Oldsmobile

General Motors began developing its first compact cars in 1956, beginning with initial planning on what would become the Chevrolet Corvair in 1960. The following year a second series of somewhat longer cars was planned: the Buick Special, Oldsmobile F-85, and Pontiac Tempest. They would share the same body shell and lightweight engine. Oldsmobile designer Irv Rybicki began work on the Olds model in 1957 and it went on sale in September 1960. The first-year the F-85 was offered in two body styles, a four-door sedan or a four-door station wagon with either two or three seats, and in a choice of two trim levels. Initial sales were somewhat disappointing, but were soon picked up by the May 1961 introduction of a pair of pillared two-door coupés, each with a different roofline and market placement: the F-85 Club Coupé, which became the lowest-priced Oldsmobile model, and the sporty F-85 Cutlass.