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Auto pioneer Ransom E. Olds founded his Olds Motor Vehicle Company in Lansing on August 21, 1897. The "Oldsmobile" name was basically slang for what was officially known as "Olds automobiles." The company produced over 400 cars in 1901, making it the very first high-volume automobile manufacturer of the era, and for a few years it was the top selling car company in the U.S. Henry Ford is often mistakenly credited with the invention of the assembly line, but that honor goes to Olds and his 1901 Olds Curved Dash. Olds sold the company in 1899 to a copper and lumber magnate named Samuel L. Smith, and it was renamed Olds Motor Works. Olds stayed on as vice president and general manager of Olds Motor Works. Smith left Lansing and moved the company to a new plant in Detroit. Olds and Smith didn't get along, and Olds left the company in 1904. He returned to Lansing and formed the R. E. Olds Motor Car Company, which was immediately changed to Reo Motor Company, also know as REO. Olds was REO's president until 1925 and was also later REO's chairman. Olds died in Lansing in 1950, and is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery. The Oldsmobile brand eventually returned to Lansing as well, and GM purchased the company in 1908. GM's popular Oldsmobile brand continued on, building millions of Rocket-powered cars over the next century. Oldsmobiles helped usher in the Jet-Age with names such as the Dynamic and Jetstar, with styling to match. The 60's brought us big engined mid-size cars commonly called Musclecars. Olds provided competiton for the Pontiac GTO, Ford Fairlane and Plymouth Road Runner with it's popular 442 Musclecar, based on the Cutlass. In 1964, it's first production year, 442 stood for 4-barrel carb, 4-speed transmission and dual exhaust. The next year, the designation was changed to mean 400 cubic inch engine, 4-bareel and dual exhaust. Another muscular Cutlass derivative was the Hurst/Olds, a limited edition 455-powered Musclecar built in conjunction with Hurst Shifters and Lansing-based Demmer Inc. It featured a unique paint scheme, a breaking-the-rules 455 big-block, and of course a Hurst floor shifter. The very popular Cutlass model continued on until 1997. The Olds brand was killed off by GM in 2004, the apparent victim of downsizing at the world's biggest automaker.

Fisher Body

Lansing loses a landmark, the Fisher Body Plant on Verlinden Ave. Demolition photos. Online: 8/12/07

Oldsmobile - We Built Them. A photo collection of Lansing's finest cars. Online: 8/12/07

Oldsmobile Cars