Tag: Oldsmobile

The Kalifornia Kustom Comes to Detroit: The 1953-1954 Buick Skylark

Luxury Cars, Model Histories
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We said in the conclusion of our article on the multicylinder Cadillacs that the era of custom bodywork was fading away by 1940, but that wasn’t exactly true. The era of bespoke bodies for elite luxury cars was ending, but a new age of customized cars was only beginning. By the mid-1950s, the trend had spread back to Detroit, leading to a curious array of “factory customs” like this one: the 1953-1954 Buick Skylark.
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Rocket Bomb: The Oldsmobile Rocket 88 and the Dawn of the American Horsepower Race

Family Cars, Model Histories
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In the mid-1950s, American automakers were engaged in a ferocious horsepower race. By the time the battle reached a temporary ceasefire at decade’s end, the average power of the typical passenger car had (at least on paper) more than doubled. The starting gun of that race was sounded by Oldsmobile, with its advanced new overhead-valve V8 and the new mid-size model that shared its name: the 1949-1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88.
1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 badge
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Everything Olds Is New Again: The 1960-1961 Oldsmobiles and the Age of Planned Obsolescence

Family Cars, Model Histories
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We recently happened upon a pair of nicely restored, early-sixties Oldsmobile hardtops. Oldsmobiles of this vintage aren’t necessarily rare or unusual, but what intrigued us was the fact that one was a 1960 and the other a 1961, giving us a rare opportunity to compare the 1960 and 1961 Oldsmobile years side by side and to consider that long-standing automotive custom, the annual model change.

1961 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday SceniCoupe badge
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