Oldsmobile Aerotech III
Written by Bill Bowman, General Motors Media Archive Product Expert
The 1989 Oldsmobile Aerotech III concept car was a mildly disguised version of the 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. The nose was low, the tail high, and triple horizontal body side ribbing wrapped around the front and rear of the car, but faded away toward the center, at the doors. A functional front air dam and a lumpy aerofoil on the stubby rear deck helped cut down on aerodynamic lift and drag forces. Up front were experimental “mini cube” headlamps and hugging the ground were low profile tires on 17-inch aluminum wheels.
Reclining bucket seats carried all four passengers in comfort, with air bags protecting those in front. A sliding security shelf gave clearance for reclining the rear buckets, while at the same time allowing access to the trunk. Added storage space came from a center console that ran the full length of the interior. A power tilt system automatically moved the steering wheel aside as you entered or departed, and it returned to a memorized position at a button’s touch. For ease of use, radio and climate control switches resided in the steering wheel hub.
Similar to the coupe/wagon, the Oldsmobile Aerotech III concept car had a head-up display that projected vital operating information into the driver’s line of sight. The electronics however, went a giant step further, with a sophisticated rear obstacle detection system. A compact rear facing radar unit monitored the area immediately behind the car, giving audible and visual warnings whenever the car approached a fixed obstacle.
Tentative power plant for the Aerotech III was a supercharged Quad 4 with a 5 speed manual gearbox.
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