Oldsmobile Curved Dash

Oldsmobile Runabout
Oldsmobile Model 6C Curved Dash Runabout 1904
Overview
ManufacturerOldsmobile
Also calledModel 6C
Model B
Model F
Model R
Production1901–1907
> 19,000 built
AssemblyLansing Car Assembly, Michigan[1]
Body and chassis
ClassEntry-level car
Body styleRunabout
Powertrain
Engine95 cu in (1,560 cc) horizontal one-cylinder[2]
TransmissionPlanetary 2-speed
Chronology
SuccessorOldsmobile Series 40
"In My Merry Oldsmobile" sheet music featuring an Oldsmobile Curved Dash automobile

The gasoline-powered Oldsmobile Model R, also known as the Curved Dash Oldsmobile,[3] is credited as being the first mass-produced automobile,[4] meaning that it was built on an assembly line using interchangeable parts. It was introduced by the Oldsmobile company in 1901 and produced through 1903; 425 were produced the first year,[5] 2,500 in 1902, and over 19,000 were built in all.[6] When General Motors assumed operations from Ransom E. Olds on November 12, 1908,[7] GM introduced the Oldsmobile Model 20, which was the 1908 Buick Model 10 with a stretched wheelbase and minor exterior changes.[8]

  1. ^ "Location of Curved Dash factory". Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  2. ^ Rogliatti 1973, pp. 270–271.
  3. ^ The name comes from its curved dash or dashboard, like that of a sleigh. See the photo and caption on page 130 of the Popular Science article listed under External Links below.
  4. ^ "SOME MILESTONES OF THE AUTO AGE". The New York Times. January 26, 1986. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  5. ^ Posthumus 1977, p. 48.
  6. ^ Georgano 1985, p. [page needed]
  7. ^ "Oldsmobile Joins GM". Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  8. ^ "1908 Oldsmobile Model 20 introduction". Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.