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I took the Olds on a errand this morning and as I was getting out of the car when a kid about 20 approached and said "nice car Mr "
then asked what is it ? I started to think it's a Oldsmobile can't ya read but I stopped myself appreciative of the fact that someone asked
and enjoyed the car and not wanting to come off as a typical grumpy old fart (which I am)
as he walked away I circled the car and realized there is really only 1 Oldsmobile letter emblem on the car and it is low and deep in the front bumper. Now there are 2 globe emblems front and rear but they do not say Oldsmobile and there are 3 supper 88 emblems on the exterior (they do not state Oldsmobile)
and two inside the car on the door panels, the only other place the car says Oldsmobile is on the radio. There is nothing on the wheel covers either. The valve covers do say Oldsmobile but not much use unless the hood is open.
I guess what I'm saying is I'm glad I stopped my self from being rude because if your young or not a car person who is up on your logos or
vehicle models and Olds being defunct its understandable that you would not know what kind of car it is.
Anyway I started a little research and came across this article and thought the Olds crew may be interested.
Solly- Nice job taking the time and courtesy to educate the young lad! I believe the only place my '67 has "Oldsmobile" spelled out is below the trunk lid, across the rear end. It'd be hard to miss if you walked around the car.
Notice this is the only place on this vehicle (except for the radio) where it is is identified as a Oldsmobile and it's not exactly the most conspicuous place, it's in set pretty far and isn't really that large, the globes are quite prominent on the front and rear as is the super 88 emblem on the trunk but none of them say Oldsmobile, I think If I would have been a designer proud of his design I would have placed the manufacture name at least on the trunk lid were if you were sitting at a light or stop sign or in traffic and said damn I like the looks of that car I want one !!
you would know what dealer to go to !!
P/S the first time I saw a Hyundai Genesis sport coupe I thought Damn that's a sexy looking car, what is it, the emblems were small and did not say Hyundai I had to go home and research it on the net to find out what it was !! I did buy one with the 3.8 and I loved it it was a fast little booger ! and just a blast to drive. the only reason I traded it was I needed a veh. to tow a camper.
No where on my 69 442 drop top does it ever have "Oldsmobile' spelled out
It would depend on options and deviations from factory stock, but there is one place a 69 442 should ALWAYS be seen- open the hood. Right there on the 442 air cleaner decal. W-30 and H/O air cleaner lid decals also says "Oldsmobile" on them.
Now for options- If it came with a radio, it's spelled out across the top of the radio if AM, or on the AM/FM select bar. Also, if you had the standard steery wheel, it spells it out across the horn pad. But yes, interior and under the hood was the only place on a 442 you'd even hope to find the word "Oldsmobile" prominently displayed. Of course, an aftermarket air cleaner, a sport wheel and an aftermarket radio takes care of all that.
Edit: Forgot to add- if the car had dog dish hub caps, which probably wasn't likely, it would have Oldsmobile on the outside.
One of the issues is that the lineups were expanding. Bear in mind the idea of the divisions in GM was to have one car per brand. That went to multiple trims on the same car, then multiple cars. At that point, you had a Marque [GM], a brand [Oldsmobile] and a model. Later still, you then had a package. You could have a 1972 version of GM's Oldsmobile Division Cutlass Model with the 442 package. The 442 logos were the most prominent by design. You'd see Cutlass on the dash, and Oldsmobile would be represented by the Rocket in a few places. The Marque of Excellence was on the door mating surfaces, which kept it clean and hidden.
I think the idea was to promote the package / the car over the brand; however, it is a trend of Cutlass Supremes to spell out the brand name on the trunk and a few other places. I wish the 72 H/O had an H/O grille badge, but I understand why it's a Cutlass Supreme grill painted.
Anything that keeps the younger generation interested in old iron is a hood thing. I’d be willing to bet the kids had never seen a Oldsmobile, and if they had they would have no idea what it was other than it’s different than anything else on the road today. Can’t say I blame them, most cars today have ZERO personality, most have zero style, just boring transportation.
Great job, Solly! Thanks. As you know, your '56 has the optional (and expensive) Fiesta Starfire Spinner hubcaps. if your '56 had the stock hubcaps like mine, it says Oldsmobile on them- very hard to see unless you're getting run over:
After having people constantly ask me about my car, I decided on this:
It didn't help!
Last edited by ignachuck; May 7th, 2022 at 08:41 AM.
Reason: spelling
The 56 standard wheelcover is a great design. Concentric rings and 8-vent styling worked really well for Oldsmobile wheel treatments.
The 54 Ninety Eight did the best job on Oldsmobile identity. There was no doubt what you were following. It proclaimed "Oldsmobile Ninety Eight" loud and proud across its decklid.
May 6th, 2022, 10:40 AM
