Oldsmobile L-38 Convertible Classic Cars Part 2

Picture Of 1938 Oldsmobile L-38 Convertible Classic Cars

Each line again offered a convertible coupe, but this was the last year for Olds droptops with rumble seats and optional sidemount spare tires. Both features were by then out of fashion with buyers and out of production at most other automakers. It's odd that Olds was so slow to drop them, considering its growing renown as General Motors' "innovator" division.

Picture Of 1938 Oldsmobile L-38 Convertible Classic Cars

The L-38 convertible coupe pictured here is one of only 68 with the factory sidemount, this out of 475 cars total. The six-cylinder version managed 1184 copies in all. Unlike later years, however, ragtops are not the rarest '38 Oldsmobiles. Though integral trunks had become popular for closed body styles, Olds also persisted with passé "trunkless" sedans. These, too, would vanish after 1938 and very low production in eight-cylinder form: just 200 of the four-door model and 137 of the two-door.

Picture Of 1938 Oldsmobile L-38 Convertible Classic Cars

Typical of late-prewar GM cars, the '38 Olds dashboard was rather "Buck Rogers," but put most instruments and controls directly ahead of the steering wheel. Such affairs may look quaint to modern eyes, but they were real "hep" at the time.

A Brief Overview Of Convertible Classic Cars
A Brief Overview Of Convertible Classic Cars Part 2

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Oldsmobile L-38 Convertible Classic Cars Part 1

Oldsmobile L-38 Convertible Classic Cars

Picture Of 1938 Oldsmobile L-38 Convertible Classic Cars

Rumble-seat ragtops and sidemout spares were old news by 1938, but the 1938 Oldsmobile L-38 still offered both plus a forward-thinking transmission with no clutch pedal.

Picture Of 1938 Oldsmobile L-38 Convertible Classic Cars

The Depression seemed to be lifting in 1938 when the stock market snapped, creating what Republicans gleefully called the "Roosevelt Recession." Sales slumped throughout the American auto industry especially at Oldsmobile, which turned out half as many cars as it had the year before.

Picture Of 1938 Oldsmobile L-38 Convertible Classic Cars

The '37 Oldsmobiles had been heavily redesigned, so the '38s were little changed. Still, all models sported more prominent grilles flanked by new "catwalk" trim in the inner front-fender aprons. Back for a second year was the "Automatic Safety Transmission," a clutchless manual gearbox presaging fully self-shifting Hydra-Matic in 1940. For '38, AST was newly optional for six-cylinder Oldsmobiles as well as Eights. Unchanged were Lansing's two L-head inline engines: 95-horsepower 230-cubic-inch six for F-38 models and 110-bhp 257-cid eight for L-38s.

A Brief Overview Of Convertible Classic Cars
A Brief Overview Of Convertible Classic Cars Part 2

Read more »