Olds times are not forgotten; last car is made
LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- It's the end of the line for the oldest automotive brand name in the United States.
The last Oldsmobile rolled off the line Thursday morning at the Lansing Car Assembly plant, which has produced the venerable vehicles for nearly a century.
The car, an Alero that will have signatures of plant employees inside the hood, will be displayed at the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing when it's not being used as part of General Motors Corp.'s touring fleet, said GM spokeswoman Kim Carpenter.
"It really has been fun. We've had great products," said Doug Stott, a production manager for Oldsmobile who has owned more than 30 Oldsmobiles himself.
Olds features
Oldsmobile pioneered chrome-plated trim and gave drivers the Eighty Eight series, the front-wheel-drive Toronado and the Cutlass, while inspiring songs like "In My Merry Oldsmobile" and "Rocket 88." It was named for Ransom E. Olds, who started the Olds Motor Vehicle Co. in Lansing in 1897.
The company became part of GM in 1908, and soon assumed its place as the middle-class, middle-age cars in the conglomerate's lineup.
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