1941 Oldsmobile Series 60 Special

1941 was the last full year of automobile production for American manufacturers, as the U.S. involvement in World War II shortened 1942 production to just a few months.

The Oldsmobile lineup made a significant change for 1941, and now both the Series 60 and the Series 90 could be purchased in either six- or eight-cylinder power. The Seris 60 rested on a 119-inch wheelbase with a length of 204-inches while the Series 90 measured 125-inches at its wheelbase and an overall length of 213-inches. The six-cylinder engine in the Series 60 proved far more popular than the eight-cylinder, and the reverse was true for the Series 90.

When equipped with the six-cylinder engine, the vehicles were known as the Series 66, with the first digit representing its model and the second its number of cylinders. Thus, the eight-cylinder Series 60 was called the Series 68. This naming scheme was also used on the Series 90.

The L-head, six-cylinder engine had a 238 cubic-inch displacement, four main bearings, mushroom valve lifters, a single downdraft carburetor with automatic choke, and 100 horsepower at 3,200 RPM. The 257 cubic-inch eight-cylinder had dual downdraft carburetors with automatic choke, five main bearings, mushroom valve lifters, and 110 horsepower at 3,400 RPM. The transmission was a sliding gear, synchromesh manual three-speed unit, and hydraulic, cast-iron drum brakes were located at all four corners.

The Model 66 and Model 68 had the same list of body styles with the Model 68 being approximately $50 more expensive than their six-cylinder counterpart. The six-cylinder convertible was priced at $1,050, the business coupe at $850, the sedan at $945, the two-door sedan at $900, and the club coupe at $890. The four-door station wagon had a factory base price of $1,175. The most popular body style was the sedan with 37,820 examples built, followed by 32,475 of the two-door sedan, 23,796 of the club coupe, 6,433 of the business coupe, and 2,833 of the convertible.

Production of the Model 68 included 6,009 of the sedan, 3,878 of the two-door sedan, 2,684 of the club coupe, 755 of the convertible, and 188 of the business coupe.

The total Series 60 production for 1941 was 116,892 accounting for approximately 43-percent of Oldsmobile's total production. Of those, 103,357 were the Model 66 and 13,535 were the Model 68.

by Dan Vaughan

Station Wagon
Chassis number: 6654477

The Oldsmobile Station Wagon, with a Series designation of 66, denotes that it is a six-cylinder version of the Oldsmobile Special. The 238 cubic-inch engine offers 100 horsepower and is mated to the company's first fully automatic transmission, the Hydra-Matic. It wears a body by Hercules, Oldsmobile's favorite upmarket coachbuilder in the early 1940s. The body is comprised of dark mahogany, framed in contrasting blond ash.

In 1941, a little more than 600 examples of the station wagon were built. This particular example is finished in period-correct cream with maroon interior and Everflex roof.

1941 was the final calendar year of production prior to the United States involvement in World War II. Oldsmobile ranked sixth in production with their three series model lineup. Their Series 60 was the company's entry-level offering, available in several body styles including two-and four-door sedans, station wagon, convertible coupe, a Business Coupe and a Club Coupe. Buyers seeking more could order the Series 60 with a Deluxe equipment package.

by Dan Vaughan

Station Wagon

With the onset of World War II, production of Buick 'Woody' wagons was quite rare. Since station wagons were generally utility vehicles, they were often well used, or even abused, making any survivors exceptionally rare.

Styling changes for 1941 were minimal, but extensive changes took place under the hood. The 'turbulator' pistons were redesigned and new 'Compound Carburetion' was introduced. Compound Carburetion is considered the forerunner of the modern four-barrel carburetor, consisting of twin two-barrel carburetors. This new engine produces 165 horsepower and it was among the most powerful engines available for an America car at the time.

This 1941 Series 66 wagon has been completely restored to as delivered condition. Of special note is that all the original wood trim has been retained, making it one of the few that currently survive.