The better to SEE you with...

[ocnblu]

These wide-set front lamp arrays would be an oft-used Oldsmobile styling cue right up until the end... nice orange/bronze convertible here...

[NeonLX]

Those '59s still blow me away. They were almost startling back in the day.

[balthazar]

spaced headlights : '59, '67-68, what are some others?

[Robert Hall]

spaced headlights : '59, '67-68, what are some others?

'67-68 Cutlass, '67 88/98 (must be a trim level detail--I see pics of some '67s with them and without them)....'80s Firenza....and over at Pontiac, the '80/81 Bonneville & Catalina (odd that Pontiac used that styling cue)

Edited September 26, 2012 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[ocnblu]

Alero, Aurora, Intrigue...

Edited September 26, 2012 by ocnblu

[G. David Felt]

Truly reminds me of the early days of SciFi shows.

[Robert Hall]

Alero, Aurora, Intrigue...

I don't see the resemblance..

[GMTruckGuy74]

Alero, Aurora, Intrigue...

I don't see the resemblance..

I don't see it on the Intrigue:

Nor the Alero:

Nor the Aurora (1^st & 2^nd Gens):

[Drew Dowdell]

Alero, Aurora, Intrigue...

I don't see the resemblance..

Swap out the inboard high-beams for inboard DRLs.. I see it too Ocn.

[ocnblu]

The wide headlight arrays. Present on all three modern Oldsmobiles. Present on the '59 to begin with, and used periodically to define an Olds front end until the very last. The three modern cars are going to have composite assemblies, not sealed beams, but the width, relative to the overall width of the front end is what I refer to. Also, you can see the depressed center section of the hood (especially on the Auroras), another tie-in to the '59 and various Oldsmobiles over the decades since the '59. That depressed center section is unusual because most cars have a raised center hood section.

Pontiac was more faithful to the facial DNA that emerged in '59 than Olds was, but Olds did return often enough for there to be a thread of heritage in these cues.

[Robert Hall]

I can kind of see something going on w/ the 2nd gen Aurora (black car pic) above--3 distinct elements to the lights.

[Drew Dowdell]

Even the last cutlass supreme coupe and sedan had "the look". I always saw it as being a bit cross-eyed, but that clearly never bothered me.

[ocnblu]

Yup, with the tiny rectangular sealed-beams. And, as an offshoot, the first-gen Saturn S-Series cars took these cues as well, with wide headlamps and a depressed center hood section, not to mention a "little brother" look to the Cutlass Supreme sedan in the greenhouse.

[balthazar]

IMO, this is two different elements- wide headlight clusters vs. spaced headlights. Ther's a similarity, but actual space, like the first gen LaCrosse, would be more like the '59 than the Aurora, IMO.

[Drew Dowdell]

It is just a "feel" that gives familiarity.....just enough of a look that you can see a family resemblance..... like the way you can go '92 Toronado - '81 Toronado - '66 Toronado - '36 Cord 810. Sure, there are vast differences in the cars, but there is enough similarity there to see where things came from.

[Robert Hall]

Yup, with the tiny rectangular sealed-beams. And, as an offshoot, the first-gen Saturn S-Series cars took these cues as well, with wide headlamps and a depressed center hood section, not to mention a "little brother" look to the Cutlass Supreme sedan in the greenhouse.

Yeah, the early Saturns always had an Olds look to them, IMO...

[Drew Dowdell]

Yup, with the tiny rectangular sealed-beams. And, as an offshoot, the first-gen Saturn S-Series cars took these cues as well, with wide headlamps and a depressed center hood section, not to mention a "little brother" look to the Cutlass Supreme sedan in the greenhouse.

Yeah, the early Saturns always had an Olds look to them, IMO...

I'm sure it was intentional... and they kept the look right up until Olds died.

[NeonLX]

I'm still pissed that Oldsmobile was killed off. It was my favorite GM brand.

Sorry, just had to share that.

[G. David Felt]

I'm still pissed that Oldsmobile was killed off. It was my favorite GM brand.

Sorry, just had to share that.

Consolidation in a Global Economy will always happen.

[balthazar]

NOW the pic of the 2nd gen Aurora shows up for me, and there I agree; they're spaced there. The others modern ones are different enough IMO.

[NeonLX]

Consolidation in a Global Economy will always happen.

Well, that makes me feel better about it.

[G. David Felt]

Consolidation in a Global Economy will always happen.

Well, that makes me feel better about it.

Truly it will never make everyone feel better, but we have to accept the fact that a global economy will always change things and some of our favorite things will disappear.

[Guest NeonLX]

Yeah. I know. I'm feeling especially old and crabby today.

[NeonLX]

Which reminds me. Walking down the street this a.m. and heard the unmistakable exhaust note of a Rocket V8. Turned around to see a 1978 88 sedan. Not show car, but a decent daily driver. I love the sound of an Olds V8. Very distinctive.

[G. David Felt]

Yeah. I know. I'm feeling especially old and crabby today.

Naw your not Old and Crabby, that is just fall creeping into the bones and telling you that you are alive and well in this great big blue marble we live on.