Oldsmobile Curved Dash

Article on other languages:

del.icio.us del.icio.us
Digg Digg
Furl Furl
Reddit Reddit
Rojo Rojo
Add to OnlyWire
Oldsmobile Runabout
1902 Oldsmobile Curved Dash runabout
Manufacturer Oldsmobile
Production 1901-1907
about 19000 built
Class Entry-level car
Body style(s) runabout
Engine(s) horizontal one-cylinder
Transmission(s) planetary
In My Merry Oldsmobile songbook featuring an Oldsmobile Curved Dash automobile

The Curved Dash Oldsmobile is credited as the first high-volume mass-produced automobile. It was introduced by the Oldsmobile company in 1901 and produced through 1907. 425[citation needed] examples were produced the first year, 2500 in 1902, with over 19000 built in all.[1]

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",[2] Western in 1905 produced the Gale Model A, an open roadster, for sale at US$500, the Black went as low as $375,[3] and the Success hit the amazingly low US$250.[4]

The flat-mounted water-cooled single-cylinder engine, situated at the center of the car, produced 4 hp (3 kW), 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 (386 kg) and used Concord springs.

Contents

Gallery

Notes

  1. ^ Georgano, G. N. Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886-1930. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985)
  2. ^ Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925 (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950), p.37.
  3. ^ Clymer, p.61.
  4. ^ Clymer, p.32.

Sources

  • Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925 (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950).
  • Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly (January, 1904)

External links

This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.