X-Nico

5 unusual facts about Oldsmobile


Bob Edwards

Coincidentally, the last show also included a segment about the last Oldsmobile, which rolled off an assembly line the day before.

Interstate 496

It has been named the R.E. Olds Freeway (sometimes just Olds Freeway) for Ransom E. Olds, the founder of Oldsmobile and the REO Motor Car Company.

Lakewood Assembly

Lakewood assembled Chevrolets, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Buicks at various points in their history, and also began assembling Chevrolet and GMC trucks from 1929 through at least 1986.

Moraine, Ohio

The plant continued to manufacture SUVs from the General Motors product line (Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Buick) until 2008 when the plant closed.

Oldsmar, Florida

Oldsmar celebrates its history every year with Oldsmar Days and Nights, where residents and visitors take part in parades, car shows (featuring the Oldsmobile) and carnival rides.


1966 Formula One season

Although both Jack Brabham and his team mate, New Zealander Denny Hulme both retired from the season opening Monaco Grand Prix (won by Jackie Stewart in his BRM), Brabham with their Oldsmobile based Repco engine caught the rest of the teams on the hop with its speed and reliability.

Bobby Hamilton

He drove the #68 Country Time Lemonade Oldsmobile for Tri-Star Motorsports, posting four top-ten finishes and narrowly defeating Ted Musgrave for Rookie of the Year.

Buick V8 engine

Surplus engine blocks of the Oldsmobile (6-bolt-per-cylinder) version of this engine formed the basis of the Australian Formula One Repco V8 used by Brabham to win the 1966 Formula One world championship.

Cadillac High Technology engine

It was a 4100 cc V8, designed for rear-wheel-drive and longitudinal front-wheel-drive applications sharing the same transmission bellhousing pattern as Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac rear- and front-wheel drivetrains for 2.5 L 4-cylinder and 2.8, 3.1, and 3.3 L V6.

Cadillac V8 engine

Although Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Buick have borrowed the Northstar architecture for their V8 (and even V6) engines, it was not until the 2004 Pontiac Bonneville that a non-Cadillac used the Northstar name.

Flint, Michigan auto industry

Buick Motor Division became a marketing and public-relations entity in 1984, when the Buick-Oldsmobile-Cadillac Group (BOC) was created and took over engineering and assembly control from Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac and the GM Assembly Division.

In My Merry Oldsmobile

"In My Merry Oldsmobile" is a popular song from 1905, with music by Gus Edwards and lyrics by Vincent P. Bryan.

Joe Millikan

However, other races in Joe Milikan's career were done in Pontiac (Pontiac Grand Prix) and Oldsmobile (Oldsmobile Cutlass) vehicles but rarely in Ford (Ford Thunderbird) vehicles.

Lansing Manufacturers Railroad

Beginning in 1988, the Reatta Craft Centre (also known as Buick-Oldsmobile Cadillac Division Plant No. 2) on this site built limited-production specialty vehicles such as the EV1 electric car and the Chevrolet SSR.

Oldsmobile V8 engine

The Oldsmobile engine block formed the basis of the Repco 3-liter engine used by Brabham to win the 1966 and 1967 Formula One world championships.

Self-competition

The big three automakers, Ford eventually discontinued Mercury, GM discontinued Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Saturn because models from these makes were largely redundant to Chevrolet and Buick.

Sterling Marlin

Marlin received a full-time ride in 1987, when he was hired by Billy Hagan to drive the #44 Piedmont Airlines Oldsmobile.


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