This Was Your Grandfather's Oldsmobile

In 1910 Oldsmobile was sitting pretty much at the top of the luxury car world. The Limited Touring rode on 42 inch wheels and, costing $4600, was more expensive than many new houses of the day. This was a big act to follow but Olds was already working on a 1911 model that they felt would top it.

The 1911 Autocrat was going to a truly sophisticated machine aimed at the high end car buyer who wanted luxury and prestige. When it was released it was just such a model. But Olds had an idea that they wanted to try. Not only did they want to be seen as a high end car maker, they wanted to be seen as one that made a comfortable car that could get you where you wanted to go fast.

A plan was devised to take the basic 124 inch chassis of a new, yet unreleased Autocrat, and turn it into a race car. They built two for the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race held in March of that year on Long Island. Today, one still exists.

The cars were equipped with a four cylinder T Head engine with a five inch bore and six inch stroke. It measured a little over 471 cubic inches and churned out all of 40 horse power which, back in the day, was very impressive.

Both cars did well in the race, one averaging over 80 miles per hour, though neither won. This model here finished 11th overall. But the fact that Olds took up this challenge let buyers know that this was a company focused not only on luxury but also on performance.

As people heard about the results from the race, they started asking what it would take to get their own version of this "racing" machine. Soon Olds was accepting special orders to manufacture the racing version of the 1911 Autocrat. So perhaps this was your grandfather's Oldsmobile.