See this Oldsmobile ’88’ NASCAR racer at the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum
Oldsmobiles may no longer be being made but their history is a long and rich one – and no where is this made more apparent than at the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing, Missouri.
At the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum, you’ll learn how Oldsmobile played an integral role in the automobile industry. For example, did you know that the Oldsmobile Curved Dash vehicle was the first mass-produced car, manufactured on the first automotive assembly line between 1901 and 1904? Though Henry Ford’s assembly line was the first to assemble cars on a moving line, Oldsmobile invented the assembly line.
Also, did you know that “Oldsmobile” was initially just a colloquialism, a nickname given to the cars? Officially, the company was “Olds Automobiles” but the shortened version of their name became so popular that eventually they could no longer ignore it!
Olds Motor Works was founded in 1897 by Ransom E. Olds, right here in Lansing, Michigan, and the Olds Transportation Museum has thousands of fascinating, historical items for you to see, including 52 vehicles ranging from 1886 through 2003:
1906 Mama & Baby REO
These two cars are identical to each other, with the exception that the Baby REO is 1/4 scale miniature of the Mama! Built as a promotional tool, the Baby REO is the first fully-functional, miniature, gas-powered car ever built. This pair of vehicles is considered priceless.
1953 NASCAR Race Car
This Oldsmobile ’88’ first raced in a NASCAR event on March 8, 1953, at Harnett Speedway in Spring Lake, North Carolina. Driver Dick Passwater drove this car to one win and nine top 10 finishes, six of which were in the top five, during its career as a race car.
The Curved Dash Oldsmobile
The car that put Oldsmobile on the map, the Curved Dash is everything that R.E. Olds felt made an exemplary automobile: simple, affordable, and cheaper and more reliable than the horse-drawn carriage. The vehicle’s success was instrumental in the success of the automobile industry as a whole.
The R. E. Olds Transportation Museum
240 Museum Drive, Lansing, MI 48933
www.reoldsmuseum.org
Lansing, MI is but a short distance away from the English Inn, Restaurant and Pub. If you’re looking for a place to stay while you’re here, you need look no further than the English Inn. We’re happy to serve you!