Buffalo in the 50s: The ‘hydra-matic,’ ‘futuramic’ Rocket-88 Oldsmobile

By Steve Cichon
steve@buffalostories.com
@stevebuffalo

In the 1980s, the jingle reminded us that “This was not your father’s Oldsmobile.”

Assuming those “father’s Oldsmobiles” were being sold in the 1950s, those dads were told a new Olds would make them space-age and future-cool.

No matter how young ad executives tried to make Oldsmobiles seem, for generations, they were generally seen a sensible, comfortable car that a dad or a grandpa would love.

General Motors stopped making Oldsmobiles in 2004. One of the dealerships listed on this ad from 65 years ago this week sold the cars until the bitter end.  The Tunmore family sold Oldsmobiles for 73 years starting in 1931.