1947 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser Convertible, 98🇺🇸

Auto manufacturers were still struggling with material shortages and upgrading factories to return to  full capacity in 1947. After nearly four years with no new automobiles available to purchase, when civilian automobile production resumed in 1946, sales quickly outstripped supply. The situation did not improve much in 1947.   While the cars available were little changed from the shortened 1942 model year and in the case of Oldsmobile this meant styling that went back to 1941, the public did not care, they wanted new cars.

In this frenzied market Oldsmobile hit the ground running. Their Hydramatic automatic transmission, debuted in 1940, provided a level of driving comfort and convenience that other brands, except Cadillac, had a hard time matching. All of this in a car priced squarely in the middle of the market where it had the most value appeal.

Oldsmobile easily sold everything they could produce and easily maintained their seventh place position in the industry. But they were not putting any effort into year-over-year improvement of the cars. 1946 and 47 cars were nearly identical. Entirely new cars were coming starting in 1948. The 98 series for 1948 would foreshadow the look of all Oldsmobiles in 1949. Those new cars would vault Oldsmobile up the production ranking as sales rocketed. But, for now the 1947 cars were place holders.