1938 Oldsmobile Series L Convertible

Ransom E. Olds began producing automobiles in 1897. Oldsmobile was the first company to use the assembly line, but Ford Motor Company later added the conveyor belt. General Motors acquired Oldsmobile in 1908 and Mr. Olds later pursued another of his inventions, the power lawn mower. The Ideal Power Lawn Mower began production in 1914 and was eventually sold to the Indian Motorcycle Company in 1945.

1938 was a year of firsts and lasts for Oldsmobile. This was the last year General Motors would offer a rumble seat in any of their cars. It was also the first year that GM shared a common body among divisions (Cadillac, LaSalle, Buick and Oldsmobile). This was the first year for Oldsmobile to offer the safety transmission, which was an automatic transmission with a clutch. This car is one of 330 'L' series convertible coupes built in 1938; 16 are still knwon to exist. Approximately 21 were built with safety transmissions and this may be the only convertible coupe in existence with the safety transmission.

The top-of-the-line Oldsmobile for 1938 was the L-38 Convertible Coupe. Powered by an inline eight-cylinder engine, the exhibited L-38 is also equipped with the 'Automatic Safety Transmission' option. This unit provided semi-automatic shifting...the driver had to engage the clutch to get the vehicle moving, but could then shift up and down through the gears without declutching. In 1940, Oldsmobile introduced the General Motors Hydra-Matic fully automatic transmission.

The L-38 Convertible shared its basic Fisher body shell with the 1938 Buick, LaSalle and Cadillac 60 Series convertible coupes. Like them, the Oldsmobile came with a rumble seat - these were the last GM cars to offer such a configuration. The Olds exterior was distinguished by its advanced frontal design, with headlamps moved out onto the fenders. Inside, the instrument cluster was an unusual unit that suggested designs to come. Cars equipped with the Automatic Safety Transmission had a column shift in lieu of the conventional floor shift provided with the regular manual transmission.

The L-38 Oldsmobile Convertible was - and is - a rare car. Only 407 were built, including 77 for export. It is estimated that about 20 were equipped with the semi-automatic. This freshly restored example had been street-rodded before undergoing an exacting professional restoration to factory specs. It is finished in its original combination of Starlight Blue Metallic with grey top and red leather.