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For those interested in this sort of trivia....
The Olds Motor Works was founded in 1899 by Ransom Olds with
the financial backing of Samuel Smith. Smith, who made his
money in Copper and lumber, was given 95% of the stock for his
$199,600 contribution to the $200,000 paid-up capital. The
production run for the curved dash buggy, aka "Merry
Oldsmobile", was 1901-600, 1902-2500, 1903-4000, 1904-5000.
It proved to be too small, light, and underpowered for the
emerging American family market, but it's claim to fame was
that it was the first car to be produced in large quantities
over several years.
As a significantly minor stock holder, Olds left the company
over a disagreement with Smith's belief that the buggy needed
to be dropped in favor of a heavier tourer. A group of Lansing
businessmen soon put Olds back into the industry with the Reo
Motor Car Company.
With Oldmobile now going away, it's interesting to note that
the founders of other dead marques Maxwell-Briscoe (Jonathan
Maxwell), Humpmobil (Robert Hupp), and Hudson (Roy Chapin and
Howard Coffin) also spent a portion of their early years in the
business with Olds at the Olds Motor Works.
Regards, Bob Douglas
Source: "The American Automobile" by technology and science
historian John B. Rae
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---- On Wed, 19 Sep 2001, Bill Blue (dablue@worldnet.att.net)
wrote:
> I should hope that I am right! I caught a little piece about
Durant on
> The
> History Channel this past wekend. Cheating ALWAYS helps.
> Bill
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