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The gasoline-powered Oldsmobile Model R, also known as the Curved Dash Oldsmobile, is credited as being the first

mass-produced Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and ba ...

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded ...

, meaning that it was built on an

assembly line An assembly line is a manufacturing process (often called a ''progressive assembly'') in which parts (usually interchangeable parts) are added as the semi-finished assembly moves from workstation to workstation where the parts are added in se ...

using

interchangeable parts Interchangeable parts are parts (components) that are identical for practical purposes. They are made to specifications that ensure that they are so nearly identical that they will fit into any assembly of the same type. One such part can freely r ...

. It was introduced by 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 ...

company in 1901 and produced through 1903; 425 were produced the first year, 2,500 in 1902, and over 19,000 were built in all. When

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

assumed operations from

Ransom E. Olds Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864 – August 26, 1950) was a pioneer of the American automotive industry, after whom the Oldsmobile and REO brands were named. He claimed to have built his first steam car as early as 1887 and his first gasoline-power ...

on November 12, 1908, GM introduced the

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 bus ...

, which was the 1908

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 ...

with a stretched wheelbase and minor exterior changes. It was a runabout model, could seat two passengers, and sold for US$650 ($ in dollars). While competitive, due to high volume, and priced below the US$850 two-seat Ford Model C "Doctor's Car", it was more expensive than the

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1905 Gale Model A roadster at US$500. The

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

sold for $375, and the

Success Success is the state or condition of meeting a defined range of expectations. It may be viewed as the opposite of failure. The criteria for success depend on context, and may be relative to a particular observer or belief system. One person migh ...

for US$250. It was built as a city car for short distance driving, while the larger Model S could carry four passengers and could travel longer distances. The flat-mounted,

water-cooled Cooling tower and water discharge of a nuclear power plant Water cooling is a method of heat removal from components and industrial equipment. Evaporative cooling using water is often more efficient than air cooling. Water is inexpensive and n ...

, single-cylinder engine, situated at the center of the car, produced , relying on a brass

gravity feed Gravity feed is the use of earth's gravity to move something (usually a liquid) from one place to another. It is a simple means of moving a liquid without the use of a pump. A common application is the supply of fuel to an internal combustio ...

carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...

. The transmission was a semiautomatic design with two forward speeds and one reverse. The low-speed forward and reverse gear system is a planetary type (epicyclic). The car weighed and used Concord springs. It had a top speed of . The car's success was partially by accident; in 1901, a fire destroyed a number of other prototypes before they could be approved for production, leaving the Curved Dash as the only one intact. As workers were attempting to move the prototypes out of the burning building, they were only successful at rescuing one prototype, the Model R Curved Dash. In 1904, the Model R was replaced by the Model 6C, which had a larger 1,931 cc engine, drum brakes replaced the band brake. After 2,234 copies, the 6C model was discontinued in December 1904. In 1905, the Model B was introduced with more improvements. The engine received improved cooling and a new flywheel, and the handbrake now worked on the differential instead of the gearbox. The leaf spring suspension was modified so that the reinforced axles were connected to all spring elements. In 1906, the car received celluloid side window curtains. The

dashboard For business applications, see Dashboard (business). A dashboard (also called dash, instrument panel (IP), or fascia) is a control panel set within the central console of a vehicle or small aircraft. Usually located directly ahead of the drive ...

was also offered with an upright position, called the Straight Dash, and approximately 6,500 Model B were manufactured, and the Model F was introduced in 1907, again with mechanical improvements. The Model B also saw a limited production Touring Sedan with a novel entry approach called the Side Entrance Touring Sedan where passengers would enter from the middle of the car. The engine was a two cylinder horizontally opposed engine installed underneath the passenger compartment that powered the rear wheels, and the transmission was a two-speed planetary gearbox. Sales weren't successful and it was cancelled by 1906.

Oldsmobile Pirate Beach Racer

In 1902, Mr. Olds modified a Model R and essentially stripped it down to an engine, a single seat, a radiator and connected the solid front and rear axles on semi-elliptic leaf springs, which then supported the engine, transmission and passenger. He then raced it at Florida's

Ormond Beach Ormond Beach is a city in central Florida in Volusia County. The population was 43,080 at the 2020 census. Ormond Beach lies directly north of Daytona Beach and is a principal city of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL Metropolitan ...

in 1902 and 1903, where his driver Horace Thomas drove the Pirate to a record speed of 54.38 mph.

Gallery

File:Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout 1903 2.jpg, 1903 Model R Runabout File:Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout 1904 2.jpg, 1904 Model 6C Runabout File:Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout 1904.jpg, 1904 Model 6C Runabout with top up File:Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout 1905.jpg, 1905 Model B Runabout File:Oldsmobile1903.jpg, 1903 advertisement File:Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout 1903.jpg, 1903 Model R Runabout

Notes

References

* * ''

Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly ''Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly'' (1876–1904) was an American popular literary magazine established by Frank Leslie as "the cheapest magazine published in the world." The publisher was Frank Leslie Pub. House which was based in New York City. ...

'' (January, 1904) * * * * *

External links

The Curved Dash Oldsmobile
at The Henry Ford Museum
1905 Oldsmobile Image (Suffolk County(NY) Historical Society Museum)
* – large 1951 article on a 1904 Olds making a coast to coast trip with detailed photo of subject {{General Motors brands Curved Dash First car made by manufacturer Cars introduced in 1901 1900s cars Veteran vehicles Rear_mid-engine,_rear-wheel-drive_vehicles