HISTORY OF OLDSMOBILE REO TRANSPORATION MUSEUM

Description

Both before and after acquisition by General Motors, Oldsmobiles were marketed for their technical sophistication. The list of "firsts" is quite extensive: In 1893, Ransom Eli Olds' company (Olds Motor Works, the predecessor of Oldsmobile) becomes the first American car company to export an automobile. It is a four-wheeled steam-powered vehicle sold to a citizen of India. In 1901, three Oldsmobile innovations occur. The first speedometer to be offered on a car is on an Oldsmobile. The US Postal Service orders its first motor vehicles from Oldsmobile. Oldsmobile becomes the first car company to outsource parts to third-party suppliers. It is forced to do this when a fire destroys the main Oldsmobile plant in Lansing, MI, and cripples the company's ability to build cars using its own parts. In 1926, Oldsmobile begins chrome-plating the radiator surrounds and other parts on its cars. This was the first automotive use of chrome plating. In 1929, Oldsmobile introduced the first monoblock V8 on its Viking model. 1932 sees Oldsmobile become the first manufacturer to offer an automatic choke on an automobile. In 1940, Oldsmobile introduced "Hydra-matic Drive," the first fully automatic transmission to be offered on a widely-available automobile. This is the forefather of every automatic transmission offered today. Their 1949 Rocket engine was made notable as the first mass-produced OHV V8. 1962-1963 Oldsmobile Jetfire: Oldsmobile brought the first turbocharged passenger car <b>...</b>

Keywords

REO, SPEEDWAGON, FIRE, ENGINE, OLDS, VISTA, CRUISER, 98, 88, CUTLASS, ROCKET, V8, 303, 324, 425, 455, 350, 403, 307, QUAD, 2.4, TWIN, CAM, HURST, HAIRY, AEROTECH, TORONADO, BODY, BY, FISHER, 1969, 69, OLDSMOBILE, CHARLES, KETTERING, CURVED, DASH, RUNABOUT

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