General Discussion Discuss your Oldsmobile or other car-related topics.

Oldsmobiles that never were

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old July 9th, 2017, 04:32 PM
  #41  
Registered User
 
zeeke's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Nassau County, NY
Posts: 1,019
Never read the book but I will look into it.
zeeke is offline  
Old July 9th, 2017, 05:36 PM
  #42  
Registered User
 
flatoz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Melbourne Australia
Posts: 206
Olds Utes.









flatoz is offline  
Old July 9th, 2017, 06:01 PM
  #43  
Registered User
 
wr1970's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 3,574
I like both of those utes.
wr1970 is offline  
Old July 9th, 2017, 10:25 PM
  #44  
Registered User
 
anthonyP's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Poconos, Pennsylvania
Posts: 2,029
Originally Posted by wr1970
What is real sad is Oldsmobile is that grand pa that had engines that out performed chevy. I think that is why gm killed Oldsmobile brand slowly. Have you ever read the book project 2000?
Read the following article from 1997 regarding General Motor's Project 2000 and it seems to be telling dealership owners with stand alone Pontiac or Oldsmobile franchises to purchase an additional GM division line to sell. The writing was on the wall.
anthonyP is offline  
Old July 10th, 2017, 05:40 AM
  #45  
Registered User
 
wr1970's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 3,574
Um they {GM} violated there own deal with dealerships by sell cars in a what was described as superstores.These super stores were placed one or two miles away. Dealer ships had to remain X miles away from each other. Then here comes gm and screws them and sell cars cheaper than what dealers can which ran them out of business. Why would anyone want a corvette with a 6 cylinder when they could of had a F88 with a v8 that would out run any chevy car period in 54? Oh there was a plan!

Last edited by wr1970; July 10th, 2017 at 06:05 AM.
wr1970 is offline  
Old July 10th, 2017, 06:16 AM
  #46  
Registered User
 
edzolz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Red Oak, Texas
Posts: 2,960
Originally Posted by flatoz
Olds Utes.


This is the one referenced in the above post about texas442.com It is, or was, owned by a NTOC member.
edzolz is online now  
Old July 11th, 2017, 12:14 AM
  #47  
Registered User
 
flatoz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Melbourne Australia
Posts: 206
Thanks edzolz,

I'm not a 70's muscle car guy but I really thought the conversion on this one was really well done. Most 'Ute' conversions they just chop off behind the pillar and go straight down and don't do the lines of the thing justice. I guess they have used a similar era el camino roof to do the conversion. its very smick

Unfortunately our local ute manufacturing is coming to an end this year. Ford bowed out of local manufacturing last year and Holden ( GM ) is doing so this year. I'll miss the local utes.

somewhere I have a picture of a 48 Olds ute, looks great. based on the chev body but nicer than the above 52 or so model
flatoz is offline  
Old July 11th, 2017, 02:40 AM
  #48  
ph_ckstick1
 
midnightleadfoot's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 450
Originally Posted by anthonyP
Read the following article from 1997 regarding General Motor's Project 2000 and it seems to be telling dealership owners with stand alone Pontiac or Oldsmobile franchises to purchase an additional GM division line to sell. The writing was on the wall.
Back when there was only Mopar/amc/ford/gm and a few small makes you could have 6 brands .
By 1990.. that business model was on death row..
The cost of testing drivetrains killed many brands own engines by 1980.
G.m. for decades build badge engineered vehicles..
By 1990 what had olds brought to the table.. The quad 4, a decade to late.. As it was a ruff and noisey 4 banger that by the time it came out needed to be smooth and quite..
Same with Pontiac.. Did anyone care what they sold after the firebird died.. The g/p sold.. but not much else..
Someone had to win and someone had to loose. It wasn't going to be Chevy.. that be like ford killing ford but keeping merc.
If I was king, lol
I'd have kept buick as the overseas brand, and kept olds as the midway between chevy and caddy..
I'd have also never build the arora FWD v8 I'd have brought the 2 and 4 door holdens over as olds.. once the rear drive g body was killed..
G.m brass should've been shown the doors in the 80's.. as they made a habit of dragging out getting a model good then killing it..
Why they waited till 2004 to try bringing over rear drive holdens.. was a big mistake..
But there is no way g.m. could keep 6 brands.. I think GMC needs to die..
or be the truck brand leg of chevy and stop with the chevy and gmc trucks twins.. let caddy have the upscale truck..
They are running down the same badge engineered road they did with cars..
I was sad to see olds go, then Pontiac.. but I was not shocked ..
I can honestly say, olds had nothing to make me go to their dealership after the read drive cutlass was history..
Between 88 and it's death what would you buy or did buy? only thing out of g.m. that was of some interest to me,was the 3800s/c bontie and then the g8 , .. olds was not even on my radar for a new vehicle..
a used mid 80's cutlass sure.. but new..
midnightleadfoot is offline  
Old March 10th, 2019, 03:51 AM
  #49  
Registered User
 
B964's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Binghamton NY area
Posts: 274


Toronado and Cutlass concept drawing from 1972. Tornado has some 80's F body cues, Can see 80's C body and maybe some G in the Cutlass sketch.
B964 is offline  
Old March 10th, 2019, 08:26 AM
  #50  
Out of Line, Everytime😉
 
olds 307 and 403's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Melville, Saskatchewan
Posts: 8,910
Chevorlet was like a shitty, spoiled sibling to Oldsmobile. The F-88 is probably the biggest what if, it would have embarrassed the Corvette in every way. Imagine a F-88 with a Hemi 455, the ZL1 wouldn't look so impressive.
olds 307 and 403 is online now  
Old April 29th, 2019, 05:35 AM
  #51  
Registered User
 
Funkwagon455's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Aledo, Texas
Posts: 2,386
I saw this at the Pate Swap Meet this weekend on the car corral. When I first saw it, I assumed that it was a funeral flower car because the coach work was very good. After speaking with the owners found out that it was built by their father who was a body man by profession. Once he had accomplished the hard portion of the fabrication, he let the project stall. The tailgate and doors open an shut perfectly. The plate in the bed is the only thing that needs to be swapped for a traditional bed metal. Maybe he had intended to do a wood lined bed. Original ‘59 driveline with column shifted manual. If it were finished, I believe it would be spectacular. They are asking $17,5... I have a phone number if any interest. Located in west Texas


Funkwagon455 is offline  
Old April 29th, 2019, 05:56 AM
  #52  
Registered User
 
Indy_68_S's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Central IN
Posts: 1,226
Originally Posted by Funkwagon455
I saw this at the Pate Swap Meet.....
Fascinating.
Looks like he might've been inspired by the '59 El Catalina prototype.

Indy_68_S is offline  
Old April 29th, 2019, 09:18 AM
  #53  
Registered User
 
D. Yaros's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: SE Wisconsin
Posts: 1,915
I have seen a few of the Pontalinas over time. Each and every one claims to be a 1 of 1?
D. Yaros is offline  
Old April 29th, 2019, 09:38 AM
  #54  
Registered User
 
Indy_68_S's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Central IN
Posts: 1,226
Originally Posted by D. Yaros
I have seen a few of the Pontalinas over time. Each and every one claims to be a 1 of 1?
This is the one I saw last year at Mecum Indy.
Seemed to have at least 'some' doc to support it.

https://www.mecum.com/lots/SC0518-32...ina-prototype/
Indy_68_S is offline  
Old May 2nd, 2019, 05:29 AM
  #55  
Registered User
 
zeeke's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Nassau County, NY
Posts: 1,019
Originally Posted by olds 307 and 403
Chevorlet was like a shitty, spoiled sibling to Oldsmobile. The F-88 is probably the biggest what if, it would have embarrassed the Corvette in every way. Imagine a F-88 with a Hemi 455, the ZL1 wouldn't look so impressive.
Well put. I've been saying something similar to that for years, but that pretty much sums it up. Olds built everything and everyone else copied it and tried to claim it as there own, they never got the deserved credit then and now.

Originally Posted by Funkwagon455
I saw this at the Pate Swap Meet this weekend on the car corral. When I first saw it, I assumed that it was a funeral flower car because the coach work was very good. After speaking with the owners found out that it was built by their father who was a body man by profession. Once he had accomplished the hard portion of the fabrication, he let the project stall. The tailgate and doors open an shut perfectly. The plate in the bed is the only thing that needs to be swapped for a traditional bed metal. Maybe he had intended to do a wood lined bed. Original ‘59 driveline with column shifted manual. If it were finished, I believe it would be spectacular. They are asking $17,5... I have a phone number if any interest. Located in west Texas

I like it, just don't have the 17K.

Originally Posted by flatoz
Thanks edzolz,

I'm not a 70's muscle car guy but I really thought the conversion on this one was really well done. Most 'Ute' conversions they just chop off behind the pillar and go straight down and don't do the lines of the thing justice. I guess they have used a similar era el camino roof to do the conversion. its very smick

Unfortunately our local ute manufacturing is coming to an end this year. Ford bowed out of local manufacturing last year and Holden ( GM ) is doing so this year. I'll miss the local utes.

somewhere I have a picture of a 48 Olds ute, looks great. based on the chev body but nicer than the above 52 or so model
Someone needs to explain the "ute" thing.
zeeke is offline  
Old May 2nd, 2019, 05:53 AM
  #56  
Registered User
 
Funkwagon455's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Aledo, Texas
Posts: 2,386
Someone needs to explain the "ute" thing.[/QUOTE]

Aussie slang for “utility”
Funkwagon455 is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
CutlassCiera84
The Newbie Forum
0
July 1st, 2014 09:16 PM
Prophe'c
General Discussion
8
November 13th, 2011 07:21 AM
Frank442
The Newbie Forum
9
August 25th, 2010 08:23 AM
publicenemy#1
Cutlass
11
May 15th, 2010 05:09 AM
Mattyboy
The Newbie Forum
12
November 30th, 2009 07:12 AM



Quick Reply: Oldsmobiles that never were



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:45 AM.