1940 Oldsmobile Series 70

Until its demise in 2004, the Oldsmobile Company - founded in Lansing, Michigan in 1897 by Ranson Eli Olds - was America's oldest manufacturer of automobiles. A tragic fire in March of 1901 at the Olds Motor Works plant destroyed most of the company's products. The sole surviving prototype automobile was a single-cylinder 'curved dash' runabout on which, of necessity, the firm's immediate attention would be focussed. It was a durable, reliable, and rugged vehicle that helped encourage public confidence in the new-fangled 'horseless carriage'. It would become America's most popular car in the early 1900s and the range would grow to include four-cylinder, six-cylinder and V8-engined models by the time America entered World War I. The company had become part of General Motors in 1908 and survived the economic turmoil of the early 1930s, establishing itself as respectable transportation by the time America entered World War II.

In 1940, the antepenultimate year of passenger car production prior to WWII, Oldsmobile introduced a fully automatic four-speed transmission – the Hydra-Matic – which the company hailed as 'the most important engineering advancement since the self-starter.' The following year, the company enjoyed its most successful year to date, with nearly 240,000 cars sold.

The Oldsmobile G-Series 70
Oldsmobile introduced the G-Series 70 for the 1939 model year and was positioned between the bottom-of-the-line F-Series 60 Six and the range-topping L-Series 90 Eight. It received a 120-inch wheelbase chassis shared with the L-Series and powered by the reliable straight-six from the F-Series. Several of its body styles were shared with the larger L-Series including the four-door sedan and four two-door models.

Oldsmobile dropped letter designations in 1940 in favor of names. The 'entry-level' F-Series became the Special, the top-of-the-line L-Series became the Custom Cruiser and the middle-range L-Series took on the Dynamic moniker. The Dynamic continued to reside on its 120-inch wheelbase which was now four inches shorter than the Custom, but the engine was unchanged and the body style offerings also continued unabated. Nearly 80,000 examples of the Oldsmobile Dynamic rolled off the assembly line in 1940, making it the company's best-seller for the second year running.

Both the Series 60 and Series 70 were powered by an L-head inline six-cylinder engine with four main bearings, a single downdraft carburetor with automatic choke, a 230 cubic-inch displacement, 6.1:1 compression, and developed 95 horsepower at 3,200 RPM. It was mated to a three-speed column shifted manual transmission with synchromesh and a single plate clutch. Hydraulic cast iron drum brakes provided the stopping power.

The two-door business coupe was priced at $865, the club coupe at $900, the two-door sedan at $915, the four-door sedan at $960, and the convertible at $1,045. The most popular body style was the four-door sedan with 42,467 examples produced, followed by 22,486 of the two-door sedan, 8,505 of the club coupe, 4,337 of the business coupe, and 1,070 of the convertible.

Oldsmobile produced 78,865 examples of the Series 70 for 1940 accounting for approximately 41 percent of the total production. This was higher than the 69,957 examples of the Series 60 and 43,658 examples of the Series 90.

The 1940 Oldsmobile F-Series Special Series 60 was priced from $800 to $1,040 and the L-Series Custom Cruiser Series 90 listed for $1,070 to $1,220. The Series 60 had a 116-inch wheelbase and an overall length of 197.75-inches, and the Series 90 had a 124-inch wheelbase and a length of 210.75-inches. The 257 cubic-inch L-head inline-8 powering the Series 90 produced 110 horsepower.

The Special, Dynamic, and Custom Cruiser model lineup would continue through 1942 when World War II brought an end to civilian production. When production resumed for the 1946 model year, the company's models included the Special Sixty Series, the Dynamic Seventy Series, and the Custom Cruiser Ninety Series. The 60 and 70 series were powered by a 238 CID inline-6, and a 257 CID inline eight-cylinder engine was optional on the Series 70 and standard on the Series 90. The Series 60 had a 119-inch wheelbase, the Series 70 a 125-inch wheelbase, and the Series 90 rested on a 125-inch wheelbase.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2022