As of this writing, Oldsmobile has been dead for over 10 years. The last Oldsmobile, an Alero sedan, rolled off the Lansing, Michigan assembly line on April 29, 2004. Lansing is the same city where the brand was born. Ransom E. Olds offered his first automobile to the public in 1897 and, at the time of its demise, Oldsmobile was the oldest surviving car brand in the U.S.

How does one explain the Oldsmobile brand and its meaning to someone never knew Olds in its glory days?

One might begin by pointing out that the marque was celebrated in music. In 1905, a popular ditty was 'My Merry Oldsmobile' - "Come away with me, Lucille, in my merry Oldsmobile ..." Some credit Jackie Brentson's 'Rocket 88' recording from 1951 as the first rock and roll song. It certainly had the correct elements; it was about a car - a 1950 Oldsmobile 88 with a high-compression, overhead-valve Rocket V-8 engine. The song is also notable because it featured Ike Turner on keyboards.

I would also point out that, in the General Motors' line-up, Oldsmobile was long known as the 'innovation brand' and was a favorite of engineers and tech-savvy people. In the 1920s, Oldsmobile was the first car to use chrome-plated trim instead of nickel. In 1938, the first fully-automatic transmission was introduced ... on an Olds. The first high-compression, overhead valve V-8 engine was to be found in a 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88, available for the first time with a pillarless hardtop body as well. In 1966, Olds introduced the radical, front-wheel-drive Toronado. In 1974, Olds was the first U.S. manufacturer to offer air bags as an option. That's why engineers loved Oldsmobile - it was on the cutting edge of technical innovation. Oldsmobiles always had the latest techie bells and whistles.

Postwar Oldsmobiles were sharp-looking, powerful and technically-advanced cars. The 1955 Super 88 convertible shown in the sketch typified the allure of Olds. It had a powerful 202 horsepower V8 engine, weighed just under two tons and cost a mere $2,894, a sweet price for a powerful, roadable comfortable and stylish droptop. Over 9,000 examples were sold in 1955. A total of 583,179 Oldsmobiles were sold that year - a record which would stand for 10 years. In July 1955, Olds produced its 5 millionth car since Ransom E. opened up shop in 1896. More than 11% of that 59-year total were 1955 models.

In 1955, semi-teardrop wheel wells, previously exclusive to the pricer Olds Ninety-Eight models, were now also used on the 88 and Super 88. The most popular model in the line-up was the practical, but still good-looking Super 88 four-door sedan.

Oldsmobile sales peaked in 1985 at 1.2 million cars per year. At one time, the Olds Cutlass was the most popular model of all U.S. cars. So, what happened? In the seventies, as GM lost its way, Oldsmobile evolved into a sort-of upscale Chevy. It even was given a Chevy engine; no more technical innovation was to be found under an Oldsmobile's hood.

By the 1980s, GM's various brands even started to look alike - it was hard to tell an Olds from a Buick or Pontiac - no more 'Rocket 88' swoopy styling - just another badge-engineered GM product. In the 1990s, even Oldsmobile's distinctive rocket emblem was discarded.

Stripped of its individual looks, innovation and personality, Olds found its sales dropping. New management decided to reposition itself as a 'Honda alternative'. Jerry Flint, a noted auto analyst who wrote for Forbes magazine, cited indistinguishable styling, uninspired engineering and inexperienced leadership as reasons for Olds marketplace failure. Said Flint, "Oldsmobile has had 6 managers in 13 years - is that any kind of continuity? And the last one had no experience in the car business - her last job was heading up brand management for Alpo dog food." Oldsmobile became a doomed brand. And died.

Visit companies which are engineer-heavy and you'll now see Audis, Acuras and Priuses in the parking lots - the new choices of the tech savvy. As for Oldsmobile, you may nor find it in parking lots of leading-edge tech giants but you can still enjoy its stellar presence at museums and car shows.

More about Oldsmobile's history and demise is posted here. (posted 4/30/15)