Oldsmobile Series 70
| Oldsmobile Series 70 | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Oldsmobile (General Motors) |
| Production | 1938–1950 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Full-size |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Platform | B-body |
| First generation | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Model years | 1939–1940 |
| Assembly |
South Gate, California Lansing, Michigan Linden, New Jersey |
| Designer | Harley Earl |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2-door Business coupe 2-door Club coupe 4-door sedan 2-door convertible |
| Related |
Cadillac Series 61 LaSalle Series 50 Buick Century Buick Special |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 215 cu in (3.5 L) Oldsmobile I6 230 cu in (3.8 L) Oldsmobile I6 |
| Transmission | 3-speed synchromesh manual 4-speed Hydra-Matic automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 120.0 in (3,048 mm) |
| Length | 1939: 197.0 in (5,004 mm) 1940: 199.8 in (5,075 mm) |
| Height | 1939: 65.8 in (1,671 mm) 1940: 65.0 in (1,651 mm) |
| Curb weight | 3,200–3,500 lb (1,500–1,600 kg) |
| Second generation | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Model years | 1941–1948 |
| Assembly |
South Gate, California Atlanta, Georgia Kansas City, Kansas Framingham, Massachusetts Lansing, Michigan Linden, New Jersey |
| Designer | Harley Earl |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2-door Business coupe 2-door Club coupe 4-door sedan |
| Related |
Cadillac Series 61 Buick Century Buick Special Pontiac Streamliner Torpedo Pontiac Streamliner |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 238 cu in (3.9 L) Oldsmobile I6 257 cu in (4.2 L) Oldsmobile I8 |
| Transmission | 3-speed synchromesh manual 4-speed Hydra-Matic automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 125.0 in (3,175 mm) |
| Length | 1941: 211.0 in (5,359 mm) 1942: 212.0 in (5,385 mm) 1946: 214.0 in (5,436 mm) 1947–48: 213.0 in (5,410 mm) |
| Curb weight | 3,500–3,700 lb (1,600–1,700 kg) |
| Third generation | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Model years | 1949–1950 |
| Assembly |
South Gate, California, United States Wilmington, Delaware, United States Atlanta, Georgia, United States Kansas City, Kansas, United States Framingham, Massachusetts, United States Lansing, Michigan, United States Linden, New Jersey, United States |
| Designer | Harley Earl |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2-door Club coupe 2-door Holiday hardtop 4-door sedan 2-door convertible 4-door station wagon |
| Related |
Buick Special Oldsmobile 88 Pontiac Streamliner |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 257 cu in (4.2 L) Oldsmobile I6 |
| Transmission | 3-speed synchromesh manual 4-speed Hydramatic automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 119.5 in (3,035 mm) |
| Length | 202.0 in (5,131 mm) |
| Curb weight | 3,500–3,800 lb (1,600–1,700 kg) |
The Oldsmobile Series 70 is a full-size midrange automobile produced by Oldsmobile between the 1939 and 1950 model years.
Naming standards were in flux at Oldsmobile during the late 1930s and 1940s. From 1932 through 1938 Oldsmobile had two series: "F" and "L". Series F came with a straight-6 engine and Series L came with a larger body and a straight-8 engine. Series F was renamed Series 60 in 1939 and Series L was replaced with the Series 70 and 80, with the Series 70 and 80 being powered by the straight-6 and the straight-8 respectively. The Series 60 used the GM A-body and the Series 70 and 80 used the B-body. In 1940 the even larger C-body was introduced to Oldsmobile and it alone was powered by the straight-8. In order to differentiate it from the previous year's Series 80 it was named Series 90 (there was no Series 80 that year). The series were also given names for the first time that year with the Series 60, 70, and 90 being called the Special, Dynamic, and Custom Cruiser respectively.
In 1941 both engines were offered on each series so to differentiate between the two the second digit was used to denote the number of cylinders, so the Dynamic 70 was replaced with the Dynamic 76 and 78. In 1942 sales literature started referring to the Series 70 as the Dynamic Cruiser 76 and 78. In 1948, when the Series 60 was renamed the Dynamic the "Cruiser" tag was dropped from the Series 70 and it was once again named the Dynamic 76 and 78.
The all new post-war Futuramic styling that had been introduced to the C-body Oldsmobile 98 in 1948 was brought to Oldsmobile's B-bodies in 1949. The wheelbase was now 119.5 inches (3,040 mm). The 78 model was retired with the 1949 introduction of the Oldsmobile 88, which shared its new Futuramic B-body platform with the 76 but was equipped with the new overhead valve Rocket V8. Due to the new styling the 76 was renamed the Futuramic 76.
The Futuramic tag was abandoned after only one year and so in 1950 the car was simply known as the 76. The Series 70 was retired after the 1950 model year.
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