The Oldsmobile Model Z was the company's first top-level passenger car produced under the

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it pro ...

brand before they became a division of General Motors in 1908. The Model Z was created and engineered after Mr. Olds left the company but before they became a division, the same year the car was introduced. It was the senior model to the mid-level Oldsmobile Model M, and the entry-level, Buick engineered

Oldsmobile Model 20 The Series 20 was an automobile produced by Oldsmobile Division of General Motors in 1909. When the Oldsmobile Company joined General Motors in 1908, the Series 20 was one of the first examples of platform sharing that became GM's most notable bu ...

. It was upgraded to become the

Oldsmobile Limited The Oldsmobile Limited was an top-level passenger car produced by GM's Oldsmobile Division in 1910, offered as an upgraded replacement to the Oldsmobile Model Z when it was discontinued in 1909. The Oldsmobile Limited was very large and expensive ...

.Clymer, Floyd. ''Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925'' (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950)

History

Oldsmobile 1909 Model Z Limousine (3592493431)

The Model Z was the first Oldsmobile to introduce a

flathead engine A flathead engine, also known as a sidevalve engine''American Rodder'', 6/94, pp.45 & 93. or valve-in-block engine is an internal combustion engine with its poppet valves contained within the engine block, instead of in the cylinder head, as ...

with six cylinders, displacing developing 48 bhp. The engine was installed in the front, driving the rear wheels through a transmission shaft. The

gearbox Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), differe ...

had three forward gears, with the gearshift lever positioned to the right of the driver. As with other Oldsmobiles of the time, the brake pedal came into contact with the Drum brake on the rear wheels. For 1909 the engine displacement was increased to and a 2-door roadster was introduced. Sales were modest, selling 200 for the entire series. It was first introduced at Madison Square Garden and had a retail price of US$4,000 ($ in dollars ), priced considerably higher than the

Buick Model 10 The Buick 4 was a series of passenger cars produced by the Buick Division of GM from 1909 through 1918, and was available as a touring car, phaeton or roadster. It was available with the Buick Model B as a larger alternative offering a larger en ...

at US$1,000.

References

Model Z 1900s cars {{Brass-auto-stub Brass Era vehicles