As far as dead brands go, Oldsmobile stands out for their rich history and tragic end. First established in 1896, 124 years ago, Oldsmobile held a place in the American automotive industry as an innovative maker of some amazing cars. Yet they are no longer with us today, having been shut down in 2004, Oldsmobile has faded into the collective memory of car enthusiasts as well as those who remember seeing them on the road.

How then, can a brand that was on top of its game for both the beginning and golden years of the history of American cars fall so far, so quickly? With cars like the Rocket 88 and Cutlass 442 behind them, Oldsmobile had many great names to work with, names that symbolized innovation and quality. But the world wasn't so kind to them, with the gas crisis and CAFE laws bringing American automotive performance and quality to a standstill, GM's new cookie-cutter design policy took its toll on any good reputation the brand had left.

Lemon after lemon was pumped out bearing the Oldsmobile badge, and with beloved names being turned into generic vehicles that did not match the purpose that made them beloved, buyers turned away from Oldsmobile.

Read on to find out exactly which models were responsible for the demise of this once great brand:

15 Silhouette

Via Pinterest

Often referred to as the "Dust Buster," it's easy to see why people were apprehensive about this strange minivan. While it did have some innovation behind it, it was too little and too late. By this point, Oldsmobile was relying almost entirely on shared platform cars between GM divisions, had they earned themselves a better reputation at the time, the Silhouette could have helped. But the weird looks from a fallen brand attracted very few buyers, and further dropped their reputation as the odd looks were mocked.

14 Bravada

Via Wikipedia

In their final years of life, you would have assumed Oldsmobile would have gone out of their way to make interesting vehicles again to counter their horrible reputation, but no. Instead, GM executives decided basic SUVs were what the brand needed, had this have been a choice made today, when SUVs are all the rage, it may have made sense. But this was the early 2000s, and nobody wanted a Chevy Blazer re-badged as an Oldsmobile.

13 Intrigue

olds intrigue
Via Drive2.com

Cars from Oldsmobile's final years are a good indicator of how they got into such a dismal state in the first place. The Intrigue was by no means an intriguing car, intended to compete with luxury imports like BMW, it seriously fell short of the mark. It was by no means a horrible car, but it wasn't a great one either. When your brand's reputation is in the gutter, "acceptable" just doesn't cut it.

RELATED: Ranking The 15 Crappiest GM Cars Ever Made

12 Alero

Via Consumer Guide Auto

The smaller twin to the Intrigue, the Alero suffered a similar fate. Just like the Intrigue, the Alero set out to compete directly with sporty Import coupes, but it was mostly a re-badged Pontiac Grand Am. While it was an improvement for the brand, they still fell far behind what Imports were offering at the time. Oldsmobile's reputation further drove buyers away, especially when it was a direct descendant of the awful Achieva.

11 Achieva

Via Wikipedia Commons

While the last generation of Oldsmobiles killed the brand with their inability to overcome a bad brand image, the cars responsible for the bad image truly deserved the hate they received. One such car is the Achieva, an utterly generic car built off of a generic platform. While the car doesn't have many horrible faults, it was so bland and uninspired that calling it anything but a bland metal box is undeserved flattery.

10 Firenza

Via Wikipedia Commons

While the Achieva was bad, it was nothing as horrible as the cars that preceded it. One such car is the Firenza. Intended to replace the once-beloved Starfire, the Firenza was exactly what you'd expect from GM in the 1980s, a generic platform based car with no real innovation or effort to speak of. The odd looks didn't help sales, with the Firenza ending up as yet another flop for Oldsmobile.

9 Cutlass Calais

Via CarGurus

The Oldsmobile Cutlass was once a proper muscle car, with a big V8 under the hood, a sumptuous interior, and bold styling. Yet when the Cutlass Calais was introduced, the Cutlass had come to symbolize generic compact American cars, without any unique virtues to offer. At least you could get the Calais with the decently peppy Quad 4 motor, although this was ruined by the early Quad 4's lack of engine balancing.

RELATED: Slap Stick! The 1969 Hurst/Olds In Focus

8 Cutlass Ciera

Via Wheelsage

Sometimes referred to as the "Gutless Cutlass," the Cutlass Ciera was as far removed from the legendary Cutlasses of the 1960s and early '70s as could be. Now a mid-size FWD platform re-badge, with the top engine option delivering a boring 150 hp, and the lower trims often having less than 110 hp.

The Ciera wasn't exactly the beginning of the end for Oldsmobile, but it helped secure the brand's reputation of pumping out generic vehicles.

7 Omega

Via Pinterest

One of the thoroughly mediocre variants made with GM's X-Platform, the Omega shared plenty of DNA with the doomed Chevy Citation. These cars were so poorly made, with so many issues being common, that they would become some of the most recalled vehicles of all time.

Even worse, many Omegas were given the essentially powerless Iron Duke engine, making it bare-bones in terms of both quality and performance.

6 Custom Cruiser V8 Diesel

Via Hemmings Motor News

In recent years, wagons have been making a comeback as cool and practical vehicles. The same thing can be said about Diesel engines, which are now understood to be mostly clean and reliable (no thanks to VW). But the fact these things needed to make a comeback to be accepted can be traced to vehicles like this.

For starters, the Olds Diesel V8 was so horrible it made people think all diesels were junk, and the Custom Cruiser wagons of the '80s had become so stale, with no changes for an entire decade, that it gave both a bad rap.

5 Delta 88 (1977-1985)

Via Curbside Classic

The origins of Oldsmobile as an automotive legend can be traced back to the first 88s. Credited as one of the first muscle cars, the 88 was a legend in its day and a performance leader.

The same can't be said about the later Delta 88s, having been morphed into a GM platform re-badge without the class-leading power and luxury, the 88 name was now mostly meaningless, killing one of the last pillars of Oldsmobile's reputation.

RELATED: 10 Cars That Sunk Pontiac (And 10 that Sunk Oldsmobile)

4 98 (1991-1996)

Via Carspecs.us

Pinpointing one single thing that Oldsmobile did wrong to doom itself is rather easy when looking at cars like this. The 98 was one of Oldsmobile's legendary models, beloved as a beautiful full-size luxury car, yet Oldsmobile decided to turn it into a bland mid-sized commuter car. In case you haven't noticed, this is a common theme in Oldsmobile's downfall.

3 Toronado (1986-1992)

beige oldsmobile toronado
Via Dad's Classic Cars

The Oldsmobile Toronado had built a legend for itself in the 1960s as a full-size luxury cruiser that was comfortable, stylish, and powerful. The later generations of the Toronado had none of those attributes, instead being a small and generic commuter car that frankly nobody wanted. Even compared to the mediocre previous generation of Toronado, sales fell by 62% with the introduction of the 1986 generation.

2 Starfire (1975-1980)

Via Barn Finds

When Oldsmobile introduced the Starfire name, it was for a truly special car. From 1961 to 1966 the Starfire was one of the coolest and most beautiful luxury powerhouses you could buy.

Unfortunately, Oldsmobile revived the name in 1975, hoping for sales based on the car's previous reputation. But the new Starfire was nothing but a re-badged Monza, an utter disappointment for any fans of Oldsmobile that were still remaining.

1 Aurora (2001-2003)

olds aurora 2001
Via Wikimedia Commons

What could have been the brand's redemption turned into the final nail in the coffin? The first generation Aurora was a step in the right direction for Oldsmobile, with unique and sleek styling, a proper V8 under the hood (albeit the problematic Northstar), and several racing victories. But it was poorly marketed and tarnished by Oldsmobile's bland copy and paste reputation.

When the second generation Aurora was released, the sleek looks were ditched in favor of strange bloated styling, ruining any potential the car had left in it.

NEXT: 10 Cars That Made Oldsmobile (And 5 That Broke It)