GM officially retires Oldsmobile Eighty Eight
Wednesday, January 27, 1999 12:45 AM
LANSING, Mich. Jan 26 (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. (Nyse:GM)
officially retired Tuesday the Oldsmobile Eighty Eight, after 50
years the longest running vehicle nameplate on the market.
Eighty Eight brand manager Tom Jarvis presented the keys to the
last of the full-size sedans to roll off the assembly line in
Orion Township, Mich., a 1999 50th Anniversary Edition, to the
R.E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing, Mich.
Since the Rocket 88 debuted in February 1949, powered by a
"Rocket" V-8 engine, Oldsmobile went on to sell more than 10
million Eighty Eights. The highest production year was 1955,
when more than 460,000 Eighty Eights rolled into service.
But as sales of full-size cars declined in recent years,
Oldsmobile changed its lineup and cut the Eighty Eight.
Jarvis said that Oldsmobile has no plans to replace the Eighty
Eight, the last full-size car in the brand's lineup.
"I do not see us offering a large, six passenger vehicle,"
Jarvis told Reuters. Quote for referenced ticker symbols: GM
© 1999, Reuters |
