1947 Oldsmobile Model 66 Club Sedan

Engine: Inline, six-cylinder, liquid-cooled
Displacement: 3.9 L (238 ci)
Bore and Stroke: 89 x 105 mm (3.5 x 4.1 in)
Power: 74.6 kW (100 hp)
Transmission: 4-forward, 1-reverse, automatic
Weight: 1510.5 kg (3,330 lb)
Capacity: 5 passengers
Original Cost: C $1687 (estimate)

Oldsmobile introduced the first successful fully automatic transmission, called the Hydra-Matic in 1940. America's entry into the Second World War, put a temporary stop to consumer production while Hydra-Matic transmissions were produced for tanks and other military vehicles. New car buyers would not get the opportunity to own a car with an automatic transmission until April 1946.

Ransom Eli Olds had two distinctive cars brands named after him, Oldsmobile and REO (his initials).

Chronology:

1895-1896 - Ransom Eli Olds patented his internal combustion engines.
1896 - Olds completed his first car.
1897 - Olds founded the Olds Motor Vehicle Company.
1899 - Olds Motor Works incorporated and began working on a new car.
1901 - Oldsmobile Curved-Dash Runabout released and 425 produced.
1902 - Model R Curved Dash Olds became the first mass-produced car made from the first assembly line - a stationary assembly line (Ford had the first moving assembly line, not the first assembly line).
1903-1905 - Largest car maker in the world.
1904 - Ransom Olds left the company after disagreements with the largest shareholders and started up the REO car company.
1907 - Last Curved Dash produced.
1908 - Company is bought by Wiliam Durant and General Motors and Olds starts sharing a platform with Buick.
1910 - Oldsmobile released the the The Limited, the largest Oldsmobile up to that point, with a six-cylinder engine and is their prestige model.
1910 - Bodywork supplied by Fisher Body.
1913 - Charles W. Nash, president of General Motors, was named General Manager of Oldsmobile, and he started a line of smaller cars for 1914, including the Baby Olds.
1926 - Oldsmobile Six introduced in five body styles.
1929 - Introduced higher-end Viking brand but production ended in 1930 with last vehicles sold in 1931.
1937 - Olds introduced a four-speed semi-automatic transmission which was actually built by Buick but they didn't put them in their cars until 1938.
1940 - First auto manufacturer to offer a fully automatic transmission called the Hydramatic.
1942 - Name officially changed from Olds Motor Works to Oldsmobile Division of General Motors.
1949 - Introduced the Rocket Engine which had an overhead valve V8.
1950s - Rocket engine was a performance leader and their designs also followed the space motif.
1950 - Olds introduced one of the first GM tru hardtop models - the Holiday Coupe - which was also one of the first models to use the wraparound windshield.
Late 1950s - Oldsmobile started losing market share and were no longer keeping up with technological and design innovations and were considered outdated.
1958 - Oldsmobile was redesigned to great criticism of beeing overdecorated and ostentatious.
1959 - Oldsmobile went through another redesign and went for a more streamlined look.
1961 - Olds introduces their Cutlass series which became oneof their best selling cars and were produced until 1999.
1962 - Introduced the first turbocharged engine and factory water injection system.
1964 - Introduced the Vista Cruiser station wagon with glass panels on the roof.
1970s - Oldsmobile has some of its best sales years.
1976 - Cutlass series becomes the top-selling car in North America.
1977 - Demand for Olds V8 engines exceeded production capabilities so Olds equipped their Delta 88 with a Chev 350 engine which upset many buyers who eren't told of the switch and this caused a loss of sales.
1978 - Olds introduced a diesel engine for some models.
1980s - Oldsmobile sales were still fairly strong.
Early 1990s - Oldsmobile was losing market share and saw a huge drop in sales.
1995 - Introduced the Aurora, which put Oldsmobile back into the higher-end market. Olds also introduces the first sattelite navigation system in the US.
2000 - Although Aurora had helped rejuvenate sales in the later 1990s it wasn't enough. In 2000, GM announces plan to shut down Oldsmobile over next 4 years.
2001 - Introduced one last new model, the Bravada SUV.
2002 - Production of Intrigue and Aurora V6 ended.
2003 - Last production of Aurora V8.
2004 - Final production of Alero, Silhouette and Bravada.
2004 - Oldsmobile brand retired.