Oldsmobile Aurora
| Oldsmobile Aurora | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Model years | 1995–2003 |
| Assembly | Orion Assembly, Orion Township, MI |
| Designer | Maurice "Bud" Chandler (1989) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Mid-size luxury sports sedan |
| Body style | 4-door sedan |
| Layout | Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive |
| Platform | G-body |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Oldsmobile 98 |
| First generation | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Production | January 1994 – June 1999 |
| Model years | 1995–1999 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Related |
Buick Riviera Buick Park Avenue Cadillac Seville Cadillac DeVille |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 4.0 L L47 V8 |
| Transmission | 4-speed 4T80-E automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 113.8 in (2,891 mm) |
| Length | 205.4 in (5,217 mm) |
| Width | 74.4 in (1,890 mm) |
| Height | 55.4 in (1,407 mm) |
| Curb weight | 3,967 lb (1,799 kg) |
| Second generation | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Production | November 1999 – March 2003 |
| Model years | 2001–2003 |
| Designer | Dennis Burke (1996) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Related |
Buick LeSabre Buick Park Avenue Pontiac Bonneville Cadillac Seville Cadillac DeVille |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 3.5 L LX5 V6 4.0 L L47 |
| Transmission | 4-speed 4T65-E automatic 4-speed 4T80-E automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 112.2 in (2,850 mm) |
| Length | 199.3 in (5,062 mm) |
| Width | 72.9 in (1,852 mm) |
| Height | 56.7 in (1,440 mm) |
| Curb weight | 3,627 lb (1,645 kg) |
The Oldsmobile Aurora is a mid-size luxury sports sedan made by Oldsmobile from 1994 to 2003. The Aurora rides on the same Cadillac-derived G platform as the two-door Buick Riviera. Despite front-wheel drive, it was noted for its competent handling.
The Aurora became the high-end sport sedan Oldsmobile, powered by a four-cam, 32-valve 4.0 L V8 supplanting the Oldsmobile Toronado coupe and eventually the Oldsmobile 98, in the line-up. The Aurora offered both a V8- and a V6-powered version from 2001-02. It is equipped with a four-speed automatic transmission with performance algorithm shifting. No manual transmission was ever offered on any model year's Aurora.
Since the 1980s GM had wanted a new car to rejuvenate Oldsmobile; thus the Aurora was developed, with several styling cues taken from the 1960s Oldsmobile Toronado.
Stylistically, the Oldsmobile Aurora was based on the 1989 Oldsmobile Tube Car concept car and, mechanically, it adopted a version of Cadillac's Northstar 4.6-liter V-8 engine.
By the time the Aurora was released, Oldsmobile badly needed hope for a comeback of the marque (Oldsmobile sales had plummeted from 1,066,122 in 1985, to 389,173 in 1992). As a symbol of its clean break from other cars in the lineup, the Aurora bore no Oldsmobile badging or script save for the radio-CD-cassette deck and engine cover. Instead, a new emblem consisting of a stylized A was used, foreshadowing a similar restyling of Oldsmobile's corporate "rocket" emblem for 1997.
With the Aurora, Oldsmobile tried to ride the praise of the car by launching other models that borrowed styling cues from the Aurora such as the mid-size Intrigue and compact Alero, as well as the redesigned Eighty-Eight, Silhouette, Cutlass, and Bravada. The Oldsmobile "rocket" logo was even updated to be more in-line with the Aurora's emblem.
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Wikipedia