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Oldsmobile’s Guidestar GPS arrives to spare men the indignity of asking directions

Oldsmobile’s Guidestar GPS arrives to spare men the indignity of asking directions

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It’s easy today to take GPS navigation for granted and, particularly, to underestimate its importance in saving couples’ relationships. Back in the mid-1990s, however, when factory navigation made its first U.S. appearance in the Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight, the exciting new technology was pitched in this infomercial with the enticement: “Wouldn’t you guys love it if you never had to admit to your wife that you were lost while you were driving?”

GM called the miracle technology Guidestar, and it was a $2000 option on the Eighty-Eight. The hard-disk-based system had data for just 17 states. The unit was mounted on a flexible stick and featured input buttons below a color screen. Turn-by-tun directions were displayed on the screen, and audible directions were given as well. As the video shows, however, the electronic voice synthesizer was about on a par with a Speak & Spell.

The execution may have been rudimentary, but the idea was revolutionary. Clearly, a new age was dawning — and in a rather unlikely car. For guys, the promise was clear. As the video says: “You’ll never hear the words that strike fear in the hearts of all men, ‘Honey, let’s pull over and ask for directions.'”

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May 24, 2020 at 10:18AM