A sad day for Lansing

[prototype66]

For Lansing resident car enthusiests this is a sad sight . The removal of the Oldsmobile name from the Olds world headquarters.
Oldsmobile sign to stay in Lansing
GM giving letters and sculpture to R.E. Olds museum
By Barbara Wieland
Lansing State Journal

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage


A visible piece of Oldsmobile history will get a permanent home in Lansing.

General Motors Corp. said Friday it will donate the large Oldsmobile lettering atop the former car division's headquarters to the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum. The museum also will be given an abstract sculpture that stood at the south end of the building for about 40 years.

The fate of those items, as well as that of other reminders of Oldsmobile, have been in doubt since GM made the last Oldsmobile car in April 2004.

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GM spokeswoman Kim Carpenter said the Detroit automaker thought it fitting the landmark sign and statue should remain in Oldsmobile's hometown.

"They're a part of Lansing history and Oldsmobile history," she said. "It's good that we can keep them (in Lansing)."

GM isn't yet saying what it will do with the rest of the building or with the Lansing Car Assembly factory sites that used to make Oldsmobiles and other cars.

The sign and the sculpture come from the 41-year-old Oldsmobile building that housed the division's marketing operations until 1998, when the work was moved to Detroit. The items will be given to the museum "by the end of the year," a GM statement said.

The R.E. Olds museum is on holiday break, and Director Deborah Horstik couldn't be reached for comment Friday.

But Jim Walkinshaw, a former GM employee and Oldsmobile historian, said the donations will make a great addition to the museum at 240 Museum Drive.

"These are bits and pieces of Oldsmobile history. To save them is a worthwhile effort," Walkinshaw said.

The sculpture will be located outside the museum, while museum officials try to find a suitable way to display the sign.

Contact Barbara Wieland at 267-1348 or bwieland @lsj.com.

[EldoFan]

R.I.P. Olds.......

[genjy]

...so I guess Oldsmobile won't be returning.

[mystikranger]

[prototype66]

Originally Posted by mystikranger

show the link.

[91 s-10baja]

Originally Posted by prototype66

show the link.

Oldsmobile sign removed

[prototype66]

Originally Posted by 91 s-10baja

Oldsmobile sign removed

thank you. sorry for the repost. I should have done it yesterday

[91 s-10baja]

Originally Posted by prototype66

thank you. sorry for the repost. I should have done it yesterday

HAha, you are funny, I don't understand the anger sometimes w/ reposts, it happens, and will do so! Have a good one!

[rueben44]

What I don't understand is why GM just didn't make Olds the fleet brand. Instead of doing these classic models olds could be the brand that they sell all fleet products under so that resale will not lag for the other because of it. They could simply do nose jobs on the cars once they hit fleet. That would have kept the brand around and GM would have brand to cater pacifically to fleet customers.

[Caddyguy57]

So sorry to see this news. Still can't believe there gone. Man, I'd love to have a 66 'Toro. Or even a '70 'Toro GT. Those were cool.

[t-rex]

I reckon I too was sad to see Olds go, especially with all the effort GM put into giving the brand special attention with the Intrigue, Aurora, "shortstar" V6, etc. But the hard truth was there was simply no place for Olds in today's market, and GM's attempt to target import buyers with a brand that had "old" in the name, wasn't a wise decision at all. Maybe the Intrigue and 2nd-gen Aurora and Bravada should have gone straight to Saturn, and GM could have let this once-proud name die with a bit more dignity.

In a way though, Olds isn't completely gone. We can see some of the old girl's traits passed on to her offspring, Saturn.

[MCGARRETT]

Sad.

I do dig the very 60's Oldsmobile font.

Can you imagine the good times that were had here in the 70's when Oldsmobile was selling close to if not more than one million cars per year and the Cutlass was the best selling car in the US?

Could the even have imagined that just over 30 years later, Oldsmobile would be gone.



I reminds me of when the signs were taken of the Eastern Airlines world hq down here in Miami, it too, sat for a few years empty, like the Oldsmobile building. It, along with the maintinence hangers were all leveled, a few years ago for a runway expansion project, sad. I also recall when the Pan Am signs were taken off the all the Pan Am buildings at the airport.

I had neve seen what the Oldsmobile building Lansing looked like, I knew there was one, just never had seen photos. I have seen pictures of the Buick one in Flint.

I was wondering if the building is totally empty. Any of you Michiganers know what became of the other divisional HQ's?

Like the Buick building in Flint or Pontiacs offices in Pontiac, what about the Cadillac main building in Detroit on Clark St?

Any photos of them would be cool.

[bhoppes]

I miss Olds. I still believe that is why GM is losing more and more market share to Toyota.

[mbukukanyau]

In Hindsite, I would have made Vehicles like SSR, HHR, Nomad and sold them global under the oldsmobile Brand

[prototype66]

Originally Posted by mbukukanyau

In Hindsite, I would have made Vehicles like SSR, HHR, Nomad and sold them global under the oldsmobile Brand

That is still a great idea dude!! Olds grand comeback as the Consept/specialty brand.....That would work. A combination of futuristic vehicles and reproduction of "Authentis classic cars" from the heydays!!
Even cross brand reproductions;Cutlass Chevelle,Camaro,GTO and the like. Limited runs of years.