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 mass production, series production, series manufacture, or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. ...

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

, meaning that it was built on an

assembly line An assembly line, often called ''progressive assembly'', is a manufacturing process where the unfinished product moves in a direct line from workstation to workstation, with parts added in sequence until the final product is completed. By mechan ...

using

interchangeable parts Interchangeable parts are parts (wikt:component#Noun, 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 ...

. It was introduced by the

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile (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 produc ...

company in 1901 and produced through 1907; 425 were produced the first year, 2,500 in 1902, and over 19,000 were built in all. When

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

assumed operations from

Ransom E. Olds Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864 – August 26, 1950) was an American businessman and executive who was known as a pioneer of the American automotive industry, whom the Oldsmobile and REO brands were named after. He claimed to have built his first ...

on November 12, 1908, GM introduced the Oldsmobile Model 20, 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 e ...

with a stretched wheelbase and minor exterior changes.

Features and price

It was a runabout model, could seat two passengers, and sold for

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

650. While competitive, due to high volume, and priced below the US$850 two-seat

Ford Model C The Ford Model C is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, Unit ...

"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 that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 mi ...

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 no ...

, 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 combustion e ...

carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter) is a device used by a gasoline 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 Ventu ...

. 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.

Models

In 1904, the Model R was replaced by the Model 6C, which had a larger 1,931 cc engine; in addition, 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 A dashboard (also called dash, instrument panel or IP, or fascia) is a control panel (engineering), control panel set within the central console of a vehicle, boat, or cockpit of an aircraft or spacecraft. Usually located directly ahead of the ...

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 were not 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, and a radiator, and connected the solid front and rear axles on semi-elliptic leaf springs, which then supported the engine, transmission and passenger. He raced it at Florida's

Ormond Beach Ormond Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. 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 Metropo ...

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 Cars discontinued in 1907