The automobile featured in this article is the 1930 Oldsmobile Deluxe. The Oldsmobile brand was on the higher levels of the General Motors price and luxury ladder.
The 1930 model year for just about all automakers was a challenging one. The model year began at about the same time as the great stock market crash in the fall of 1929 and the onset of the long Great Depression.
When the 1930 Oldsmobile models starting coming off the assembly line many car buyers however had not yet felt the full impact of the coming Great Depression.
Ransom E. Olds
A man named Ransom E. Olds along with financial partners began the Olds Motor Works in 1896.This was when Olds began selling his one cylinder four cycle Runabout in 1896. This was the curved dash Olds car which was produced until 1904.
What some might not be aware of is that Ransom Olds actually turned out America’s first mass produced automobile. This was even before Henry Ford turned out his first car in 1903. The difference between what Ransom Olds accomplished compared to Henry Ford’s assembly line was that Ford assembled cars on a moving assembly line. The moving assembly line concept is what is credited to Ford.
Olds bailed out of this company in 1904 after disagreements with a few investors and began the REO Motor Car Company. He ran this company right through 1936. The Olds Motor Works then joined GM in late 1908. General Motors historical information stated that this occurred about two months after Buick had joined GM.
Meanwhile Ransom Olds was at the helm of REO. Ransom Olds REO company ceased producing automobiles after 1936 but did continue to build trucks for years afterward.
General Motors placed the Oldsmobile brand in the middle of the product ladder. General Motors and it’s leader Alfred P. Sloan believed in offering the car buying public several GM brands that they could move up to in luxury and of course price.
The End of the Oldsmobile Brand
As most know, General Motors discontinued the Oldsmobile brand in 2004. Sales had been dropping steadily. Profitability for the brand was also an issue. Also, beginning in the 1990’s Oldsmobile felt stiff competition from some of the more upscale imports.
This announcement was quite significant to automobile enthusiasts in as much as the car brand had been around for 106 years. Ransom E. Olds sold his first automobile in 1897.
Oldsmobile’s history was such that the car brand is also credited with introducing the first all automatic transmission in 1938. The Oldsmobile brand also introduced the first high compression V-8 engine in 1948. Oldsmobile history also mentions that the brand was the first to utilized chrome decorative parts. In essence, the brand had been around for a very long time and was credited with much automotive innovation. Oldsmobile’s peak years would have been during the mid 1980’s.
Links to two additional AutoMuseumOnline photo articles you’ll enjoy are…
1931 Cadillac V-16 Sport Phaeton
1930 Oldsmobile Deluxe Specifications
The 1930 Oldsmobile Deluxe came with a 197.0 cubic inch 3.2 Liter 6 cylinder engine. The engine delivered 62 horsepower. All 1930 Oldsmobile’s were equipped with six cylinder engines.
The car’s transmission was a sliding three speed manual. Wheelbase was 113.5 inches.
Front brakes were three shoe drum with the rear brakes being outside contracting.
The suspension on the 1930 Oldsmobile was semi-elliptic spring at four corners. A straight front axle and a live rear axle.
The 1930 Oldsmobile Deluxe four door had a weight of about 2,800 lbs. The new car price for this model in 1930 was in the range of
Both wood and wire wheels were available.
Every Oldsmobile model in 1930 was offered to the buying public in three trim levels. These were named Standard, Special and Deluxe.
Oldsmobile built a total of 524,000 vehicles for the 1930 model year. Out of these totals, 14,400 four door sedans were produced. In it’s lifetime, 107 years, Oldsmobile produced over 35 million vehicles.
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