B-O-P Breakthroughs

The Buick-Olds-Pontiac issue of Hemmings Motor News continues to be one of our most popular, and here’s why: Cars from those brands embodied innovation, performance, and out-of-the box design and engineering. We’ve selected 10 automobiles, built by these storied GM divisions, ranging from the turn of the century to the (nearly) present day, that are slightly off the beaten path, yet embody the spirit of these once-great marques. Many on the list also happen to excellent collector cars that you can find inside the pages of our classifieds and enjoy for a reasonable amount of money. Have a favorite, innovative, B-O-P vehicle of your own? Tell us about it at mmcnessor@hemmings.com

1912 OLDSMOBILE AUTOCRAT

In the years before the Great War, “autocrat” was a considerably more benign word than it is today. With its prototype put to the test in the early Vanderbilt Cup races, the 1912 Oldsmobile Autocrat turned out to be a formula that served Oldsmobile very well in ensuing generations, a somewhat smallish car stuffed with as much engine. T-head inline-four, rated at 40 hp, which was created by lopping two cylinders off the massive T-head straight-six of the luxurious, and wildly expensive, Oldsmobile Limited touring car. Unusually for General Motors at the time, this engine featured both full-pressure oiling and a float carburetor. Riding on a 124-inch wheelbase, the Autocrat was positioned between the Special and the Limited, with a runabout still demanding about $3,500 new. Around 500 were produced with various bodies. Just two runabouts are known to have survived.