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97-579: The Oldsmobile Alero is a compact car that was produced by General Motors for its Oldsmobile division. Introduced in 1998 as a 1999 model, the Alero was the replacement for both the Achieva and Cutlass . The Alero was Oldsmobile's last new model nameplate, and — on April 29, 2004 — was also the last Oldsmobile manufactured. The design of the Alero was originally previewed in 1997 with the Alero Alpha concept car ,

194-523: A V6 -powered sport coupe that featured many design elements seen in the production Alero as well as some that were never meant for production. Its appearance was a revival of " coke bottle styling ", popular during the 1960s and 1970s. The Alero was sold either as a 4-door sedan or as a 2-door coupe . It shared its chassis and many parts, including engines, with the Pontiac Grand Am . All Aleros came in base GX , mid-level GL , or high-end GLS trim;

291-633: A mockup , which is an inert representation of a machine's appearance, often made of some non-durable substance. An electronics designer often builds the first prototype from breadboard or stripboard or perfboard , typically using "DIP" packages. However, more and more often the first functional prototype is built on a "prototype PCB " almost identical to the production PCB, as PCB manufacturing prices fall and as many components are not available in DIP packages, but only available in SMT packages optimized for placing on

388-671: A sedan . The car still featured its Oldsmobile badges even though sold under the Chevrolet brand, but since most European consumers would not recognize the badging, Chevrolet badges were added to the grille and rear fascia for the 2000 model year. The Alero featured Chevrolet emblems throughout its entire run in Israel. The Alero was replaced in Europe , Israel, and Canada by the GM Daewoo -sourced Chevrolet Evanda/Epica . The Alero's production ended with

485-537: A " guinea pig " for testing new technology, with Oldsmobile offering the Toronado Trofeo , which included a visual instrument system with a calendar, datebook, climate controls and several prototypes built in conjunction with Avis with an early satellite-based navigation system. For 1995, Oldsmobile introduced the Aurora , which would be the inspiration for the design of its cars from the mid-1990s onward. The introduction of

582-410: A 60 hp (45 kW) 707  CID (11.6 L) T-head straight-six engine, Bosch Magneto starter, running boards and room for five. Options included a speedometer, clock, and a full glass windshield. A limousine version was priced at $ 5,800 ($ 189,660 in 2023 dollars ). While Oldsmobile only sold 725 Limiteds in its three years of production, the car is best remembered for winning a race against

679-425: A PCB. Builders of military machines and aviation prefer the terms "experimental" and "service test". In electronics , prototyping means building an actual circuit to a theoretical design to verify that it works, and to provide a physical platform for debugging it if it does not. The prototype is often constructed using techniques such as wire wrapping or using a breadboard , stripboard or perfboard , with

776-401: A conventional clutch pedal, which the driver presses before selecting either "low" or "high" range. In "low," the car shifts between first and second gears. In "high," the car shifts among first, third and fourth gears. For the 1940 model, Oldsmobile was the first auto manufacturer to offer a fully automatic transmission , called the " Hydramatic ", which features four forward speeds. It has

873-526: A favorite among US Military modelers), railroad equipment, motor trucks, motorcycles, and space-ships (real-world such as Apollo/Saturn Vs, or the ISS). As of 2014, basic rapid prototype machines (such as 3D printers ) cost about $ 2,000, but larger and more precise machines can cost as much as $ 500,000. In architecture , prototyping refers to either architectural model making (as form of scale modelling ) or as part of aesthetic or material experimentation , such as

970-463: A fin-top taillight (concave on the 98 models while convex on the 88 models). The 1959 models also offered several roof treatments, such as the pillared sedan with a fastback rear window and the Holiday SportSedan, which was a flat-roofed pillarless hardtop with wraparound front and rear glass. The 1959 models were marketed as "the linear look", and also featured a bar-graph speedometer which showed

1067-416: A four-speaker sound system, 15-inch black-painted steel wheels with decorative wheel covers, manual windows, power door locks, full instrumentation, air conditioning, velour door panel inserts, and cloth seating surfaces. The 3.4 L V6 engine available on all other Alero trim levels was not available on the base GX trim level. The GL was the midrange trim level of the Alero. It added the following features to

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1164-477: A gas pedal and a brake—no clutch pedal. The gear selector is on the steering column. Starting in 1941 and continuing through 1999, Oldsmobile used a two-digit model designation. As originally implemented, the first digit signifies the body size while the second represents the number of cylinders. Body sizes were 6, 7, 8, and 9, and straight six- and straight eight-cylinder engines were offered. Thus, Oldsmobiles were named " 66 " through " 98 ". Until January 1, 1942,

1261-435: A green indicator through 35 miles per hour (56 km/h), then changed to orange until 65 miles per hour (105 km/h), then was red above that until the highest speed read by the speedometer, 120 miles per hour (190 km/h). Power windows were available on the 98 models, as were two-speed electric windshield wipers with electrically powered windshield washers. The 88 still relied on vacuum-operated windshield wipers without

1358-506: A new GM bodystyle platform called the " GM B platform ", shared with Buick products. In 1929, as part of General Motors' companion make program , Oldsmobile introduced the higher standard Viking brand, marketed through the Oldsmobile dealer network. Viking was already discontinued at the end of the 1930 model year although an additional 353 cars were marketed as 1931 models. In the 1930s, Oldsmobile produced two body styles of automobile,

1455-476: A special Final 500 Edition. These last 500 Aleros featured custom logos inspired by vintage Oldsmobile logos, dark cherry metallic paint, and a plate featuring the car's number out of 500. The final Alero Final 500 Edition (#500 of 500), a GLS 4-door, also happened to be the final Oldsmobile ever built, and was signed under its hood by the employees of the General Motors Lansing plant. The final car left

1552-499: A time to the initial prototype. In many programming languages , a function prototype is the declaration of a subroutine or function (and should not be confused with software prototyping). This term is rather C / C++ -specific; other terms for this notion are signature , type and interface . In prototype-based programming (a form of object-oriented programming ), new objects are produced by cloning existing objects, which are called prototypes. The term may also refer to

1649-472: A unique 350-cubic-inch displacement V8. It was during the 1977 model year that demand exceeded production capacity for the Oldsmobile V8 and as a result, Oldsmobile began equipping most full-size Delta 88 models (those with Federal emissions specifications) with the Chevrolet 350 engine instead. Although it was widely debated whether there was a difference in quality or performance between the two engines, there

1746-400: A vertical bar. The tail of the car featured massive vertical chrome taillight housings. Two chrome stars were fitted to the trunklid. Ford styling consultant Alex Tremulis (designer of the 1948 Tucker sedan ) mocked the 1958 Oldsmobile by drawing cartoons of the car, and placing musical notes in the rear trim assembly. Another Detroit stylist employed by Ford bought a used 1958 Oldsmobile in

1843-496: A warmed-over 1942 model serving as the offering for 1946. Oldsmobile once again was a pioneer when, for the 1949 model, the Rocket engine was introduced, which used an overhead valve V8 design rather than the flathead " straight-eight " design which prevailed at the time. The overhead valve was originally exclusive to Buick as they invented the technology and offered it on all of their products. This engine produced far more power than

1940-422: A washer feature. 1959 Oldsmobiles were offered with "Autronic Eye" (a dashboard-mounted automatic headlight dimmer) as well as factory-installed air conditioning and power-operated front bench seat as available options. The 1959 body style was continued through the 1960 model year, but the fins were toned down for 1960 and the taillights were moved to the bottom of the fenders. Notable achievements for Oldsmobile in

2037-545: A water pool. Oldsmobile commissioned two prominent sculptures by noted sculptor Samuel Cashwan , who had previously served on the General Motors Styling Staff. The exterior Cashwan sculpture, titled Open Cage , previously located outside the Admin Building's primary entrance, was donated in 2006, to be placed at the entrance to the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum . The east wall of the penthouse featured

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2134-468: A way that the Planck constant h is prescribed a value of exactly 6.626 070 15 × 10  joule-second (J⋅s) Until 1960, the meter was defined by a platinum-iridium prototype bar with two marks on it (that were, by definition, spaced apart by one meter), the international prototype of the metre , and in 1983 the meter was redefined to be the distance in free space covered by light in 1/299,792,458 of

2231-490: A wraparound windshield, a trend that eventually all American makes would share at sometime between 1953 and 1964. New for 1954 on 98 coupes and convertibles (Starfire) would be front and rear "sweep cut" fender styling, which would not show up on a Chevrolet until 1956 and not until 1957 on a Pontiac. 1953 models changed to a 12 volt electrical system that made starting easier. In the 1950s the nomenclature changed again, and trim levels also received names that were then mated with

2328-518: Is a form of functional or working prototype. The justification for its creation is usually a data migration , data integration or application implementation project and the raw materials used as input are an instance of all the relevant data which exists at the start of the project. The objectives of data prototyping are to produce: To achieve this, a data architect uses a graphical interface to interactively develop and execute transformation and cleansing rules using raw data. The resultant data

2425-513: Is becoming practical to eliminate the creation of a physical prototype (except possibly at greatly reduced scales for promotional purposes), instead modeling all aspects of the final product as a computer model . An example of such a development can be seen in Boeing 787 Dreamliner , in which the first full sized physical realization is made on the series production line. Computer modeling is now being extensively used in automotive design, both for form (in

2522-431: Is possible that a prototype may fail to perform acceptably although the production design may have been sound. Conversely, prototypes may perform acceptably but the production design and outcome may prove unsuccessful. In general, it can be expected that individual prototype costs will be substantially greater than the final production costs due to inefficiencies in materials and processes. Prototypes are also used to revise

2619-414: Is then evaluated and the rules refined. Beyond the obvious visual checking of the data on-screen by the data architect, the usual evaluation and validation approaches are to use Data profiling software and then to insert the resultant data into a test version of the target application and trial its use. When developing software or digital tools that humans interact with, a prototype is an artifact that

2716-490: Is used as the standard of measurement of some physical quantity to base all measurement of that physical quantity against. Sometimes this standard object is called an artifact . In the International System of Units ( SI ), there remains no prototype standard since May 20, 2019 . Before that date, the last prototype used was the international prototype of the kilogram , a solid platinum-iridium cylinder kept at

2813-409: Is used to ask and answer a design question. Prototypes provide the means for examining design problems and evaluating solutions. HCI practitioners can employ several different types of prototypes: In the field of scale modeling (which includes model railroading , vehicle modeling, airplane modeling , military modeling, etc.), a prototype is the real-world basis or source for a scale model—such as

2910-574: The Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (International Bureau of Weights and Measures) in Sèvres France (a suburb of Paris ) that by definition was the mass of exactly one kilogram . Copies of this prototype are fashioned and issued to many nations to represent the national standard of the kilogram and are periodically compared to the Paris prototype. Now the kilogram is redefined in such

3007-685: The Chevrolet brand. For the European market, the Oldsmobile Silhouette was sold between 1994 and 1997 as the Pontiac Trans Sport by replacing the Oldsmobile badging with Pontiac badging, along with Pontiac wheels. Sales in Europe were good for an American import, but did not represent enough volume to make a distinct model economically feasible for the European market. Its successors were both

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3104-632: The Chevrolet Trans Sport (second generation Pontiac Trans Sport rebadged as a Chevrolet) (LWB), and the Opel/Vauxhall Sintra (SWB). The Oldsmobile Alero was sold in select countries in Europe (and Israel ) between 1999 and 2001 as the Chevrolet Alero, and was only available as a 4-door sedan . The car still featured its Oldsmobile badges even though sold under the Chevrolet brand, but since most European consumers would not recognize

3201-572: The Ford Motor Company in 1903. The 1902 to 1907 Oldsmobile Model R "Curved Dash" was the first mass-produced car , made on a progressive moving automotive assembly line , an invention which is often incorrectly credited to Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company. Ford was the first to manufacture cars on a continuously moving and synchronized assembly line starting in 1913, five years into Model T production. Olds' moving assembly line

3298-515: The Forty Wall House open source material prototyping centre in Australia. Architects prototype to test ideas structurally, aesthetically and technically. Whether the prototype works or not is not the primary focus: architectural prototyping is the revelatory process through which the architect gains insight. In the science and practice of metrology , a prototype is a human-made object that

3395-462: The GL trim was split into three levels: 1, 2, and 3. The Alero experienced minimal changes during its 5-year run. Most of these changes were either in choice of engines or options. In 2003, the Alero's daytime running lights were changed from high-beam to low-beam. The Alero was also sold in select countries in Europe and in Israel between 1999 and 2001 as the Chevrolet Alero, and was only available as

3492-502: The General Motors Technical Center . Approach walkways integrated snow melting units, and the design incorporated interior and exterior artwork. The building has two prominent interconnected towers in the northeast corner: a six-level north wing and a four-level south wing. The building's two-story lobby featured a sunken visitor waiting area, a place to display a current Oldsmobile, and a reception area, 'floating' within

3589-585: The Greek πρωτότυπον prototypon , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος prototypos , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος protos , "first" and τύπος typos , "impression" (originally in the sense of a mark left by a blow, then by a stamp struck by a die (note "typewriter"); by implication a scar or mark; by analogy a shape i.e. a statue, (figuratively) style, or resemblance; a model for imitation or illustrative example—note "typical"). Prototypes explore different aspects of an intended design: In general,

3686-478: The Oldsmobile Division of General Motors ) was a brand of American automobiles , produced for most of its existence by General Motors . Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produced over 35 million vehicles, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan , factory alone. During its time as a division of General Motors, Oldsmobile slotted into

3783-565: The Oldsmobile Light Eight in 1916, Oldsmobile offered a Northway -designed flathead V8 engine until 1923, while Buick remained with their division exclusive overhead valve straight-six engine until 1930. Beginning in 1910, bodywork was supplied by Fisher Body , a longstanding tradition that led to the company being eventually merged into GM in later years. In 1926, the Oldsmobile Six came in five body styles, and ushered in

3880-524: The Prototype Javascript Framework . Additionally, the term may refer to the prototype design pattern. Continuous learning approaches within organizations or businesses may also use the concept of business or process prototypes through software models. The concept of prototypicality is used to describe how much a website deviates from the expected norm, and leads to a lowering of user preference for that site's design. A data prototype

3977-535: The Series F (straight-6 cylinder) and the longer Series L (straight-8 cylinder). In 1933 The Oldsmobile Program appeared on CBS radio for two years which was a new advertising approach to sell products and services. In 1937, Oldsmobile was a pioneer in introducing a four-speed semi-automatic transmission called the "Automatic Safety Transmission", although this accessory was actually built by Buick, which would offer it in its own cars in 1938. This transmission features

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4074-421: The styling and aerodynamics of the vehicle) and in function—especially for improving vehicle crashworthiness and in weight reduction to improve mileage. The most common use of the word prototype is a functional, although experimental, version of a non-military machine (e.g., automobiles, domestic appliances, consumer electronics) whose designers would like to have built by mass production means, as opposed to

4171-595: The 1950s was 1958. The nation was beginning to feel the results of its first significant post-war recession, and US automobile sales were down for the model year. Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac received a heavy-handed makeover of the 1957 GM designs. The Oldsmobile that emerged in 1958 bore little resemblance to the design of its forerunners; instead the car emerged as a large, over-decorated "chromemobile" which many felt had overly ostentatious styling. Up front, all 1958 Oldsmobile's received one of General Motors' heavily styled front facias and quad-headlights. Streaking back from

4268-623: The 1960s included the introduction of the first turbocharged engine and a factory water injection system in 1962 (the Turbo Jetfire ), the first modern front-wheel drive car produced in the United States (the 1966 Toronado ), the Vista Cruiser station wagon (noted for its roof glass), and the upscale 442 muscle car . Olds briefly used the names "Jetstar 88" (1964–1966) and Delmont 88 (1967–1968) on its least expensive full-size models in

4365-569: The 1960s. In 1968 the split grille appearance was introduced and remained a traditional feature until production ended in 2004. Notable models for the 1960s: The 1970s and 1980s were good years for the Oldsmobile division; sales soared (reaching an all-time high of 1,066,122 in 1985) based on popular designs, positive reviews from critics, and perceived quality and reliability, with the Cutlass series becoming North America's top-selling car by 1976. By this time, Olds had displaced Pontiac and Plymouth as

4462-480: The 1979 Cutlass Salon and Cutlass Supreme/Cutlass Calais models. These were largely based on corresponding gasoline engines but with heavier duty cast blocks, redesigned heads and fast glow plugs; and on the 5.7L, oversized cranks, main bearings and wrist pins. There were several problems with these engines, including water and corrosion in the injectors (no water separator in the fuel line); paraffin clogging of fuel lines and filters in cold weather; reduced lubrication in

4559-437: The 1999–2005 Grand Am (which was built on the same platform as the 1999–2004 Alero) a Poor rating in its frontal crash test for its marginal structural integrity, a possible head injury, a potential right leg injury, and poor dummy control. The following are 2003 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash test ratings for the Alero. Coupe Sedan Oldsmobile Oldsmobile (formally

4656-581: The Aurora marked as General Motors' catalyst to reposition Oldsmobile as an upscale import fighter. Accordingly, Oldsmobile received a new logo based on the familiar "rocket" theme. Also in 1995 Oldsmobile introduced the first satellite navigation system available in the United States, the Guidestar on the 1995 Oldsmobile 88 . Nearly all the existing model names were gradually phased out: the Cutlass Calais in 1991,

4753-613: The Division was still known by the still official name of Olds Motor Works, when it was changed to the collective name the cars were known as, "Oldsmobiles". Thus, the division was officially christened the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors. The last pre-war Oldsmobile rolled off the assembly line on February 5, 1942. During World War II , Oldsmobile produced numerous kinds of material for the war effort, including large-caliber guns and shells. Production resumed on October 15, 1945, with

4850-613: The Lansing Assembly Plant on April 29, 2004, and was then given to the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum . On December 15, 2017, this car was sold at auction for $ 42,000 to a dealer in Florida. A preview of the planned replacement for the Alero was seen in 2001 with the unveiling of the Oldsmobile O4 concept, designed by Bertone. The car was an open-top 4-seater with European styling featuring some Oldsmobile traits, and powered by

4947-602: The Silhouette only had 360 built as a result of the plant running out of production capacity due to fleet order obligations for minivans on the same assembly line. The Oldsmobile division's last completed production car was an Alero GLS 4-door sedan, which was signed by all of the Olds assembly line workers. It was on display at the R. E. Olds Transportation Museum located in Lansing, Michigan until GM's bankruptcy, when it retook possession of

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5044-575: The Toronado and Custom Cruiser in 1992, the Ninety-Eight and Ciera (formerly Cutlass Ciera) in 1996, Cutlass Supreme in 1997, and finally the Eighty-Eight and Cutlass (which had only been around since '97) in 1999. They were replaced with newer, more modern models with designs inspired by the Aurora. Redesigned and new models introduced from 1990 to 2004: In spite of Oldsmobile's critical successes since

5141-445: The badging, Chevrolet badges were added to the grille and rear fascia for the 2000 model year. The Alero featured Chevrolet emblems throughout its entire run in Israel. The Alero was replaced in Europe and Israel by the GM Daewoo -sourced Chevrolet Evanda/Epica . Early on in its history, Olds enjoyed a healthy public relations boost from the 1905 hit song In My Merry Oldsmobile . The same theme—a fast, powerful Olds car helping

5238-628: The base GX trim level: an AM/FM stereo with cassette player (not applicable for later models), power windows, and 16-inch alloy wheels. The 3.4 L V6 engine was available as an option, though was standard equipment on the GL2 trim level. The GL1 trim level also offered the V6 engine option. The GLS trim level was the "luxury" trim level of the Alero. It added the following features to the already well-equipped GL trim level: an AM/FM stereo with cassette and single-disc CD player (later, an MP3-decoding single-disc CD player

5335-480: The brand's name, spaced out letter by letter—signage which was removed in 2006 and subsequently also gifted to the Lansing R.E. Olds Transportation Museum. By 1996, the company's remaining employees relocated to Detroit's Renaissance Center . In Canada , the range was limited, with the Oldsmobile Silhouette and Oldsmobile Bravada being unavailable to Canadian consumers until much later in their production life. In Mexico , all Oldsmobile models were sold under

5432-607: The car. It was then located at the GM Heritage Center in Sterling Heights , Michigan. In December 2017, the car headed to New York where it was auctioned off at a dealer-only auction for $ 42,000 to a Florida dealer. Also sold at the auction were a 1999 Cutlass and a 1996 Ciera. During the 107 years of Oldsmobile's existence, it was known for being a guinea pig for new technologies and firsts. The 200,000 square-foot Oldsmobile Administration Building, also known as Building 70,

5529-460: The company on November 12, 1908. When GM assumed operations, platform sharing began with Buick products and Oldsmobile shared platforms were identified with the prefix "Series" followed by a number, while models developed by pre-GM engineers were identified with the prefix "Model" followed by a letter. Early on, Oldsmobile was a competitor to Hudson as some former engineers of Oldsmobile took positions with Hudson. The 1910 Limited Touring Series 23

5626-447: The company produced 635 cars, making it the first high-volume gasoline-powered automobile manufacturer (electric car manufacturers such as Columbia Electric and steam-powered car manufacturers such as Locomobile had higher volumes a few years earlier). Oldsmobile became the top-selling car company in the United States from 1903 to 1904. Ransom Olds left the company in 1904 because of a dispute with sales manager Frederic L. Smith , who

5723-463: The company, Oldsmobile production was moved to Lansing . Officially, the cars were called "Olds automobiles," but were colloquially referred to as "Oldsmobiles." It was this moniker, as applied especially to the Curved Dash Olds, that was popularized in the lyrics and title of the 1905 hit song " In My Merry Oldsmobile ". The last Oldsmobile Curved Dash was made in 1907. General Motors purchased

5820-404: The creation of prototypes will differ from creation of the final product in some fundamental ways: Engineers and prototype specialists attempt to minimize the impact of these differences on the intended role for the prototype. For example, if a visual prototype is not able to use the same materials as the final product, they will attempt to substitute materials with properties that closely simulate

5917-407: The cycle returns to customer evaluation. The cycle starts by listening to the user, followed by building or revising a mock-up, and letting the user test the mock-up , then back. There is now a new generation of tools called Application Simulation Software which help quickly simulate application before their development. Extreme programming uses iterative design to gradually add one feature at

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6014-403: The design for the purposes of reducing costs through optimization and refinement. It is possible to use prototype testing to reduce the risk that a design may not perform as intended, however prototypes generally cannot eliminate all risk. Building the full design is often expensive and can be time-consuming, especially when repeated several times—building the full design, figuring out what

6111-446: The driver romance the opposite sex—was updated in the 1950s with the iconic hit Rocket 88 . Prototype A prototype can also mean a typical example of something such as in the use of the derivation ' prototypical '. This is a useful term in identifying objects, behaviours and concepts which are considered the accepted norm and is analogous with terms such as stereotypes and archetypes . The word prototype derives from

6208-508: The early 1960s, driving it daily to work. He detached and rearranged the Oldsmobile lettering above the grille to spell out slobmodel as a reminder to himself and co-workers of what "bad" auto design meant to their business. In 1959, Oldsmobile models were completely redesigned with a rocket motif from front to rear, as the top of the front fenders had a chrome rocket, while the body-length fins were shaped as rocket exhausts which culminated in

6305-401: The edge of the headlights was a broad belt consisting of two strips of chrome on regular 88s, three strips on Super 88s, and three strips (top and bottom thin, inside thick) on 98s that ended in a point at mid-body. The bottom of the rear fender featured a thick stamping of a half tube that pointed forward, atop which was a chrome assembly of four horizontal chrome speed-lines that terminated into

6402-448: The famed 20th Century Limited train, an event immortalized in the painting Setting the Pace by William Hardner Foster. The Limited was at the time considered technologically advanced and cutting edge, if on the expensive side, but it established the division's reputation for innovation. The Oldsmobile Series 40 was offered in 1912 and was considerably more affordable and smaller, and later

6499-550: The fire was a Curved Dash prototype, which was wheeled out of the factory by two workers while escaping the burning building. While the factory was being rebuilt from insurance, many subcontractors were used to keep production going, including Henry M. Leland for engine production and the Dodge Brothers . Olds was a strong competitor to other independent companies Buick and Cadillac before they became divisions of General Motors between 1908 and 1909. Later after Mr. Olds left

6596-508: The full design. In technology research, a technology demonstrator is a prototype serving as proof-of-concept and demonstration model for a new technology or future product, proving its viability and illustrating conceivable applications. In large development projects, a testbed is a platform and prototype development environment for rigorous experimentation and testing of new technologies, components, scientific theories and computational tools. With recent advances in computer modeling it

6693-423: The heads due to undersized oil galleys; head bolt failures; and the use of aluminum rockers and stanchions in the 4.3L V8 engines. While the 5.7L was also offered on various Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, and Pontiac models, it was eventually discontinued by all divisions in 1985. V6 diesels of 4.3L displacement were also offered between 1982 and 1985. In 1988 the then all-new 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Pace car

6790-437: The intended final materials. Engineers and prototyping specialists seek to understand the limitations of prototypes to exactly simulate the characteristics of their intended design. Prototypes represent some compromise from the final production design. This is due to the skill and choices of the designer(s), and the inevitable inherent limitations of a prototype. Due to differences in materials, processes and design fidelity, it

6887-404: The introduction of the four-door Holiday pillarless hardtop, the industry's first (along with Buick). General Motors' styling as a whole lost its frontrunner status in 1957 when Chrysler introduced Virgil Exner 's " forward look " designs. When compared side to side, Oldsmobile looked dated next to its price-point competitors DeSoto and Mercury . Compounding the problem for Oldsmobile and Buick

6984-455: The latest Ecotec I4 engine . The name had multiple meanings, including "Oldsmobile 4-Seater" as well as implying 2004 as a planned date for production. However, the O4 concept was unveiled a few weeks after General Motors announced that they would be phasing out the Oldsmobile brand, meaning that production possibilities of the O4 would never be realized. Because of this, a second generation Alero

7081-516: The mid-1990s, a reported shortfall in sales and overall profitability prompted General Motors to announce in December 2000 its plans to shut down the Oldsmobile organization. That announcement was officially revealed two days after Oldsmobile distributed the Bravada SUV – which became another critical hit for the division but turned out to be the final new model for the Oldsmobile brand. The phaseout

7178-415: The middle of GM's five passenger car divisions (above Chevrolet and Pontiac , but below Buick and Cadillac ). It was also noted for several groundbreaking technologies and designs. Oldsmobile's sales peaked at over one million annually from 1983 to 1986, but by the 1990s the division faced growing competition from premium import brands, and sales steadily declined. When it shut down in 2004, Oldsmobile

7275-478: The model numbers. This resulted in the Oldsmobile 88 emerging as base Dynamic 88 and the highline Super 88 . Other full-size model names included the "Holiday" used on hardtops, and "Fiesta" used on its station wagons. When the 88 was retired in 1999 (with a Fiftieth Anniversary Edition), its length of service was the longest model name used on American cars after the Chrysler New Yorker . Mid-1955 also saw

7372-465: The newly formed entity was known as Olds Motor Works." The company moved to a new plant in Detroit, located at the corner of East Jefferson Avenue and MacArthur Bridge . By March 1901, Olds Motor Works had a whole line of models ready for mass production. However, that month the factory caught fire and burned to the ground, destroying nearly all of the prototypes that were inside. The only car that survived

7469-466: The other engines that were popular during that era, and found favor with hot-rodders and stock car racers. The basic design, with a few minor changes, endured until Oldsmobile redesigned its V8 engines in the mid-1960s. Oldsmobile entered the 1950s following a divisional image campaign centered on its 'Rocket' engines and the Space Race , and its cars' appearance followed suit. Oldsmobile's Rocket V8 engine

7566-429: The problems are and how to solve them, then building another full design. As an alternative, rapid prototyping or rapid application development techniques are used for the initial prototypes, which implement part, but not all, of the complete design. This allows designers and manufacturers to rapidly and inexpensively test the parts of the design that are most likely to have problems, solve those problems, and then build

7663-411: The prototyping platform, or replace it with only the microcontroller chip and the circuitry that is relevant to their product. Prototype software is often referred to as alpha grade , meaning it is the first version to run. Often only a few functions are implemented, the primary focus of the alpha is to have a functional base code on to which features may be added. Once alpha grade software has most of

7760-438: The real EMD GP38-2 locomotive—which is the prototype of Athearn 's (among other manufacturers) locomotive model. Technically, any non-living object can serve as a prototype for a model, including structures, equipment, and appliances, and so on, but generally prototypes have come to mean full-size real-world vehicles including automobiles (the prototype 1957 Chevy has spawned many models), military equipment (such as M4 Shermans,

7857-463: The required features integrated into it, it becomes beta software for testing of the entire software and to adjust the program to respond correctly during situations unforeseen during development. Often the end users may not be able to provide a complete set of application objectives, detailed input, processing, or output requirements in the initial stage. After the user evaluation, another prototype will be built based on feedback from users, and again

7954-459: The result being a circuit that is electrically identical to the design but not physically identical to the final product. Open-source tools like Fritzing exist to document electronic prototypes (especially the breadboard-based ones) and move toward physical production. Prototyping platforms such as Arduino also simplify the task of programming and interacting with a microcontroller . The developer can choose to deploy their invention as-is using

8051-435: The rocket image, that was used throughout the late 1950s, the make used twin jet pod-styled taillights as a nod to its "Rocket" theme. Oldsmobile was among the first of General Motors' divisions to receive a true hardtop in 1950 called the "Holiday coupe" (Buick's version was called the "Riviera", and Cadillac's was called the "Coupe De Ville"), and it was also among the first divisions (along with Buick and Cadillac) to receive

8148-456: The third best-selling brand in the U.S. behind Chevrolet and Ford. In the late 1970s and again in the mid-1980s, model-year production topped one million units, something only Chevrolet and Ford had achieved. The very popularity of Oldsmobile's cars created a problem for the division in the late 1970s, however. At that time, each General Motors division produced its own V8 engines, and in 1977, Oldsmobile, Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Buick each produced

8245-526: Was a styling mistake which GM called the "StratoRoof", which was reminiscent of the "greenhouse" canopy used on the Convair B-36 Peacemaker high altitude bomber. Both makes had models which contained the heavily framed rear window, but Detroit had been working with large curved backlights for almost a decade. Consumers disliked the roof and its blind spots, forcing GM to rush a redesign into production on some of its models. Oldsmobile's only off year in

8342-436: Was added), an eight-speaker "premium" sound system with amplifier, keyless entry, power driver seat, leather upholstery and a security system. The 3.4 L V6 engine was standard for this trim level. General Motors commissioned the construction of Alero prototypes either for testing or to gather public opinion on possible future plans for the Alero. These variants include: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave

8439-499: Was an early, ambitious high point for the company. Riding atop 42-inch (1067 mm) wheels, and equipped with factory "white" tires, the Limited was the prestige model in Oldsmobile's two model lineup, with the smaller Oldsmobile Autocrat Series 32 having 36-inch wheels. The Limited retailed for US$ 4,600, ($ 150,420 in 2023 dollars ) an amount greater than the price of a new basic three-bedroom house. Buyers received goatskin upholstery,

8536-497: Was completed in 1966 to accommodate the company's major administration departments. Located at 920 Townsend Avenue, at what is currently the GM Lansing Grand River Assembly plant, the project was constructed by Michigan contractor Utley-James, with architectural design contracted by GMAC. The headquarters accommodated about 900 employees in a Modern design with exterior marble and curtain walls reminiscent of

8633-475: Was conducted on the following schedule: The last 500 Aleros, Auroras, Bravadas, Silhouettes and Intrigues produced received special Oldsmobile heritage emblems and markings which signified 'Final 500'. All featured a unique Dark Cherry Metallic paint scheme. Auroras and Intrigues would be accompanied by special Final 500 literature. However, only the Intrigue, Aurora, Bravada, and Alero had all Final 500 models built;

8730-482: Was manually progressed, meaning that the vehicle being assembled was manually pushed to the next workstation after the assigned assembly was performed at the previous station. This differed from hand-made vehicles in the past where various workers would work on one car until it was completed and was labor- and time-intensive. After Ransom Olds merged Olds Motor Vehicle Co. with the Olds Gas Engine Works in 1899,

8827-412: Was never built and the car was phased out with the Oldsmobile brand in 2004. During its production, the Alero was available in four trim levels, all available in coupe or sedan body styles: The GX was the most basic trim level of the Alero. It included such features as a 2.4 L inline four-cylinder engine, 5-speed manual transmission, an AM/FM stereo (later, AM/FM stereo with single-disc CD player) with

8924-849: Was no question that the engines were different from one another. Many customers were loyal Oldsmobile buyers who specifically wanted the Rocket V8, and did not discover that their vehicle had the Chevrolet engine until they performed maintenance and discovered that purchased parts did not fit. This became a public relations nightmare for GM. Following this debacle, disclaimers stating that "Oldsmobiles are equipped with engines produced by various GM divisions" were tacked onto advertisements and sales literature; all other GM divisions followed suit. In addition, GM quickly stopped associating engines with particular divisions and to this day, all GM engines are produced by "GM Powertrain" (GMPT) and are called GM "Corporate" engines instead of GM "Division" engines. Although it

9021-567: Was questioning production techniques and wanted Mr. Olds to certify that each car that left the plant was free from defects. Mr. Smith then set up an experimental engineering shop without Mr. Olds' knowledge or consent, causing Mr. Olds to leave in 1904 and form the REO Motor Car Company . This was similar to the situation Henry Ford experienced when he was forced out of the company he founded (the Henry Ford Company ) before starting

9118-531: Was the first production car with heads up display . Notable models : After the tremendous success of the 1970s and 1980s, things changed quickly for Oldsmobile, and by the early 1990s the brand had lost its place in the market (as annual sales had fallen from a record high of 1,066,122 in 1985 to just 402,936 in 1993), squeezed between other GM divisions, and with competition from new upscale import makes Acura , Infiniti and Lexus . GM continued to use Oldsmobile sporadically to showcase futuristic designs and as

9215-420: Was the leader in performance; its cars were generally considered the fastest on the market; and by the mid-1950s their styling was among the first to offer a wide, "open maw" grille, suggestive of fighter jet propulsion. From 1948 to 1957, Oldsmobile adopted a ringed-globe emblem depicting North America to stress what marketers felt was its universal appeal. Starting in 1958, the grille logo changed again to reflect

9312-521: Was the oldest surviving American automobile brand , and one of the oldest in the world, after Peugeot , Renault , Fiat , and Opel . Oldsmobiles were first manufactured by the Olds Motor Vehicle Company in Lansing, Michigan , a company founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In 1901 (the same year that Horace and John Dodge won a contract to produce transmissions for the Oldsmobile company),

9409-428: Was the popularity of the Oldsmobile division vehicles that prompted this change, declining sales of V8 engines would have made this change inevitable as all but the Chevrolet version of the 350-cubic-inch engine were eventually discontinued. Oldsmobile also introduced a 5.7L (350 cu-in) V8 diesel engine option on its Custom Cruiser, Delta 88 and 98 models in 1978; and a smaller 4.3L (260 cu-in) displacement V8 diesel on

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