Man and Woman in Curved-Dash Oldsmobile, 1901

While other carmakers concentrated on large, high-priced automobiles, Ransom E. Olds introduced his simple little Curved Dash Oldsmobile in 1901 and sold it for a relatively inexpensive $650. Olds was among the first to realize the potential in an affordable automobile for the masses, and his Curved Dash runabout put car ownership within the means of the middle class.