1940 Oldsmobile Series 60

The first generation of the Oldsmobile Series 60 was built in 1939 and 1940 atop the GM 'A' body platform which it shared with Chevrolet and Pontiac vehicles. Although it was Oldsmobile's entry-level model, it was priced above and more lavishly optioned than the Chevy or Pontiac vehicles.

The Series 60 replaced the Series F in 1939 and the GM 'B' body Series 70 replaced the Series L. All 1939 Oldsmobiles were available with the 'automatic safety transmission,' a semi-automatic unit that used a clutch to engage the planetary gearbox and then shifted automatically. A year later, a fully clutch-less automatic transmission, known as the Hydra-Matic, made its debut.

Body styles on the 1939 Oldsmobile Series 60 included a two-door sedan with a full rear seat, a four-door sedan that shared its roofline with the two-door sedan, a club coupe with two rear fold-away jump seats, and a business coupe devoid of a rear seat. The 1939 Series 60 rested on a 115-inch wheelbase while the 1940 Series 60 had a 116-inch 'C' body platform. Two body styles were added in 1940 - a two-door convertible and a four-door station wagon - and the club coupe gained a full rear seat.

The L-head six-cylinder engine in the Series 60 displaced 215 cubic inches with a bore of 3.4-inches and a stroke of 3.8-inches. It had four main bearings, a single downdraft carburetor with automatic choke, and delivered 90 horsepower at 3,400 RPM. The six-cylinder engine powering the Series 70 displaced 230 CID and produced 95 horsepower. The range-topping Series 80 had a 257 cubic-inch, eight-cylinder engine with 110 horsepower. All three models used a three-speed sliding gear transmission with a single dry plate clutch, shaft drive, and semi-floating rear axle. Hydraulic internal expanding brakes with cast iron drums at all four corners provided the stopping power.

The 1940 Series 60 had an inch longer wheelbase than the previous year, and nine inches added to its overall length. The business coupe had a base price of $805, the club coupe listed for $850, the two-door sedan at $850, and the four-door sedan at $900. The station wagon had seating for six and was priced at $1,040. The most popular body style was the two-door sedan with 29,220 units built, followed by 24,422 of the four-door sedan, and 11,583 of the club coupe. The most exclusive was the station wagon with 633 units sold, followed by 1,347 of the convertible (priced at $1020) and 2,752 of the business coupe. The combined 69,957 examples of the 1940 Series 60 accounted for over 36-percent of Oldsmobile's total.

The 1940 Oldsmobile Series 60 and 70 shared a 230 CID L-head inline-6 with 95 horsepower at 3,200 RPM. It had mushroom valve lifters, four main bearings, a single downdraft carburetor, and 6.1:1 compression.

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2022