1942 Oldsmobile B44 Business Coupe
The nation’s oldest motor car manufacturer has been serving the needs of the American public dependably, year after year, since 1897. Now, to help keep working America on the move and to serve an increased need for efficient, dependable, economical transportation, Oldsmobile offers the “B-44.” It’s a heavy, husky Oldsmobile, geared in design to the tempo of modern living , built to give years and years of dependable service, capable of fine performance, yet economical in its use of gasoline and oil.
So advanced in style that it will keep its youth for years, so advanced in engineering that it incorporates everything that is new and modern, the “B-44” is better looking better lasting, and better built than any Oldsmobile in 44 years. The Oldsmobile “B-44” is offered in three wheelbase lengths, five series, including two sixes and three eights. The keynote of them all is quality … quality in design, quality in materials, quality in workmanship … quality that promises long-lasting satisfaction under any and all conditions – yet quality that exacts no premium in price. When it comes to value, as well as style, engineering, and workmanship, remember – “You Can Always Count on Oldsmobile!”
The 1942 model year was a busy one for the Oldsmobile division at General Motors, but a short one. Production began as scheduled on August 29, 1941, only to be cut short by the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7. As the U.S. government ordered the auto industry converted entirely to military production, the last Oldsmobile rolled off the Lansing production line on February 5, 1942. Even before Pearl Harbor, the strategic rationing of key materials, including aluminum and chromium, was already under way, and the final run of Oldsmobiles employed improvised workarounds like steel pistons and painted exterior trim.
In a nod to the car maker’s contributions to the defense effort, the ’42 Oldsmobiles were given the bomber-esque designation B-44. And despite the darkening war clouds and material shortages, the ’42 lineup was a rather ambitious one for Olds, with five distinct models in three series (119-in, 125-in, and 127-in wheelbase) and two engines, a 100-hp L-head six and a 110-hp L-head straight eight. Body style choices were generous as well, from the plain Business Coupe and Sedan to the 98 Club Sedan, a swoopy fastback.
Take note of two new features in the spotlight that 1942 Olds models: “Fuselage Fenders,” the Olds designation for fender lines that swept through the doors, and “Double-Duty Bumper.” In this setup, the sturdy upper grille bar was stamped from heavy, bumper-gauge steel and then rigidly mounted to the frame, just like a bumper.
There were 848 examples produced in 1942 and was Oldsmobile’s second most exclusive vehicle for that model year. Only the 98 series ragtop had fewer sales.
