Show Tenth Anniversary Of Matic Hydra-Matic Drive August 23 23 1949 marks the tenth anniversary adversary ol ot Oldsmobile's Introduction of ot the popular Hydra Matic Drive it was WILS made known today by S. S E. E Skinner Skin Skin- Skinner Skinner ner vice president of ot General Motors Corporation and general manager of ot Oldsmobile Division Ten years ago Oldsmobile Introduced Hydra Matic Drive as the last word in Automatic transmissions superseding I I its own automatic safety transmission lon which had been used in 1937 said Mr Skinner Hydra Matic Drive was first offered as optional equipment on all three series of the 1940 Oldsmobile line Public reaction was sensational Many thousands of ot motorists found It hard to believe that a n car no longer needed a n clutch pedal As the pioneer Oldsmobile glady took on the task of ot demonstrating ing to Americas America's millions that tiresome shifting operations were a thing of the past By Dy the time that new car production was stopped at the Oldsmobile factory In Landing Mich in order to make way for per cent production of war materials there were approximately Hydra Matic D Dr r 1 i v e equipped on the road Mr Skinner recalled This total amounted to I I 50 per cent of or all production of new new between August 23 I 1939 and the start of World War H. H I I Contrast t that early showing with what Is happening today the general I I I manager declared In August of 1949 there here are re more than Hydra- Hydra Matie Matic equipped In owners' owners hands More than 90 per cent of the new neVI 1949 built today are Hydra Matic cars It Is well known that the Drive has been sought after by other makes of cars Three I other makes now use the Hydra Matic Drive built by the Detroit Transmission stan sion Division of at General Motors A fourth car has announced It as a futuro future feature Sketching In highlights In the ten- ten I I I I I I I year success story Mr Skinner related that during the tho war years Hydra Matic Drive was used on light tanks tanka and other military vehicles Performance was out- out outI outstanding standing In this tough service Improvements Improve Improve- Improvements Improvements ments in the no clutch transmission were developed during the war years When Oldsmobile Division resumed production of new cars In 1946 approximately approximately 75 per cent of the total model- model year output was Hydra Matic said Mr Skinner Public demand raised the percentage of Hydra Matic Olds- Olds mobiles to approximately 90 per cent of 1947 model production It was at this time too that Oldsmobile Valiant Vallant cars were first made available to wounded veterans By adding specialized controls to Hydra Matic disabled service men could drive again These I controls were designed by Oldsmobile engineers Another Interesting chapter in the story tory of Matte Hydra Drive came last I winter when the unit was produced reduced by Detroit Transmission Divi- Divi j I ion sion More than sixty per cent of the i first million units had been used by Oldsmobile Division Today as the re- re I suIt of Its long record Hydra Matic Drive rivo Is S with automatic transmission I Ten years after In August 1949 Oldsmobile's Hydra Matte I Drive Is standard equipment on Series I is 88 and Series rles 98 models and optional equipment on Series 76 78 mo- mo dels Teamed up with the sensational j I 35 horsepower high-compression high Rocket Rocket Roc i ket Engine the proved efficiency of I Ithe the he famous automatic transmission has been markedly Increased Mr Skinner sold said |