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1902 Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout
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Description
On the 1880s, Ransom Eli Olds tinkered with building a motor car while working in his family's foundry and machine shop in Lansing, MI. By 1897, he left his family’s business to build automobiles full-time and he would go on to create America’s first factory solely devoted to manufacturing autos. He would also lay claim to being the first US automobile manufacturer to mass produce cars and the first to…
On the 1880s, Ransom Eli Olds tinkered with building a motor car while working in his family’s foundry and machine shop in Lansing, MI. By 1897, he left his family’s business to build automobiles full-time and he would go on to create America’s first factory solely devoted to manufacturing autos. He would also lay claim to being the first US automobile manufacturer to mass produce cars and the first to do so on an assembly line. Before this success, Olds experimented with steam, electric, and gas prototypes. He allegedly focused on the gas power in 1901 following a fire that destroyed the Olds Motor Works factory and all of its automobiles save a lone Model R, which was the gas car. The company rebuilt from the ashes and produced 425 units in short order, going on to make more than 12,000 Model Rs, also known as the Curved Dash Olds, in four short years.
In 1901, one of the first models was driven from Detroit to New York, establishing the mechanical excellence of the car. In 1903, the “Curved Dash” lay claim to being the first light car to make a 4800-mile transcontinental run from San Francisco, California to Portland Maine, taking 73 days (48 of which were actually suitable for driving), averaging 100 miles per day; consuming 239.5 gallons of gasoline, and averaging 20 miles per gallon. The 2-passenger Curved Dash Runabout cost $650 new.
Body Style:
Runabout
Year:
1902
Make / Manufacturer:
Olds Motor Works
Model:
Model R
Location Created:
Detroit, MI
Donated By:
Thomas J. Watson Jr.
Engine Type:
Gasoline