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1936 Oldsmobile Series L

Oldsmobile vehicles were powered by various four-, six-, and eight-cylinder engines through 1923, switching to six-cylinder power for 1924 and continuing to 1931. Oldsmobile used a single model lineup from 1924 through 1931, gaining an eight-cylinder model for 1932. The Series F was a six-cylinder model and the Series L used eight-cylinder power. The 213 cubic-inch inline-6 of 1932 had four main bearings, mushroom-type valve lifters, a downdraft carburetor, and delivered 74 horsepower at 3,200 RPM. The 240 CID inline-8 used a duplex downdraft carburetor and produced 87 horsepower at 3,350 RPM. Both engines used a three-speed synchromesh transmission with a single, dry disc clutch and floor shift controls.

Oldsmobile restyled the Series F and the Series L for 1933, giving them modern design cues with flowing fenders, rounded body lines, and a slightly raked, vee-shaped radiator. The 1934 Oldsmobile received an independent front suspension setup, and another restyling was applied for 1935. Both engines received a redesigned cylinder head, bringing horsepower to 90 bhp on the six and 100 bhp on the eight.

The 1936 Series F rested on a 115-inch wheelbase and the Series L had a 121-inch platform. Pricing on the Series F ranged from $730 to $820 and the Series L listed for $810 to $935. Both the Series F and Series L had similar styling, and both were mildly updated for 1936. The headlights were positioned higher on the front end sheet metal and door handles were moved from the front of the doors to the rear.

Body styles on both models were the same and included a convertible, business coupe, sport coupe, a two- and four-door sedan, and a two- and four-door touring sedan. The business coupe was priced at $810, the sport coupe at $845, the two-door sedan at $850, the two-door touring sedan at $870, and the four-door sedan was $910. Both the convertible and four-door touring sedan were $935. Although among the most expensive in the lineup, the Touring Sedan was the most popular with 29,373 units built. Nex was the 6,626 examples of the two-door touring sedan, then 2,181 of the business coupe. 914 were convertibles, 959 were sport coupes, 406 were four-door sedans, and 237 were two-door sedans.

The 1934 calendar year sales for Oldsmobile was 183,152 units increasing slightly to 187,638 for 1936.

by Dan Vaughan

Sedan

In the 1930's Oldsmobile represented a good, solid value for the price and sales steadily increased during the late 1930's. Independent front suspension had arrived in 1934 and improved styling helped bolster Oldsmobile sales figures.

The L series featured an L-head 240 cubic-inch, inline eight-cylinder motor that developed 100 horsepower. The L-Series was built on a 121-inch wheelbase chassis. Seven different body styles were available in the L Series, including the four-door sedan which sold new for $910. The most popular body style was the 4-door Touring Sedan which saw 29,373 examples produced in 1936.

The styling was similar to the Series F six-cylinder cars, though the L-series was larger, having a wheelbase that was 6 inches larger. The most distinguishable feature between these two models was in the front. They had different grille designs.