The Oldsmobile Silhouette, along with its siblings the Pontiac Trans Sport and Chevrolet Lumina APV, were a trio of minivans that débuted with radical styling in fall 1989 as 1990 models.

The first generation Silhouette was prominently featured in the 1995 film Get Shorty where it was repeatedly referred to as
"The Cadillac of minivans".

Missing image 1990oldsmobilesilhouettesmall.jpg 1990 Oldsmobile Silhouette
Oldsmobile Silhouette-1st Generation
Manufacturer:	General Motors
Production:	1990–1996
Class:	Minivan
Body Styles:	3-door + liftgate
Engines:	1989–1995 3.1 L 3.1 (191 in³) V6 1992–1995 3.8 L 3800(231 in³) V6 (optional) 1996 3.4 L LA1 3400 (207 in³) V6
Length:	194.5 inches
Wheelbase:	109.8 inches
Width:	74.6 inches
Height:	65.7 inches
Curb weight:	3,599–3,899 lbs.
Predecessors:	None
Successors:	Oldsmobile Silhouette (2nd Generation)
Similar To:	Pontiac Trans Sport Chevrolet Lumina APV
Competitors:	Dodge Caravan Plymouth Voyager Chrysler Town & Country Ford Aerostar Toyota Previa Nissan Van Mitsubishi Van
This article is part of the automobile series.

Contents

1 1990 - 1996 1st Generation 1.1 Background 1.2 Original Concept 1.3 Technology/ Innovative Features 1.4 Modest Sales Success 1.5 Year to Year Changes 1990 - 1996 1.5.1 1990 1.5.2 1991 1.5.3 1992 1.5.4 1993 1.5.5 1994 1.5.6 1995 1.5.7 1996 2 1997 - 2004 2nd Generation 2.1 Background 2.2 Mixed Sales Success

1990 - 1996 1st Generation

Background

General Motors first attempt at producing a minivan to compete with the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager, the body-on-frame Chevrolet Astro and its twin, the GMC Safari failed to make a noticeable dent in Chrysler's near monopoly of the minivan market in the 1980s, so this second attempt was made. The Oldsmobile Silhouette and its sibling models, while more successful than the Astro/Safari duo in terms of market share, had significant perceived flaws, primarily centered around its unconventional styling that ultimately limited its appeal and sales.

Original Concept

First shown to the public in 1986, the Pontiac Trans Sport concept car was extremely well received. It featured futuristic styling, individually removable bucket seats with built-in stereo speakers, a gull-wing rear passenger door and extensive use of glass including a glass-paneled roof as well as many other "dream car" features.

Based on the warm reception the concept vehicle received, the Pontiac Trans Sport was approved for production, but as is often the case, the styling and features showcased on the concept did not make the translation to the mass-produced edition. The gullwing door was deemed too expensive to produce and would probably have impacted overhead garage doors in suburban garages. The glass roof was too heavy and too expensive, so the resultant production vehicle made-do with high-gloss black painted panels for the roof to suggest the glass canopy the concept sported.

Chevrolet and Oldsmobile were also given production vehicles based on the Trans Sport in order to cover the widest possible range of potential customers. It was intended that the Lumina APV would be the value-priced version, The Trans Sport would net the more "sport & style" oriented buyers, and the Silhouette would be the minivan for the premium, luxury market.

Technology/ Innovative Features

Assembled in the now extinct General Motors Tarrytown, NY assembly facility, these U platform vans consisted of a galvanized steel space frame wrapped in composite plastic body panels that were impervious to rust and minor dents and dings, a manufacturing technique developed on the Pontiac Fiero and also used extensively on General Motors’ Saturn line of vehicles.

The Silhouette was available with seating for seven, with the five lightweight (34 lbs.) rear seats being individually reconfigurable and removable. In 1994 built-in child seats were added to the option list, which provided the ability to switch two of the rear seats between adult and child seating with the pull of a seat-mounted tab.

Included with the level ride package, which utilized a compressor and air-pressurized rear shock absorbers to maintain vehicle height regardless of load, was a control panel and air hose kit that allowed the vehicle to be used to inflate tires, air mattresses, sporting equipment and the like.

In 1994, a remote-controlled power sliding door feature was added, a General Motors innovation, which is now found in almost every other minivan available.

For the 1994 and 1995 model years traction control was available with the 3800 engine option.

Modest Sales Success

The design of these minivans was controversial. At the time that the Oldsmobile Silhouette and its siblings were conceived, no one had tried to market a stylish or sporty minivan, and GM felt that that represented a potentially large market segment. They styled these minivans to be lower and sleeker than any of the competing brands on the market. The extremely large, long and sloped windshield and the resultant long distance to the base of the windshield when sitting in the drivers seat made for a disconcerting driving experience until a person could adjust to the "different" proportions. Automotive magazines christened the new minivans "dustbusters" after a certain household appliance that shared a similar side profile.

The first engine in these vans was a meager 3.1 L V6, that produced only 120 hp, which was not up to the task of hauling these fairly heavy vehicles around with any authority.

In 1992, the Silhouette and its siblings received the 170hp 3.8 L 3800 V6 as an option, which provided much better torque and acceleration for the vans, making them the most powerful as well as best handling minivans in production at the time.

In response to criticism (and relatively modest sales) attributable to the vehicles' avant-garde styling, feedback from potential customers, automotive publications, and even chiding in Chrysler's advertising, in 1994, the Trans Sport and the Lumina APV received a facelift, shortening the nose by 3 inches and toning-down of the cladding to effect a more conventional look. Additionally a ridge was added to the interior dashboard to lessen the perceived distance to the base of the windshield.

Europe, which had grown accustomed to sleek minivans thanks to the Renault Espace, did not object to the futuristic styling, and sales were respectable, so the decision was made to retain the original styling on the Euro-version which from the 1994 model year onwards was an Oldsmobile Silhouette, transformed into a Pontiac Trans Sport by the addition of Pontiac badging and wheels. This decision by GM is the primary reason the Silhouette did not receive the nose-shortening restyle that it's stablemates did; sales in Europe were good (for an American import), but did not represent enough volume to make a fourth, distinct model economically feasible.

Production of this generation of U platform minivans ceased in 1996, at which time the Tarrytown, NY plant which produced them and which had been in operation since 1900, was shuttered and scheduled for demolition.

Year to Year Changes 1990 - 1996

1990

• All new model- The Silhouette in keeping with its positioning as GM's luxury minivan offering is available with optional leather seating, a feature not available on its platform mates and only available on the Chrysler Town and Country among competing manufacturer's models.

1991

• Customer complaints regarding glare reflected on the interior of the windshield from the massive expanse of dash board lead to the addition of black carpeting in lieu of the more reflective plastic used in the previous year.

1992

• Newly available for 1992 was GM's 3800 V6 engine coupled with a Hydra-Matic4T60 4-speed electronically-controlled automatic transmission.
• The cowl-mounted fixed radio antenna mast was eliminated, and an integrated roof antenna was installed, sandwiched between the roof and the headliner.
• Side view mirrors were changed to the folding type and were enlarged to provide better rear-view visibility.
• Brakes were enlarged and anti-lock brakes (ABS) were added as standard equipment.
• A pop-up sunroof was added to the options list.
• Steering wheel-mounted controls for the stereo system were added as an option.

1993

• The Silhouette's exterior is face-lifted, sporting wrap-around turnsignal/parking lamps up front, along with standard foglamps.
• Tail lights' design is changed from a grid to a solid red color with black "dissolves" around the edges, a style that had been used exclusively on the Pontiac Trans Sport previously.
• A remote controlled power sliding side door was announced for 1993, but failed to actually make it into production.
• A redesigned center console was added this year with revamped, larger climate controls, a large storage cubby and a large storage bin at its base.

1994

• In an effort to lessen the perceived distance to the base of the windshield, a ridge was added to the interior dash finishing panel.
• A remote-controlled power sliding door became available as an option.
• Built-in child seats for the second row became available as an option.
• A traction control system became available as an option.
• Rear deep-tinted windows now featured a darker tint than previously used.
• A driver's side airbag became standard equipment.
• The European edition of the Pontiac Trans Sport switched from being based on the Trans Sport to being a re-badged Silhouette.

1995

• Automatic power door locks that engaged/disengaged with the transmission shifting into or out of "park" added as a standard feature of the power door lock option package.

1996

• Final year of production. Replaced in 1997 by an all-new design carrying the same name.
• Both 3.1 and 3.8L V6 engines dropped, a 3.4L V6 3400 engine became the only powerplant available.
• Traction Control dropped as an option.

Missing image 1998OldsSilhouette.jpg 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette
Oldsmobile Silhouette-2nd Generation
Manufacturer:	General Motors
Production:	1997–2004
Class:	Minivan
Body Styles:	3-door (4-door optional) + liftgate
Engines:	3.4 L LA1 3400 (207 in³) V6
Length:	SWB 187.4 inches LWB 201.4 inches
Wheelbase:	SWB 112 inches LWB 120 inches
Width:	72.2 inches
Height:	67.4 inches
Curb weight:	3,710–3,832 lbs.
Predecessors:	Oldsmobile Silhouette (1st Generation)
Successors:	None
Similar To:	Pontiac Trans Sport Chevrolet Venture Opel Sintra Vauxhall Sintra Buick GL8
Competitors:	Dodge Caravan Plymouth Voyager Chrysler Town & Country Ford Windstar Toyota Sienna Nissan Quest Honda Odyssey Mercury Villager Kia Sedona
This article is part of the automobile series.

1997 - 2004 2nd Generation

Background

The redesigned 1997 Silhouette was built in Doraville, Georgia.

Having failed twice to capture a significant portion of the domestic minivan market from Chrysler, General Motors brought out an entirely new U platform series of minivans, theoretically based on the lessons learned from its previous mis-steps. Still stinging from the criticism of the "dustbuster" minivans, the new Silhouette would be completely conventional an all respects. The vehicle would be of steel unibody construction, and styling would be as conservative as possible. The previous generation was a little too large for comfortably navigating European streets, so this new range of models would be narrower and slightly smaller than was the norm for the United States in order to produce a single range of minivans that GM hoped would fill the needs of both the North American and European markets.

During the development of this generation of the U Platform minivan, General Motors extensively benchmarked the then current Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager and in the case of the Silhouette in particular, the Chrysler Town and Country. The resultant vehicles bore an uncanny resemblance to the to the immensely successful trio of Chrysler minivans, which during this era accounted for over 50% of domestic minivan sales. Unfortunately for GM, the Chrysler vehicles they were using as their yardstick were replaced in 1996 by a completely new generation of minivans from Chrysler, which (somewhat ironically for GM) featured a significantly sleeker and more stylish design than their predecessors. The Chrysler minivans also included a host of innovative features and clever packaging ideas that were not available on any other minivan on the market. General Motors ended up with a nice enough vehicle in the end, but one that was positioned to compete against a vehicle that had already been antiquated by its successor models.

Two different wheelbase lengths were offered as well as dual sliding doors. Silhouettes, in keeping with their luxury positioning, offered many features as standard that were optional on competing makes and on its platform mates. In 1998, it became one of the first vehicles on the market to offer a VCR with overhead retractable LCD screen for back seat viewing, which has since become a "must-have" option for families with children.

Mixed Sales Success

The Silhouette and its platform mates achieved slightly better sales than their avant-garde predecessors, but also failed to capture a significant share of the market. The Silhouette was a close competitor in many of the categories deemed of importance, but was a winner in no categories, the minivan market had become significantly more crowded with competing products that proved to be more desirable and throughout its production it was widely considered a second-tier competitor, certainly competent but not a stand-out in any category.

The Silhouette remained in production until the 2004 model year with minimal changes. The Oldsmobile division of General Motors was shut down and no Oldsmobiles were produced after the 2004 model year.

The spiritual sucessor to the Oldsmobile Silhouette within the General Motors line-up is the Buick Terraza which is built on an updated version of the U platform and occupies the luxury minivan slot previously occupied by the Silhouette.