Books: At the dawn of the automobile, Oldsmobile was there. Owned by General Motors, Oldsmobile was the most senior domestic marque and one of the oldest automobile brands in the world, with a run that spanned some 107 years. Ransom E. Olds was born in Ohio, but moved to Lansing, Michigan, to work in his father's machine shop. His experiences there helped whet his appetite for all things automotive, and he soon garnered enough expertise to develop a gasoline-powered vehicle. Joining forces with other partners, Olds cofounded the Olds Motor Vehicle Company in 1897. By the early 1900s, the company had introduced the nation to upscale models like the Curved Dash and had risen to become the best-selling car company in the United States. Ransom Olds eventually left the company and it was sold to General Motors in 1908, where it became known as the Oldsmobile Division. More than ever, Oldsmobile became the brand of choice for car buyers seeking vehicles steeped in luxury and sophistication. Early models like the 1915 Model 42 Touring Roadster offered sleek lines and style aplenty. The 1918 Model 37 was its first model to offer a closed top, ensuring that the brand's well-heeled buyers had protection from the elements. Oldsmobile had another hit in the 1920s with the Model 46, a V8-powered touring car that seated seven. The manufacturer did its part to make sure that the decade's elegance wasn't lost on its automobiles. It introduced fancy chrome-plated trim that served to raise the glamour quotient of its already eye-catching vehicles. The '30s was a decade of innovation for the brand. The company wooed customers with its "Knee-Action" independent front suspension, an affordably priced option that served to improve ride quality. The company also offered one of the earliest automatic transmissions, freeing drivers from the rigors of the clutch with its four-speed "Hydra-matic" system. Postwar, Oldsmobile gave consumers the Rocket 88. The car offered new levels of performance, giving the North American market its first taste of the short-stroke, overhead-valve V8. The car was adored by enthusiasts, and was chosen to serve as the pace car for the 1949 Indy 500. The 1950s saw Olds continuing to distinguish itself as a purveyor of fine performance machines. With a name inspired by the Lockheed Starfire fighter plane, its 1953 Starfire show car offered a fiberglass body, a stylishly low beltline and most importantly, a 200-horsepower engine. The car was one of the first to display a wraparound windshield, and in the years following, many other manufacturers adopted this styling cue. Oldsmobile's innovations continued into the 1960s. The manufacturer was the first since the 1930s Cord to taste success with a front-wheel-drive vehicle, in the form of its sporty Toronado. The '70s saw Olds breaking new ground in the area of safety. In 1974, it introduced a Toronado equipped with a driver-side airbag; Olds was the first domestic automaker to offer this feature. Around this time, the company's Cutlass had also become one of America's favorite cars.

Movies: JOHN BELTZ was chief engineer at Oldsmobile from 1964-69 and general manager at Oldsmobile from 1969 to 1972 succeeding Olds general manager Harold Metzel. Beltz was a prime mover of the: 1966 Toronado(which Olds began as early as 1958), the 442, and helped Jack "Doc" Watson and George Hurst develop the Hurst Olds in 1968. He died in 1972 from cancer at the age of 46. One journalist wrote if Beltz hadn't died too young, he would have been a shoo-in for GM president. He ran Oldsmobile in Lansing, Mich. He was quite a guy and a heck of an executive. I've told this story often. During one of my visits to Lansing, Beltz showed me his r&d area with all sorts of prototype engines, gearboxes and other technical stuff. I asked why it wasn't part of GM's corporate engineering, and he told me that he hid it. It was just for Oldsmobile. He said if he couldn't hide a few million dollars from the corporation, he didn't deserve to be general manager.

Music: The Oldsmobile Rocket V8 was the first post-war OHV V8 at General Motors. Production started in 1949, with a new generation introduced in 1964. All Oldsmobile V-8's were manufactured at plants in Lansing, Michigan. All Oldsmobile V8s use a 90° bank angle, and most share a common stroke dimension: 3.4375 in (87.31 mm) for early Rockets, 3.6875 in (93.66 mm) for later Generation 1 motors, and 3.385 in (86.0 mm) for Generation 2. The engine could be classified as a small-block, though some Oldsmobile V-8s have a higher deck height (10.625 in vs. 9.33 in) to accommodate a 4.25 in (108 mm) stroke crank to increase displacement up to 455 cubic inches (7.5 L). These taller-deck models are commonly called "big-blocks". The Rocket V8 was the subject of many first and lasts in the automotive industry. It was the first mass-produced OHV V8 in 1949; and was the last carbureted V8 passenger car engine in 1990.

Hobbies: Experimental 455 Engines Aluminum 2 Valve 455 The aluminum Can-Am motor is actually an aluminum version of the pushrod 455 block and heads! The motor was used in the McKee Can-Am cars of the 60s (one of which was sponsored by the Smothers Brothers, who also sponsored a series of 442 Super Stock class drag cars in the late 60s). The Smothers Brothers Can-Am car was actually offered for sale in the March 96 Hemmings, complete with the aluminum Olds motor for $125K. The twin-turbo injected 455 on display at the REO museum is, I believe, one of these Can-Am motors (note that it is NOT a DOHC motor). Aluminum DOHC 4 Valve 455 There was also a Can-Am all aluminum engine which had double overhead cams and was a very serious engine; huge port area for serious breathing. The DOHC version was intended as an all-out drag and marine race engine. It was all-aluminum and used a gear drive for the cams. For a very nice article on these engines, track down a copy of the May 1971 Hot Rod. Aluminum 2 Valve Turbo 455 The twin-turbo injected 455 on display at the REO museum is, I believe, one of the Can-Am (see Aluminum 2 Valve 455″ in this section) motors (note that it is NOT a DOHC motor). Iron, Aluminum 2 Valve 455 Hemi (W-45) The W-45 was an experimental engine that Olds developed to compete with the Chrysler Hemi. It was a overhead cam of some sort. The engine (pushrod version) was developed in the mid-60s for anticipated introduction in 1970, but was killed in late 1967 as a result of the coming emissions controls and the insurance industry putting the screws to muscle cars. There were some cars installed with this engine for testing. The cast iron version (with aluminum heads) that was meant to be the production engine (W-43) has true pushrod hemi heads. The block is different from the standard ones in that the camshaft was raised higher than normal to give the proper pushrod angle to the heads and cam (which would have also had to have been different because of a different bank angle). This explains the rounded top of the timing cover. The pushrod version had a raised cam, to improve the pushrod angle as a result of a lot of bent parts early in the development program. The block actually had a dummy camshaft in the normal position to drive the distributor and oil pump, with a separate, bolted-in cam carrier in the raised position for the real cam. The block had 4 bolt mains as well. Iron 4 valve 455 Hemi (W-43) There was also an engine coded W-43 in 1969 to 1970, though it was never offered as a production unit. It was a four valve per cylinder 455 CID engine. It was developed in 1969 and 1970 by John Beltz, Lloyd Gill, Joe Jones, and Frank Ball. It was rated at 500 to 550 hp at 6500 rpm with a single Rochester Quadrajet on an aluminum manifold. It was constructed with a cast iron block and heads as well as an aluminum block and heads, which shaved 75 pounds of the 455 CID production engine weight. The engine had narrow valve angles for super-efficient combustion chamber design, central spark plugs and could be adapted for chain or gear driven overhead camshafts. The 455-inch-configuration block has 4.625-inch cylinder centers, 4.125-inch bore and 4.250-inch stroke. Making use of 3.00-inch main bearings and 2.50-inch rod journals, the engine was fitted with a specially-prepared cast crank fitted with SAE-1140 forged steel rods, forged 10.20-to-1 pistons and riding on Morraine 400 bearings. The four-bolt-main block boasts two additional 5/8 inch oil drain holes. Topping off this unique engine is a pair of four-valve heads with 1.750-inch intake valves (SAE-8460 steel) with 22-degree stems and 1.375-inch exhausts (214-N stainless steel) with 15-degree stems. Special Stellite seats, bronze-alloy guides, o-ringed plug tubes, 14-mm spark plugs, 3/8-inch pushrods, and aluminum rocker arms complete the head treatment. Aluminum 4 valve 455 Hemi (OW-43) There was an experimental engine based on the W-43, coded OW-43. It was designed for road racing applications. It had the same basic configuration as the W-43, but the materials were different. The block was cast from Reynolds-356 alloy and fitted with pressed in dry steel cylinder liners for the forged 12.2 to 1 pistons. It used billet steel connecting rods and a machined forged steel crank. The OW-43 was developed at the same time that Chevrolet released its all aluminum ZL-1 427 engine, but the Olds engine was far more advanced and exotic than the Chevrolet engine. It had a redline just under 8500 rpm, and put out 300 HP at 3000 rpm, and 600 HP at 6000 rpm. The top output recorded for this engine at the Lansing dyno facility was 700 REAL horsepower at 6800 rpm. Tests were run with both carburetion (four Weber 48-IDA two barrels) and injection (three-inch ram stacks), with injection showing the most potential over 6000 rpm

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