The Oldsmobile Club of America held their annual convention in Sturbridge, Massachusetts on July 21-25, 2010. This was the opportunity for fans of GM’s “Rocket Division” to show the rest of the universe the pride they have in America’s longest-running automotive brand. Alas, the event was awash in precipitation, but that didn’t stop me from having an opportunity to find some extra-special specimens of Lansing’s finest.

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I never was an Oldsmobile guy but I’ve owned an Olds 4-4-2 since I was 15. Originally, it was my intention to own a Pontiac GTO, but my future car popped up in the Wilmington News-Journal and I knew it was the one for me. Being a part of the Olds fraternity has exposed me to things that I never would have experienced if I was a typical Mustang or Chevelle guy, so I’m keen to the qualities that may help you appreciate Oldsmobile’s style and performance.

W-30 red fender wells and W-Machine air cleaners.

Despite some suggestions from popular culture, Oldsmobile – not Ford – was the first American car brand to utilize the assembly line. By this time, founder Ransom E. Olds was no longer with the company that he started in 1897, instead producing another car of his namesake, Reo (later made familiar to a younger generation by Indiana rock group REO Speedwagon).

For 1903, Olds built 3,924 cars on an assembly line.

Olds flirted with high-class cars for a time before settling in as GM’s medium-priced stalwart. The 1918 Model 45A below is a reflection of Oldsmobile’s final move to middle class prosperity with a more affordable model for the masses, which brought the brand up to eighth place in the industry with just over 8,000 built.

This 1918 Olds has yet to reach 13,000 miles.

Perhaps due to the poor weather at Sturbridge, or maybe because it’s just how things ended up, but early Oldsmobiles through the 1950s were scarce. That’s not to suggest early cars are ignored by members of the OCA because Olds has a lot of significant cars in its portfolio. For example, Olds came out with Hydra-matic Drive, the world’s first fully automatic transmission, in 1940.

Only 50 8-cylinder Series 90 4-door convertible Phaetons were built in 1940.

For 1949, Oldsmobile’s stock increased dramatically once again with the introduction of the high compression V8 engine. In a moment when WWII war veterans had started hopping up their cars and racing them, the Olds Rocket V8 was the popular choice for this burgeoning hot rod set. Ever hear of the Rocket 88? That’s an Olds Series 80 with the Rocket V8!

This a 1950 88 Deluxe wagon, one of 552 built

In 1955, Oldsmobile owned NASCAR’s manufacturer’s championship, but that same year also was the start of what we know today as the “Horsepower Race” – all the manufacturers were getting their game on – so by 1957 Oldsmobile had to contend with the likes of Chevy’s small block and Chrysler’s HEMI. Still, Rocket V8 remained competitive with the J-2 triple-carburetor option. The increasing popularity of NASCAR, combined with manufacturers’ increasing involvement in the racing association, demanded it.

1957 sedan with 1953 Holiday coupe

But whatever sporty pretensions Oldsmobiles had through the 1950s was tossed out the window by 1959, the year that GM redesigned all its brands as a reaction to Virgil Exner’s “Forward Look” Chryslers. Sure, the Rocket V8 was still making power, but Blue Collar brands were now carrying the performance torch – driving a Chevrolet 348, Pontiac 389, or Dodge D-500 383 to a drag strip seemed a lot more attractive to the young men of America than driving an Oldsmobile.

1960 and 1959 Oldsmobiles

The rear end of the ’59 Olds

But Oldsmobile was still the Rocket Division, after all, which meant it was GM’s division of Atomic Age experimentation. The introduction of the compact F-85 in 1961 led to the 1962 Jetfire, America’s first production turbocharged car (along with Chevrolet’s Corvair). And, in 1966, the Toronado became America’s first mass-produced front-wheel drive automobile. Targeted squarely at Ford’s Thunderbird and complementing Buick’s more conventional Riviera, the Toronado had show car styling with horsepower to match – a massive 425 putting out 385 horsepower.

1966-67 Toronados – the ’66 has the scoops over the headlight lids.

In many ways, the Toronado was a natural evolution of the Starfire, Oldsmobile’s personal luxury car built from 1961-66. Stainless steel trim was a hallmark of this model, as was loads of class.

1961 Starfire convertible joined by a ’62 hardtop.

1965 Starfire with uncharacteristic mags sits beside a red Jetstar I, a two-year companion with a friendlier price. This one has a factory 4-speed!

The market was changing by 1964, as reflected by the advent of Pontiac’s GTO. This led to “Me too!” reactions from the industry, and Oldsmobile was the first out of the gate with the 1964 F-85/Cutlass equipped with the B-09 4-4-2 Police Apprehender Package. In keeping with Oldsmobile’s penchant for using numbers for model names, this one stood for 4-barrel carb, 4-speed transmission, and 2 exhausts, Although equipped with a 330 putting out 310 horsepower (compared to Pontiac’s 389 with as much as 348hp), it caught the attention of the buff books, which gave Olds high marks for the 4-4-2’s performance and handling capabilities, no doubt due to the standard rear sway bar.

Only 2,999 F-85s and Cutlasses were ordered with the 4-4-2 package in 1964, including 10 4-doors (although is one is a clone).

Olds got serious for 1965 and installed a brand-new 400 rated at 345 horsepower. The name now stood for 400ci,4-barrel, 2 exhaust since a 3-speed and automatic joined the 4-speed. Once again, the magazines praised the Olds’s handling in comparison to the GTO and its contemporaries.

A two-tone Cutlass sport coupe with the 4-4-2 package. Notice the side scoop specific to the 4-4-2 package.

Bigger things continued for 1966. Standard horsepower went up five to 350, plus an optional L-69 tri-carb motor pushed the 400 to 360hp, matching the GTO’s Tri-Power 389. But the biggest news was the advent of the W-30 package, adding a bigger cam and other heavy duty items to the L-69 motor, plus moving the battery to the trunk. Putting the battery back there was an old trick to aid traction in drag racing, but it was also done because the W-30 package used an air induction system that forced air from the bumper, through tubes, and into a special air cleaner housing the three carbs. Only 54 were built, plus a small number of dealer-installed “Track Pack” cars.

Two-tone 1966 F-85 Club Coupe with the 4-4-2 and W-30 packages – see the parking lights relocated to make way for the scoops?

For 1967, GM killed the availability of multiple carburetors for everything except the Corvette, but that didn’t stop Olds from continuing to offer a killer W-30 package for the 4-4-2. Just over 500 were built, and this time it included the soon-to-be-legendary red plastic fender wells. Thirteen-second quarters out of the showroom floor ensured HEMIs and Ram Air GTOs didn’t cop an attitude.

While not available on the convertible, this example shows you how the ’67’s face lift changed the position of the scoops

Oldsmobile also was a power in certain classes of drag racing. Ever hear of the Smothers Brothers? Yeah, the two comedians who used to have their own TV show in the 1960s? They campaigned Olds.’ However, the most successful were those campaigned by Chesrown Oldsmobile out of Ohio.

1967 4-4-2 W-30 campaigned by Chesrown Olds.

Nineteen sixty-eight was an important year for the 4-4-2. There was new “Coke Bottle” styling with a semi-fastback roofline, and now the 4-4-2 was its own model rather than a performance package. The motor was new too, measuring 400ci like the old one but with a different bore and stroke. Base horsepower with the standard 3-speed (and optional 4-speed) continued to be 350hp, but if you wanted an automatic, the rating fell to 325hp. What gives? With this new engine’s longer stroke, many critics felt the new 400 was not an improvement.

1968 W-30s continued to be rated at 360hp. Convertibles were available with the W-30 package for the first time too – 171 were built.

There were no big changes to shout about for 1969 except for the usual model-year face lift. However, the W-30 was joined by a new member of the W-Machine fraternity: The medium-performance W-32. It basically was the 350-horse stick motor paired with an automatic and equipped with those nifty scoops. If you’ve never heard of this option, don’t be embarrassed as only 297 were built.

Out of 297 W-32s, only 25 were convertibles. There’s a number of clones out there, but this one as GM of Canada docs to prove its pedigree.

If the 1968-69 400 was a disappointment to enthusiasts, there were a few solutions if Oldsmobile was your favorite brand. First was the Hurst/Olds, which was created when Hurst Performance contracted Olds to drop in the Toronado’s 455 in-between the wheel wells of the 4-4-2 and gave it a sweet paint job. If that was too rich for your blood, you still had another solution: The W-31. It was better known as the Ram Rod 350 when introduced in 1968 but for 1969-70 it received W-31 badges; it also was perhaps the W-Machine with the best potential. Available only on plainer F-85s and Cutlasses, it often surprised a lot of machinery, machinery that would even include 4-4-2s!

Here’s a 1969 4-4-2 W-30 with a ’68 Cutlass S W-31- see the scoops?

Here’s a cheapie 1970 F-85 W-30 being judged in the rain. Only 207 were built.

As you can see above with the Rally Red ’70, Oldsmobile gave its mid-sized A-bodies a huge face lift. In addition, there were two other big news items: Air induction moved from the bumpers to the hood (and, for the first time, was optional on base 4-4-2s), and GM removed its edict restricting engine size on its muscle cars. The base 4-4-2 now had a standard 455 was rated at 365 horsepower, while the W-30 was rated at 370, that is on paper. Crown jewel for Oldsmodudes today is the W-30 convertible, of which only 264 were built.

You can see the “standard” 4-4-2’s striping on the gold car compared with that of the red W-30’s.

Alas, the writing was on the wall for 1971, and all of GM’s vehicles received lowered compression. Performance suffered, but not as much as people used to think. The 1971-72 cars have come into their own over the past few years as being balanced cars that run easily on today’s gas, and fans of ’72s have the added benefit of having the engine code in the VIN which makes documentation of W-30s come easy. However, the W-31 was no more, and the W-30 didn’t last past 1972.

Only 110 4-4-2 convertibles were built in 1971.

Despite high performance’s fall from grace, all was not lost for Oldsmobile. For starters, the Hurst/Olds was back for 1972, now based on the Cutlass Supreme coupe style; a sunroof was an option, and a convertible was available for the first time (although two were built for 1969).

1972 Hurst/Olds with ’74, ’79, and ’84 editions

Additionally, starting in 1973, the Cutlass Supreme was ramping up to officially become America’s most popular car. No doubt this was due to a combination of smart styling and the ’70s’ penchant for pimpin,’ and America felt the Cutlass Supreme did it best of all – even better than the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix, or Chrysler Cordoba.

The 1973 Cutlass Supreme with a ’74 Cutlass S “Colonnade” coupe

These cars were not fast but reeked of style. And if you still craved performance over style but felt you didn’t have many options, perhaps a Starfire would fit the bill? Hot Rod and Car Craft were featuring clapped-out Chevy Monzas, so why not its sister, the Old Starfire? GM managed to squeeze a 350 up front, so the potential was there. However, many were junked or they led a hard life in the hands of a hot rodder, so to see one like this today is a rarity.

1977 Starfire SX

In 1978, GM downsized all its intermediates, yet the Cutlass Supreme continued to be one of America’s favorites. It’s not hard to see why as they were handsome and continued to look like what an Oldsmobile should despite having been on a diet. Performance fans could also get the decal treatment with a version courtesy of Hurst.

1978 Cutlass Supreme

1979 Hurst/Olds beside a classic ’69

The 1980s were kind to Oldsmobile, but the GM began to cannibalize the Cutlass brand by applying the moniker to everything under the sun, such as the Cutlass Ciera. The distinction of Olds’s bread and butter was now lost! The introduction of the 1995 Aurora was supposed to capture Olds’s former luster, but the car didn’t even have Oldsmobile badges on it – ironic, as none of GM’s other brands received a badge-engineered version of the same sedan. The lumbering giant that was GM (and continued to be such until two years ago) made the decision to simplify its portfolio and retire one of its brands; as Olds was lost and never really rediscovered its footing, it was laid to rest in 2004, but you wouldn’t know it if you were at Sturbridge.