Cadillac Northstar book

[gdouaire]

Worth the read. AND there's a full (however short) chapter on the Aurora V8. Learned in there that the 2003 V-8 introduced a forged cranshaft (to limit vibrations)... How in hell could that happen on the last year...? Surprising...!!

[Paulaurora]

I knew something was better on 2003 Aurora then 2001-2002 i feel that engine there always smoother then it ever was on my 2001-2002

[roradre]

Hmm, so many possibilities if this sedan was allowed to survive! 

[Marc]

Jan 18, 2019 8:31:07 GMT -6 roradre said:

Hmm, so many possibilities if this sedan was allowed to survive! 

The GREAT GENIUSES at GM didn't know a good thing when they saw it!

[gdouaire]

This book also looks interesting on that topic... Just ordered it.

[aj]

The high end of GM's luxury car on the "G" platform seemed to be the best for a smooth ride. Still think the Aurora was the best smoothest engine for both the v8 and v6. My 2018 Cadillac CT6 has a smooth transmission but the 9 speed sometimes lags and the Aurora too me still beats it for that!

If you like some of those books, the best one is "Setting The Pace, Oldsmobiles first 100 years, written by Oldsmobile first lady: Helen Jones Early and James Walkinshaw, both worked for our Proud Oldsmobile division in Lansing, Michigan. It took lots of research and many hours for them to write this amazing book. There is also another one as well written by them too, it is "Oldsmobile war years", theres some more but I cant think of them right now.

Also there is another video clip about Oldsmobile and what it meant to an auto town Like Oldsmobile hometown of Lansing!
www.pbs.org/video/wkar-documentaries-second-shift-crisis-collaboration/

Just for your info, Volvo still owns the rights to the REO brand, so I guess I see why some of you have a Volvo, still have Oldsmobile and Reo somewhat DNA in it lol !!!! It was another car brand Mr. Olds developed and manufactured.

[gdouaire]

Yes, I also own that "first 100 years" book and itis great indeed Right now I am more focused on the last couple of u
yesrs however.

I'll do check the PBS documentary you linked. Thanks for that.

I'll also post the quote regarding the 2003 Aurora changes -- my book was nowhere to be found until I discovered it had fell behind a row of books on my bookshelves...:

"Oldsmobile management decided that 2003 would be the last production year for the Aurora, as sales of the car had not met expectations and the division was being shut down the following year. Still, for its last year, a forged steel crankshaft was introduced to improve the engine's
noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) qualities. This made the engine
even quieter and practically indestructible. The pistons received a Grafal polymer coating. Oldsmobile offered a limited-edition Aurora V-8 Collector Edition built in 500 units. The last 500 cars for 2003 received dis-
tinctive wheels, interior and exterior ornamentation, and a certificate with
the owner's manual. Aurora collectors who have performed classic performance-enhancing modifications to the 4.0 liter V-8 have boosted horsepower to almost 300. These include improved induction systems, changes to the engine micro-
processor, and a less restrictive dual exhaust system."

[Paulaurora]

Nice video!

[gdouaire]

indeed, very interesting video!

[emarkay]

Remember, GM is not in business to make cars, they are in business to make money...
Still some engineering triumphs have happened!!
Now, IMHO, it's just how big the TV screen in the dash is, and how can we dumb it down so you can just-about sleep while driving.

I miss the good old days...