The end of an era is here.

On April 29, General Motors manufactured the last Oldsmobile at its Lansing, Mich., assembly plant.

As an Oldsmobile Alero rolled off the assembly line, the run of the nation's oldest car manufacturer brand name came to an end.

"It's been kind of hard," said Jeff Hartzell, director of the Allegheny Rockets, which serves western and central Pennsylvania, western Maryland and northern West Virginia as a chapter of the Oldsmobile Club of America. "Oldsmobile owners are like family."

Hartzell said because Oldsmobile was smaller than other carmakers he has been able to tour engine, body and assembly plants.

"Oldsmobile officials were always involved and would take great care of the people who owned the cars they made," Hartzell said.

And don't think GM officials are about to forget about those owners now.

Alan Strezeski, co-owner of Troy-Alan Oldsmobile in Slippery Rock, said GM dealers will continue to offer the 36-month or 36,000-mile warranty as long as they continue to sell Oldsmobiles that are still in stock.

GM has entered into an agreement to make sure alternative coverage plans and parts are still available after the factory warranty expires.

"GM is not turning its back on Oldsmobile," Strezeski said. "I would think parts and service will be available for at least 10 if not 15 more years."

Oldsmobile was founded in 1897 as Olds Motor Works. It quickly established a number of firsts in the industry, including being the first automaker to export a U.S.-made automobile, the first to use chrome plating and the first to use the assembly line technique.

"Oldsmobile started using the mechanized assembly line in 1902, a full decade before Ford," Hartzell said.

Hartzell said this was due to the fact that Oldsmobile started building standardized engines in 1897. While other carmakers started as carriage makers before evolving into automakers, Oldsmobile specialized in the automobile from day one.

Hartzell said a mechanic could take a part from one Olds engine and plug it into another engine and it would work perfectly.

"They recognized the parts could be interchangeable and that's what led to mass production," he said.

After World War II, Oldsmobile became the first automaker to introduce a fully automatic transmission.

In 1960, the company introduced the Toronado, the first car to feature modern front-wheel drive. Oldsmobile was also the first car company to use plastics to make its cars lighter and lead to better fuel economy.

In 1973, Oldsmobile introduced the first "air cushion restraint." The idea was not popular at the time and Oldsmobile eventually discontinued production of the airbag.

In 1977, the Oldsmobile Cutlass was the best selling car in the country.

Strezeski said he liked Oldsmobiles even before he became a dealer.

"I liked Olds," he said. "I bought a lot of them. It's been said you buy a Chevrolet but you marry an Olds."

Soon the mystique of the Oldsmobile name began to fade as mini-vans and imports became more popular.

"In the 1980s, General Motors became lazy and thought the cars would sell themselves," Hartzell said. "They tried to reorganize at the end of the 80s and into the 90s, but it was too late. There was not enough time to rebuild."

Now that Oldsmobile has ceased production, Hartzell hopes more people will seek out one of the more than 7,000 Oldsmobile clubs across the nation.

"Now that it has happened, it gives us a chance to get the word out," Hartzell said. "I would hope membership would climb even higher."

Hartzell said the Allegheny Rockets chapter has 60 members and has been growing steadily since it was founded in 2001.

The next Allegheny Rockets all-Oldsmobile show will be May 23 in the Kennedy Memorial Park in Vandergrift. All Oldsmobiles are welcome.

For more information on the Allegheny Rockets, call Hartzell at 724-287-8218.