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Curbside Classics Archives
Oldsmobile Archive
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![How did the Ford Thunderbird stack up against its personal luxury competition in 1968? Ford Division tackled that question in this intriguing 1968 booklet for Ford salespeople, which highlighted the […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1968-Thunderbird-vs-Major-Competition-0.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1968 Ford Thunderbird Versus Rivals – How Ford Ranked The T-Bird’s Competition")
1968 Ford Thunderbird Versus Rivals – How Ford Ranked The T-Bird’s Competition
Posted on July 3, 2025 | 24 CommentsHow did the Ford Thunderbird stack up against its personal luxury competition in 1968? Ford Division tackled that question in this intriguing 1968 booklet for Ford salespeople, which highlighted the […] -
![Although Hydra-Matic Drive was developed and manufactured by General Motors, GM’s Detroit Transmission Division also sold Hydra-Matic transmissions to outside automakers, including most of the U.S. independents and even […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1940-Oldsmobile-Series-90-blue-Barrett-Jackson-front-3q-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Early Hydra-Matic Users: Many Non-GM Automakers Bought This Pioneering Automatic Transmission")
Early Hydra-Matic Users: Many Non-GM Automakers Bought This Pioneering Automatic Transmission
Posted on June 22, 2025 | 16 CommentsAlthough Hydra-Matic Drive was developed and manufactured by General Motors, GM’s Detroit Transmission Division also sold Hydra-Matic transmissions to outside automakers, including most of the U.S. independents and even […] -
![Between 1965 and 1969, General Motors corporate policy limited most smaller GM cars to engines no bigger than 400 cubic inches, with no more than 1 rated horsepower per […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1968-Hurst-Olds-AC-Mecum-Auctions-F233.1-front-3q-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage M/T Review: 1968 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds – Olds Breaks The Rules, Hurst Runs Interference")
Vintage M/T Review: 1968 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds – Olds Breaks The Rules, Hurst Runs Interference
Posted on June 18, 2025 | 18 CommentsBetween 1965 and 1969, General Motors corporate policy limited most smaller GM cars to engines no bigger than 400 cubic inches, with no more than 1 rated horsepower per […] -
![Yesterday, I explained how the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado and 1966 Buick Riviera were closely related structurally and yet very different mechanically. Today, let’s conclude this comparison by taking a […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1966-Buick-Riviera-GS-and-1966-Oldsmobile-Toronado-DX-left-side-composite-labeled-1.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1966 Buick Riviera Versus 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado – Closely Related, Yet So Different (Part 2)")
1966 Buick Riviera Versus 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado – Closely Related, Yet So Different (Part 2)
Posted on June 1, 2025 | 32 CommentsYesterday, I explained how the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado and 1966 Buick Riviera were closely related structurally and yet very different mechanically. Today, let’s conclude this comparison by taking a […] -
![The two most impressive new cars of 1966 both came from rival General Motors divisions, and both shared the same GM E-body shell. Yet, they both looked and were […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1966-Buick-Riviera-and-1966-Oldsmobile-Toronado-side-composite-labeled-1.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1966 Buick Riviera Versus 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado – Closely Related, Yet So Different (Part 1)")
1966 Buick Riviera Versus 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado – Closely Related, Yet So Different (Part 1)
Posted on May 31, 2025 | 30 CommentsThe two most impressive new cars of 1966 both came from rival General Motors divisions, and both shared the same GM E-body shell. Yet, they both looked and were […] -
![In the early 1960s, GM’s Oldsmobile and Pontiac divisions responded to the burgeoning personal luxury market with re-trimmed B-body hardtops, the Oldsmobile Starfire and Pontiac Grand Prix. Both were restyled […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1963-Pontiac-Grand-Prix-vs-1963-Oldsmobile-Starfire-front-composite-1.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1963 Pontiac Grand Prix Vs. 1963 Oldsmobile Starfire Coupe – How Did These Sporty Luxury Hardtops Compare?")
1963 Pontiac Grand Prix Vs. 1963 Oldsmobile Starfire Coupe – How Did These Sporty Luxury Hardtops Compare?
Posted on May 4, 2025 | 33 CommentsIn the early 1960s, GM’s Oldsmobile and Pontiac divisions responded to the burgeoning personal luxury market with re-trimmed B-body hardtops, the Oldsmobile Starfire and Pontiac Grand Prix. Both were restyled […] -
![The four-seat Ford Thunderbird was a highly profitable hit that struck deep in the over-$4,000 price territory occupied by mid-price brands like Oldsmobile and Buick. Oldsmobile tried to fight […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1962-Oldsmobile-Starfire-Coupe-Wedgewood-Mist-ClassicCars.com-front-3q-right.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1962 Oldsmobile Starfire Coupe Vs. 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Holiday Coupe – Thunderbird-Fighter Or Just A Fancier Olds?")
1962 Oldsmobile Starfire Coupe Vs. 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Holiday Coupe – Thunderbird-Fighter Or Just A Fancier Olds?
Posted on April 24, 2025 | 26 CommentsThe four-seat Ford Thunderbird was a highly profitable hit that struck deep in the over-$4,000 price territory occupied by mid-price brands like Oldsmobile and Buick. Oldsmobile tried to fight […] -
![Writing in CARS in 1968, Roger Huntington had demonstrated the effectiveness of the Oldsmobile Force-Air induction system on the hot Olds W-31 350 engine, but how did it actually […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/1969-Oldsmobile-Cutlass-S-W-31-RK-Motors-left-front-3q.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage C/D Review: 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass S W-31 – “The Difference Between Transportation And A Trip”")
Vintage C/D Review: 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass S W-31 – “The Difference Between Transportation And A Trip”
Posted on March 13, 2025 | 25 CommentsWriting in CARS in 1968, Roger Huntington had demonstrated the effectiveness of the Oldsmobile Force-Air induction system on the hot Olds W-31 350 engine, but how did it actually […] -
![Back in the spring of 1963, GM’s now-defunct Oldsmobile division introduced a new version of its F-85 compact sedan called Jetfire, which added a turbocharger to its lightweight aluminum V-8 […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1962-Oldsmobile-Jetfire-featured-MT-1962-09.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1962–1963 Oldsmobile F-85 Jetfire – How Powerful (And How Fast) Was This Early Turbocharged Car?")
1962–1963 Oldsmobile F-85 Jetfire – How Powerful (And How Fast) Was This Early Turbocharged Car?
Posted on March 5, 2025 | 9 CommentsBack in the spring of 1963, GM’s now-defunct Oldsmobile division introduced a new version of its F-85 compact sedan called Jetfire, which added a turbocharger to its lightweight aluminum V-8 […] -
![Ten years before it became the name of a hotel chain, Holiday Inn was a hit Paramount picture starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, with a flimsy story about […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1954-oldsmobile-ninety-eight-ICC-1.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Automotive History: 1949–1970 Oldsmobile Holiday Hardtop – A Holiday In Lansing (With Apologies To Irving Berlin)")
Automotive History: 1949–1970 Oldsmobile Holiday Hardtop – A Holiday In Lansing (With Apologies To Irving Berlin)
Posted on February 25, 2025 | 26 CommentsTen years before it became the name of a hotel chain, Holiday Inn was a hit Paramount picture starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, with a flimsy story about […] -
![I happened on this 2023 auction listing for a 1969 Oldsmobile 98 two-door hardtop while looking for photos for another post, and was pretty well mesmerized by the way the […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Olds98-172-02266-scaled-1.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Auction Classic: 1969 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Coupe – Long Green In Artificial Light")
Auction Classic: 1969 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Coupe – Long Green In Artificial Light
Posted on February 21, 2025 | 33 CommentsI happened on this 2023 auction listing for a 1969 Oldsmobile 98 two-door hardtop while looking for photos for another post, and was pretty well mesmerized by the way the […] -
![(first posted 3/26/2014) I could hear it from a mile away, like a dishwasher slowly prowling my neighborhood. The famed Iron Duke has never failed to turn my head. […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2014-02-26-11.48.09.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Curbside Classic: 1987 Cutlass Ciera – The Triumph Of TrueCoat")
Curbside Classic: 1987 Cutlass Ciera – The Triumph Of TrueCoat
Posted on February 17, 2025 | 137 Comments(first posted 3/26/2014) I could hear it from a mile away, like a dishwasher slowly prowling my neighborhood. The famed Iron Duke has never failed to turn my head. […] -
![For 1986, Oldsmobile redesigned its FWD Toronado personal luxury coupe, hoping to expand its market with a trimmer, more efficient new model bristling with high-tech features. In August 1985, Car […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Car-and-Driver-1985-08-cover-snippet-with-Toronados.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage C/D Review: 1986 Oldsmobile Toronado – A Downsized E-Body Begins Oldsmobile’s Downward Spiral")
Vintage C/D Review: 1986 Oldsmobile Toronado – A Downsized E-Body Begins Oldsmobile’s Downward Spiral
Posted on January 16, 2025 | 38 CommentsFor 1986, Oldsmobile redesigned its FWD Toronado personal luxury coupe, hoping to expand its market with a trimmer, more efficient new model bristling with high-tech features. In August 1985, Car […] -
![Kind words from me about a ’70s land yacht might suggest a cold snap in the infernal realms, but I was grudgingly impressed by this handsome Energy Crisis-era flagship […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1974-oldsmobile-98-regency-front-3q-Orlando-Classic-Cars.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Curbside Classic: 1974 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Coupe – A Car With A Dress Code (And A Drinking Problem)")
Curbside Classic: 1974 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Coupe – A Car With A Dress Code (And A Drinking Problem)
Posted on December 16, 2024 | 62 CommentsKind words from me about a ’70s land yacht might suggest a cold snap in the infernal realms, but I was grudgingly impressed by this handsome Energy Crisis-era flagship […] -
![Recently, I accompanied my wife and daughter on a roadtrip that covered nine states. Enjoying the temperate climate well south of the Mason-Dixon Line, I figured a bumper crop of […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/south-of-rolla.jpeg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Lost & Found: Automotive Treasures Saved From a Nebulous Fate")
Lost & Found: Automotive Treasures Saved From a Nebulous Fate
Posted on December 2, 2024 | 35 CommentsRecently, I accompanied my wife and daughter on a roadtrip that covered nine states. Enjoying the temperate climate well south of the Mason-Dixon Line, I figured a bumper crop of […]
