Viking was a

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create ...

of automobiles manufactured by General Motors as a supplement to

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 ...

division for model years 1929 to 1931 and used the

GM B platform The B platform (also known as the B body) is a full-size rear-wheel drive car platform that was produced by General Motors (GM) from 1926 to 1996. Originally made for Oldsmobile and Buick, all of General Motors's five main makes would use it at ...

. It was shared with the Oakland Model 301 for 1930 and 1931.

Overview

Viking was part of

Alfred Sloan Alfred Pritchard Sloan Jr. ( ; May 23, 1875February 17, 1966) was an American business executive in the automotive industry. He was a long-time president, chairman and CEO of General Motors Corporation. Sloan, first as a senior executive and l ...

's companion make program introduced to help span gaps in General Motors’ pricing structure, and was marketed through GM's Oldsmobile division. Viking was one of four makes introduced by General Motors, the other lines (and their GM divisions) being

Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada *Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...

( Oakland), Marquette ( Buick) and LaSalle ( Cadillac). Of the four makes, Viking was the only one priced higher than its "parent" make, and took the role of senior luxury sedan for Oldsmobile until replaced by the

Oldsmobile L-Series The Oldsmobile L-Series, or the Oldsmobile 8, was built from the 1932 through 1938. Oldsmobile hadn't offered a full-sized luxury flagship since the cancellation of the Oldsmobile Light Eight in 1923, and the Viking upscale companion brand to Old ...

. It took over the senior luxury position from the

Oldsmobile Light Eight The Oldsmobile Light Eight was an automobile produced by the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors in roadster, two-door coupe, four-door sedan from between 1916 and 1923. It was powered by a sidevalve V8 engine, the maker's first, and shar ...

Canmania Car show - Wimborne (9589569829)

Riding on a wheelbase with steel semi-elliptic springs and a 44 1/2 foot turning circle, Vikings were powered by a monobloc

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and u ...

, the first automobile using this type of engine construction. Vikings were available as 4-door sedan, deluxe 4-door sedan,

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

coupé with rear deck seat, deluxe convertible coupé with rear deck seat, close-coupled 4-door sedan and deluxe close-coupled 4-door sedan. The front seat and the steering wheel were adjustable. Viking production for 1929 was 4,058 units and 1930 2,813, and retail prices were listed at US$1,595 ($ in dollars ) for a choice of three body styles. GM discontinued the Viking and the Marquette at the end of the 1930 model year, preferring to bet on Oldsmobile and Buick, which had better consumer awareness. However, an additional 353 units were assembled using existing parts and marketed as 1931 models.

References

External links

Contemporary photo of 1930 Convertible Coupe
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States General Motors marques Oldsmobile vehicles Defunct brands Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan {{Vintage-auto-stub