Curbside Classic Archives
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American Brands: GM 
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Oldsmobile Archive
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1957–1958 Oldsmobile J-2 Engine: Similar To Pontiac Tri-Power, It Was Developed First
Posted on September 6, 2025 | 16 CommentsWhen most people think of GM triple-carburetor engines, they mostly think of the legendary Pontiac Tri-Power setup, but Oldsmobile actually beat Pontiac to the punch with its short-lived J-2 Rocket […] -
1969 Oldsmobile Toronado – A Powder Blue Paint Job Highlights The Toronado’s Identity Crisis
Posted on August 29, 2025 | 27 CommentsA while back, I ran across a listing for a 1969 Oldsmobile Toronado in an unusual color I hadn’t seen before, which got me thinking about the impact of color […] -
Vintage Car Life Review: 1962 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Holiday Sports Sedan – “Silent Splendor” For $1,000 Less Than A Cadillac
Posted on August 20, 2025 | 20 CommentsFrom 1940 to 1996, the Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight was the biggest, plushest full-size Olds model. In April 1962, Car Life magazine tried the latest Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Holiday Sports Sedan and proclaimed […] -
1958 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 – OLDSmobility In The Rocket Age
Posted on August 10, 2025 | 11 CommentsThe 1958 Oldsmobile. Just to say it evokes moans, giggles or rolling eyes. One of the most over-styled cars of the 1950s (if not of all time), it has become […] -
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 | 33 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 | 25 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 look […]
![1957–1958 Oldsmobile J-2 Engine: Similar To Pontiac Tri-Power, It Was Developed First When most people think of GM triple-carburetor engines, they mostly think of the legendary Pontiac Tri-Power setup, but Oldsmobile actually beat Pontiac to the punch with its short-lived J-2 Rocket […]](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/1957-Oldsmobile-Starfire-98-Sapphire-Mist-Victoria-White-RM-Auctions-Darin-Schnabel-left-front-3q-with-brochure-comp-115x115.webp)
![1969 Oldsmobile Toronado – A Powder Blue Paint Job Highlights The Toronado’s Identity Crisis A while back, I ran across a listing for a 1969 Oldsmobile Toronado in an unusual color I hadn’t seen before, which got me thinking about the impact of color […]](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/1969-Oldsmobile-Toronado-W34-Powder-Blue-Orlando-Classic-Cars-front-composite.webp)
![Vintage Car Life Review: 1962 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Holiday Sports Sedan – “Silent Splendor” For $1,000 Less Than A Cadillac From 1940 to 1996, the Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight was the biggest, plushest full-size Olds model. In April 1962, Car Life magazine tried the latest Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Holiday Sports Sedan and proclaimed […]](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/1962-Oldsmobile-Ninety-Eight-4W4HT-Wedgewood-Mist-Provincial-White-Fast-Lane-front-3q-banner.webp)
![1958 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 – OLDSmobility In The Rocket Age The 1958 Oldsmobile. Just to say it evokes moans, giggles or rolling eyes. One of the most over-styled cars of the 1950s (if not of all time), it has become […]](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/1958Olds8806.jpg)
![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://www.curbsideclassic.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/1964-Oldsmobile-Jetstar-88-2HT-Wedgewood-Mist-Mecum-Auctions-D129.1-front-3q-right-115x115.webp)
![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://www.curbsideclassic.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/1938-Buick-Model-40C-Phaeton-Titian-Maroon-Patrick-Emzen-RM-Auctions-front-3q-left.webp)
![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://www.curbsideclassic.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/1974-Oldsmobile-Cutlass-Salon-4SD-press-right.webp)
![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://www.curbsideclassic.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PXL_20250628_151232278-115x115.jpg)
![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://www.curbsideclassic.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/54658766195_1bda0234b8_k-e1752959528890.jpg)
![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://www.curbsideclassic.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/1965-Oldsmobile-Dynamic-88-Delta-2HT-Lucerne-Mist-RD-Classics-CCA-front-3q-right.webp)
![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://www.curbsideclassic.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/IMG_1023-1.jpg)
![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://www.curbsideclassic.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1968-Thunderbird-vs-Major-Competition-0.webp)
![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://www.curbsideclassic.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1940-Oldsmobile-Series-90-blue-Barrett-Jackson-front-3q-left.webp)
![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://www.curbsideclassic.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/1968-Hurst-Olds-AC-Mecum-Auctions-F233.1-front-3q-left.webp)
![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 look […]](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1966-Buick-Riviera-GS-and-1966-Oldsmobile-Toronado-DX-left-side-composite-labeled-1.webp)


