The Model 42 was an entry-level four seat passenger car produced by GM's

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 produ ...

Division in 1914, offered as a replacement to the

Oldsmobile Curved Dash __NOTOC__ The gasoline-powered Oldsmobile Model R, also known as the Curved Dash Oldsmobile, is credited as being the first mass-produced automobile, meaning that it was built on an assembly line using interchangeable parts. It was introduced by ...

runabout when it was discontinued in 1908, and was the junior platform to the

Oldsmobile Six The Oldsmobile Six, also known as the Model 53, 54 and 55 (1913-1915) then a brief cancellation until it reappeared as the Model 37, 37A and 37B (1917-1921) was a top level sedan along with the Oldsmobile Series 40 junior vehicle produced by GM's ...

introduced in 1913. GM had acquired

Elmore Manufacturing Company Elmore Manufacturing Company was a manufacturer of veteran and brass era automobiles and bicycles (1893–97), headquartered at 504 Amanda Street, Clyde, Ohio, from 1893 until 1912. The company took its name from a small parcel of land in Clyde ...

and

Oakland Motor Car Company The Oakland Motor Car Company of Pontiac, Michigan, was an American automobile manufacturer and division of General Motors. Purchased by General Motors in 1909, the company continued to produce modestly priced automobiles until 1931 when the bra ...

in 1908 and

Cartercar The Cartercar was an American automobile manufactured in 1905 in Jackson, Michigan, in 1906 in Detroit, and from 1907 to 1915 in Pontiac, Michigan. History After leaving the Jackson Automobile Company due to a disagreement with his busines ...

and

Rainier Motor Car Company Rainier Motor Car Company was an American automobile manufacturer founded in 1905 by John T. Rainier in Flushing, New York and from 1908 produced in Saginaw, Michigan. The company specialized in manufacturing large and luxurious automobiles. In ...

in 1909 as their entry-level models, and Oldsmobile products were being repositioned in their new hierarchy as GM began to consolidate operations after William Durant had left. It was replaced by the

Model 43 ''Stielhandgranate'' is the German term for " stick hand grenade" (translation: "shaft hand grenade") and generally refers to a prominent series of World War I and World War II-era German stick grenade designs, distinguished by their long woo ...

and shared a platform with 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 eng ...

. The Oldsmobile Model R Curved Dash competed with the

Chevrolet Series F The Chevrolet Series F of 1917 was an American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet before they became a division of General Motors. The successor of the Series H, it had a longer wheelbase and other improvements, but kept the same engine. It wa ...

while Chevrolet was still independent from GM, and in 1908 the

Ford Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...

was also introduced. It was also known as the "''Baby Olds''" as it was smaller than the mid-level Oldsmobile Autocrat Series 28 and the top level

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 ...

Series 23.

History

The Model 42 was equipped with a side-valve, in-line

four-cylinder engine The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...

developing 20 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 A drum brake is a brake that uses friction caused by a set of shoes or pads that press outward against a rotating cylinder-shaped part called a brake drum. The term ''drum brake'' usually means a brake in which shoes press on the inner surfac ...

on the rear wheels. The Model 42 had a wheelbase of and initially only came as a touring car for 1914, with 2 door roadster added in 1914. 500 Model 42 were manufactured in 1914, and 1,319 were built in 1915 before it was replaced by the

in 1915. The retail price of the Model 42 started at US$1,350 ($ in dollars ) for a 5-passenger touring sedan.

References

Model 42 1910s cars {{Brass-auto-stub Brass Era vehicles

History

See also

References