Curbside Classic Archives
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American Brands: GM 
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Oldsmobile Archive
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Vintage M/T Review: 1964 Oldsmobile Jetstar 88 – Oldsmobile Tries To Build An Impala
Posted on August 7, 2025 | 8 CommentsMid-priced cars trying to poach buyers from the low-priced league was a familiar tactic even in the early ’60s, but the 1964 Oldsmobile Jetstar 88 was a new escalation: a […] -
Almost Automatic: SIA Drives A 1938 Buick With The Weird Semi-Automatic Ancestor of Hydra-Matic
Posted on August 2, 2025 | 19 CommentsBetween the development of Synchro-Mesh (launched for 1929) and Hydra-Matic (launched for 1940), General Motors also developed a four-speed semi-automatic transmission, sometimes called the Automatic Safety Transmission, which was available […] -
Vintage AMS Review: 1974 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon – “Could Be Taken Around Bends Remarkably Quickly”
Posted on August 1, 2025 | 39 CommentsWhen the Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon debuted for 1973, Oldsmobile proclaimed it “A new Olds in the grand touring tradition,” complete with a plaque full of national flags to signify […] -
Car Show Classic: 1965 Oldsmobile Starfire Convertible – New Engine, New Body, Old Idea
Posted on July 30, 2025 | 16 CommentsMechanical objects don’t have feelings, or at least that’s what I always try to tell myself when I’m berating them for being obstinate in my garage, but in case I’m […] -
Curbside Find: 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme – A Stick-Shift Supreme
Posted on July 24, 2025 | 30 CommentsCan you imagine being an Oldsmobile product planner during the height of “Cutlass Fever” in the 1970s and ’80s, and being told by some prescient being that Oldsmobile would be […] -
Vintage Car Life Review: 1965 Oldsmobile Delta 88 — “The View Through GM-Colored Glasses”
Posted on July 21, 2025 | 20 CommentsThe full-size Oldsmobile line was all-new for 1965, with crisp new styling, a new engine, a new transmission, and a new mid-level trim series called Delta 88. Car Life […] -
Curbside Finds: The Curious World of Collector License Plates
Posted on July 20, 2025 | 45 CommentsFirst let me acknowledge that we are talking about automotive license plates here, not some painted ceramic wall hanging by Franklin Mint. We are also not talking about “vanity” […] -
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 […] -
Early Hydra-Matic Users: Many Non-GM Automakers Bought This Pioneering Automatic Transmission
Posted on June 22, 2025 | 17 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 […] -
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 […] -
1966 Buick Riviera Versus 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado – Closely Related, Yet So Different (Part 2)
Posted on June 1, 2025 | 33 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 […] -
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 […] -
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 […] -
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 […] -
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 […]
![Vintage M/T Review: 1964 Oldsmobile Jetstar 88 – Oldsmobile Tries To Build An Impala Mid-priced cars trying to poach buyers from the low-priced league was a familiar tactic even in the early ’60s, but the 1964 Oldsmobile Jetstar 88 was a new escalation: a […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/1964-Oldsmobile-Jetstar-88-2HT-Wedgewood-Mist-Mecum-Auctions-D129.1-front-3q-right.webp?resize=115%2C115&quality=70&ssl=1)
![Almost Automatic: SIA Drives A 1938 Buick With The Weird Semi-Automatic Ancestor of Hydra-Matic Between the development of Synchro-Mesh (launched for 1929) and Hydra-Matic (launched for 1940), General Motors also developed a four-speed semi-automatic transmission, sometimes called the Automatic Safety Transmission, which was available […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/1938-Buick-Model-40C-Phaeton-Titian-Maroon-Patrick-Emzen-RM-Auctions-front-3q-left.webp?resize=115%2C115&quality=70&ssl=1)
![Vintage AMS Review: 1974 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon – “Could Be Taken Around Bends Remarkably Quickly” When the Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon debuted for 1973, Oldsmobile proclaimed it “A new Olds in the grand touring tradition,” complete with a plaque full of national flags to signify […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/1974-Oldsmobile-Cutlass-Salon-4SD-press-right.webp?resize=115%2C115&quality=70&ssl=1)
![Car Show Classic: 1965 Oldsmobile Starfire Convertible – New Engine, New Body, Old Idea Mechanical objects don’t have feelings, or at least that’s what I always try to tell myself when I’m berating them for being obstinate in my garage, but in case I’m […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PXL_20250628_151232278a.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![Curbside Find: 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme – A Stick-Shift Supreme Can you imagine being an Oldsmobile product planner during the height of “Cutlass Fever” in the 1970s and ’80s, and being told by some prescient being that Oldsmobile would be […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/54658766195_1bda0234b8_k-e1752959528890.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![Vintage Car Life Review: 1965 Oldsmobile Delta 88 — “The View Through GM-Colored Glasses” The full-size Oldsmobile line was all-new for 1965, with crisp new styling, a new engine, a new transmission, and a new mid-level trim series called Delta 88. Car Life […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/1965-Oldsmobile-Dynamic-88-Delta-2HT-Lucerne-Mist-RD-Classics-CCA-front-3q-right.webp?resize=115%2C115&quality=70&ssl=1)
![Curbside Finds: The Curious World of Collector License Plates First let me acknowledge that we are talking about automotive license plates here, not some painted ceramic wall hanging by Franklin Mint. We are also not talking about “vanity” […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/IMG_1023-1.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![1968 Ford Thunderbird Versus Rivals – How Ford Ranked The T-Bird’s Competition 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&quality=70&ssl=1)
![Early Hydra-Matic Users: Many Non-GM Automakers Bought This Pioneering Automatic Transmission 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&quality=70&ssl=1)
![Vintage M/T Review: 1968 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds – Olds Breaks The Rules, Hurst Runs Interference 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&quality=70&ssl=1)
![1966 Buick Riviera Versus 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado – Closely Related, Yet So Different (Part 2) 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&quality=70&ssl=1)
![1966 Buick Riviera Versus 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado – Closely Related, Yet So Different (Part 1) 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&quality=70&ssl=1)
![1963 Pontiac Grand Prix Vs. 1963 Oldsmobile Starfire Coupe – How Did These Sporty Luxury Hardtops Compare? 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&quality=70&ssl=1)
![1962 Oldsmobile Starfire Coupe Vs. 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Holiday Coupe – Thunderbird-Fighter Or Just A Fancier Olds? 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&quality=70&ssl=1)
![Vintage C/D Review: 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass S W-31 – “The Difference Between Transportation And A Trip” 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&quality=70&ssl=1)


