Ode to Oldsmobile

Throughout Oldsmobile’s long and spectacular history, the company made cars that were, in the same breath, both relevant and compelling. They epitomized technological advances that defined the automobile industry when they first occurred. Since the brand represented a more exclusive GM product than Chevrolet or Pontiac, a lot of people aspired to own Oldsmobiles. Once the company got rolling and stayed rolling as a nameplate, Oldsmobile was rarely out of the top five or six among all domestic automakers when it came to sales. That wasn’t just a happenstance or a dice roll, either. Oldsmobile, always, without fail or fault, dared to be different. That’s the biggest reason why its cars are so deeply respected today.

Even if Oldsmobile had never produced another car after 1904, it would still merit a place of respect in history. A century ago and then some, cars were built largely by one person, or maybe a small group of