 24/11/05

[edit] History

The history of this company was:

Founded: 1897

Retired: 2005

Current Status: Retired

--ZachKudrna18@yahoo.com

Oldsmobile was discontinued in 2004, not 2005. --ApolloBoy 23:59, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Removal of 3D Images of 1905 Olds

I've removed the 3D images of the 1905 Olds placed by user: 3dnatureguy While I understand that this user's 3D images have been a furtile ground for trying to decide what is the best way for Wikipedia to deal with, my action was based on 1)there weak descriptive ability to speak for the vehicle being shown (they showed a minimum amount of car and a part of that car) but there are better illustrations that exist of early Oldsmobiles and their effect on popular culture. This isn't an action againts a person, but rather an action meant to give better examples of Oldsmobiles than the 3D images provided. Stude62 19:51, 5 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Management/marketing problems

Should there be more elaboration about how the management problems and failed ad campaign led to the demise of oldsmobile? As the son of a lifetime oldsmobile dealer, I strongly feel so. It was a decision based on economics, obviously, but without the terrible management decisions, caused by a culture of "the good ol boys" and hubris (thinking that the japanese cars would just "go away") at GM (which we are now seeing in the restructuring and further division cuts) oldsmobile would still be here today. In fact, at the time when the decision was announced, Oldsmobile was doing better than it had in the last ten years (off the top of my head, not too sure about that). Would that information (wikified) add to the article? Does it belong somewhere else? Can it be wikified? uberblue 05:22, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] "Spirit" lives on? Eh?

What is this supposed to mean?:

The spirit of Oldsmobile has lived on in GM's Buick brand as the Intrigue lives on as the Buick LaCrosse, the Aurora lives on as the Buick Lucerne, the Bravada lives on as the Buick Rainier, and the Silhouette lives on as the Buick Terraza.

Is this a factual statement or some kind of marketing hoo-ha? What does it mean for the "spirit" of a discontinued brand name to live on in other car models? I propose that this sentence either be rewritten to say something more concrete or deleted altogether.Acsenray 21:00, 18 July 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Tom Mchahil

wrote for Mechanics Illustrated, stupid. 152.163.100.11 00:17, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Fire destroys main Oldsmobile plant in Lansing???

In 1901 Oldsmobile was actually producing it's Curved Dash Runabouts at its first plant which was actually on Jefferson Ave. (near the MacArthur Bridge, which leads to Belle Isle) in Detroit (not Lansing). This was the first Oldsmobile plant and this is the plant that was detroyed by fire.

Yes, R.E. Olds was from Lansing and organized his first company in Lansing. However, a common mistake that people make is that they assume R.E. Olds always operated in Lansing. To the contrary, he chose Detroit as the location of his first Oldsmobile factory, which burned in 1901. The company was moved back to Lansing after some coaxing by the Lansing Businessmen's Association who gave R.E. Olds a good deal on property that was to be used as a state fairground in a failed attempt to move the annual fair from Detroit to Lansing.

[edit] In My Merry Oldsmobile

I very much enjoyed this article relating to an American automobile. I owned a couple of Oldsmobiles in my time, perhaps not the more famous ones, but nice cars nonetheless. I remember even falling in love at a drive-in theatre behind the wheel of a 1959 Oldsmobile Super 88.

I was very taken by the comments regarding the marketing ploy referred to as "not your father's Oldsmobile." I remember that line of advertising in various car publications and recognized it immediately for the ready-made disaster it was. In one ridiculous sweep, this ruse disenfranchised the remainder of Oldsmobile's loyal customer base with one last craven, misguided attempt to salvage sales by redirecting the marketing target to young people, who weren't going to buy an outdated, anonymous, and cheaply made car anyway. Simultaneously, they actually made fun of the generation who supported them to the very (dismal) end. It is poignant because it underlined, bolded, and italicized what was generally wrong with American car marketing, engineering, and manufacturing, not only then but now. It is sad, but it shows that nothing is sacred, nothing is guaranteed, and nothing is forever.

Hamilcar21

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../o/l/d/Talk%7EOldsmobile_5633.html"