My Olds Mobile Story

May 13, 2021,21:09 PM
 

I can't match the Mercedes-Benz stories, because my family didn't buy imported cars. They lived in the midwest, and at the time I was growing up you bought a car that you could afford, and that matched your status in life. For my folks and relatives, that meant Chevy for the po' folk, and Buicks and Oldsmobiles for the older, wealthier set.



My grandfather was a very dapper man, and successful as a salesman, then later a product development chemist for Gold Seal Corp. 
He pretty much invented three major products which were hugely successful: Glass Wax, Snowy Bleach and Mr. Bubble (bubblebath). 



At the time of this story he lived in Houston, TX and had become a charter member of the Champions Golf Club, started a few years earlier by champion golfers Jimmy Demeret and Jack Burke. 



We were down in Houston visiting back in 1962 I think, and we went for dinner at the club. Afterwards, my sister, myself and my baby brother were invited to stay in the owner's office, while the adults had a good time in the clubhouse. Eventually the ladies and baby went off home with my grandmother, as my grandfatherhad asked if I'd like a ride home with him.

We got out on the highway in his new Oldsmobile, and he pushed it up to about 100 mph. 
What I remember most was the crawling line, thermometer, etc speedometer, which left no doubt that we were GOING TOO FAST.




He was clearly enjoying himself, and having fun showing me what his car could do. I was hooked on Oldsmobiles from that moment on! 
Was this influence due to the speedometer? OR the excessive speed it confidently displayed in RED?
Here's the innards for those of you who want to know HOW it worked. No wavy needles for Oldsmobile drivers!



Grandfather, Grandmother, my dad and my mom



I never got a car of his -- he had moved up to Cadillacs before he died, although I do have both his gold pocket watch and his gold Omega bumper-wind wristwatch.

Here are the Oldsmobiles I have purchased MAINLY because of that midnight ride with my Grandfather:

1960 Dynamic 88 - my first car and long as a city block.



1963 Olds Cutlass F-85 V8 (the alloy version bought from GM and developed by Rover)



1967 Oldsmobile 442 Of course it had a 4 on the floor



1990 Oldsmobile Touring Sedan



I bought the Touring Sedan mainly for the interior which was fantastic for an American car at the time. Even the headrests were powered up and down! 
I was greatly chagrined when my young employee Celia said "It's an old man's car, Mike!"


Finally I wanted an Olds Toronado Convertible, but couldn't find a great one, so I bought this Buick Riviera (which was a sister car to the Toronado, with V8, FWD, luxury, etc.)



In 2004 Oldsmobile was extinguished -- THE OLDEST CAR BRAND IN AMERICA -- in a small group with Daimler and Peugeot making cars for 106 years!

However despite producing 35 million cars, it ended up cranking out forgettable useless blobs like this:


Sigh, lift a glass if you have ever had an Olds...

Cazalea








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My dad had an Olds Cutlass 64’…

 
 By: myles721 : May 13th, 2021-21:25
Thing was huge…blue…straight out of Mad Men like Drapers Cadillac…

An other wonderful post, Mike.

 
 By: ChristianDK : May 13th, 2021-21:37
They sure don’t make them like they used to! Thank for sharing this personal story with some incredible cars!

I had forgotten about that "thermometer-speedometer"! My dad had a 1960 Super 88! Boring Brown. We also had a '64 F-85 station wagon. Boring green... it was a V8.. not sure if that

 
 By: InDebtButOnTime : May 13th, 2021-22:36
would have been the alloy one sold to Rover (do you know Mike?). That was the first family car I drove (when lucky enough to). Pops sure wasn't about to let me take out his cream white '62 Coupe de Ville Caddy. I was never into giant American barges but t... 

Great post !

 
 By: bimbeano : May 14th, 2021-13:49
We never owned an Olds but my father told me a story where my other grandfather bought a Studebaker while he didn’t have a license yet. So my dad and my uncle had to learn him how to drive .... the first lesson he ended up in a ditch and gave a key to my ... 

Especially on 3 wheels!

 
 By: cazalea : May 14th, 2021-19:48
...  

A DS break is even better.

 
 By: bimbeano : May 14th, 2021-20:38
And yes ... legendary on 3 wheels, they don’t make em like that anymore 😢.

I never had an Olds, but Uncle Vatche owned a silver-grey '66 or '67 Toronado . . .

 
 By: Dr No : May 19th, 2021-13:24
. . . for a few years. Don't recall exactly why he got rid of it, but do remember seeing the speedometer in action. Not as aggressively as your Grandfather drove, though . . . that would've been a memory for the ages! Art

My first car was an 80s Pontiac 6000

 
 By: montecristo#2 : May 20th, 2022-00:58
Not a great car, but your first is always special. My Dad owned I think a 1969 GTO, which was stolen in Boston before I was born…. Wish he had been able to hold onto it.

F-85!!

 
 By: designer : May 31st, 2021-10:12
Bought one back at the 1988... -62 Jetfire!! First Turbo charged production car..! Very cool.. Did a lot and restorated it before I sold it -94.. Gone but Not Forgotten!