Viking (automobile)

Viking was an automobile brand of General Motors.

Background

Viking was designed as one of four related marks identifying the parent tried to close existing gaps in the model program and relive the Group philosophy of "one GM model for each market segment ." As the first 1926 Pontiac had been introduced. The success was initially the concept right. The special feature of these by brands was that they were not directly responsible to the Group Executive Committee, but one of the already established at GM brands. In the case of Pontiac was the traditional manufacturer Oakland. Pontiac successful launch promoted this development so that the model 1927 Cadillac with the LaSalle followed suit.

After even at the beginning was well done LaSalle brought two more brands products with corresponding positive expectations on the road: Buick and Oldsmobile Marquette to the Viking. But it was not to be. Already towards the end of the year of publication in 1929 changed the stock market crash as a result of the Black Tuesday (October 29 ) the automobile market radically. Among all suffered manufacturer, most but not established manufacturers and those with more expensive products. On Marquette and even more on Viking both met to.

Models

In several respects Viking took a special position among the secondary brands. Technically this was a new V8 engine, which had from 1916 to 1923 in common with the earlier Oldsmobile V8 little the first time, the engine block was cast into a single casting ( monobloc ), the valves were arranged horizontally. The car made ​​81 HP ( 60.4 kW) and cost from U.S. $ 1,595. Unlike the other GM brands In addition to the Viking was thus priced about the parent brand, positioning in the upper middle class. Available were the same three trim levels: Standard, Deluxe and Special. Was uniformly used a conventional ladder frame with a wheelbase of 125 in ( 3175 mm). Factory were two four-door closed structures: a sedan and a Close- Coupled Four - Door Brougham, a particularly luxurious hardtop version similar to today's 4-door coupe. There was also a convertible coupe ( convertible with two seats and two seats in-law instead of the trunk ) available. These bodies were manufactured by Fisher exclusively for Viking.

In model year 1929 4.058 Viking were sold. 1930 hit by the crisis fully; sales dropped by about a third. Just in 2,813 units could be sold. GM pulled out the emergency brake and stopped production of the Viking as well as the similarly troubled Marquette at the end of the model year 1930. 353 Viking were still assembled from pre-fabricated parts and sold as a 1931 model, so that eventually 7,224 copies have been built.

The crisis forced GM to abandon the concept with the minor brands. The gaps in the program were covered by new models of existing brands. The LaSalle was established in 1940 abandoned because the differences from the smallest Cadillac ever more blurred. Pontiac but had such a lasting success in the lower middle class that its parent company, Oakland was set in 1931. Pontiac existed until 2010.

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