 | |
| Manufacturer | Oldsmobile |
|---|---|
| Production |
1901–1907 About 19000 built |
| Class | Entry-level car |
| Body style(s) | Runabout |
| Engine(s) | 95 cu in (1,560 cc) horizontal one-cylinder[1] |
| Transmission(s) | Planetary 2-speed |
In My Merry Oldsmobile songbook featuring an Oldsmobile Curved Dash automobile
The gasoline powered Curved Dash Oldsmobile is credited as being the first mass-produced automobile, meaning that it was built on an assembly line using interchangeable parts. It was introduced by the Oldsmobile company in 1901 and produced through 1907. 425[citation needed] examples were produced the first year, 2,500 in 1902, with over 19,000 built in all.[2]
It was a runabout model, could seat two passengers, and sold for US$650. While competitive, due to high volume, and below the Ford US$850 "Doctor's Car",[3] Western in 1905 produced the Gale Model A roadster at US$500, the Black went as low as $375,[4] and the Success hit the amazingly low US$250.[5]
The flat-mounted water-cooled single-cylinder engine, situated at the center of the car, produced 5 hp (3.7 kW),[1] relying on a brass gravity feed carburetor. The transmission was a semi-automatic design with two forward speeds and one reverse. The low-speed forward and reverse gear system are a planetary type (epicyclic). The car weighed 850 lb (390 kg) and used Concord springs. It had a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h).
The car’s success was partially by accident — in 1901 a fire destroyed a number of other models before they were approved for production, leaving the Curved Dash the only one intact.[6]
Gallery[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rogliatti, Gianni (1973). in Cyril Posthumus: Period Cars. Feltham, Middlesex, UK: Hamlyn, 270–271. ISBN 0-600-33401-5.
- ↑ G.N. Georgano Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886-1930. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985)
- ↑ Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925 (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950), p.37.
- ↑ Clymer, p.61.
- ↑ Clymer, p.32.
- ↑ "detnews.com | Michigan History". Apps.detnews.com (2000-03-08). Retrieved on 2009-06-27.
Sources[]
- Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925. New York: Bonanza Books, 1950.
- Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly (January, 1904)
- G.N. Georgano, G. N. Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886-1930. London: Grange-Universal, 1985.
External links[]
- Oldsmobile Club of America
- 1905 Oldsmobile Image (Suffolk County(NY) Historical Society Museum)
- From Coast To Coast In An Old Old Olds, by Gardner Soule large 1951 article on a 1904 Olds making a coast to coast trip with detailed photo of subject
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