Viking Cars
What’s this? Everyone’s heard of Oakland’s lower priced Pontiac sub-brand (yes Oakland came first), as well as Cadillac’s LaSalle spin-off. Maybe you’ve heard of Buick’s Marquette offspring. Then there’s the much later (and almost forgettable) Geo spin-off of Chevrolet. All of these secondary brands were cheaper than their parent division. Viking, however, was marketed by Oldsmobile as a premium offering.
Viking was started in 1929. At first, there were two models which were the Standard and the Deluxe. Those model names were obviously quite simple and to the point. For 1930, the Special was added to the lineup as a mid-range Viking model. At the end of 1930, the decision was made to discontinue the marque. There was extra production capacity and enough parts left over to construct exactly 353 Vikings for 1931.
The brand was launched during the start of Great Depression. If started at a different time-frame, maybe it would have been around a while longer. Not to mention this was one of two divisions wedged between Oldsmobile and Buick. If it would have been priced between Oakland and Olds, that may had added some longevity as well.
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