General Motors had a successful sales philosophy from the very beginning. There would be a car brand for every taste and, in particular, every budget. It was a kind of tiered system with Cadillac sitting boldly at the top as the most expensive and prestigious of the offerings. Buick held the slot just below that. At the bottom was the entry level brand, Chevrolet, with what would become the performance line, Pontiac, just above it. In the middle sat Oldsmobile. Founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, the line created many notable innovations such as the Model R or "Curved Dash" which was the first mass produced automobile. It ran from 1902 through 1907. Many people will point to the introduction of the Rocket engine in 1949 as being the birth of the muscle car era. Whatever the case, Oldsmobile did a fine job of amassing sales up into the 1990s. That is when GM claimed that foreign imports were eating away at its market share to the point that, in 2004, the brand was shut down. There were plenty of Oldsmobiles on hand for the Pumpkin Run Nationals including a 1972 Cutlass convertible, a Ninety Eight, a F-85 Cutlass, a number of 442 models, a 1948 Dynamic coupe, and a 1941 Series 60.