The poster of the ad for this 1968 Oldsmobile Delta 88 on Facebook Marketplace dares a buyer to be different stating, "you'll never see another one at a car show". That may very well be true, but I'll turn down that challenge. And not just because the $16,500 asking price has me crying out in pain. An asking price that is, amazingly too, somewhat under market.
This one family owned '68 hails from bucolic Rittman, Ohio, a good 45 minutes southwest of Akron and a solid hour and half drive for me here on the west side of Cleveland. Given the tin worm's proclivity to devour old iron and steel, it's refreshing to see something this old in such great shape up here - especially considering it's original and unrestored. However, like many a 1965-1970 General Motors full-sizer, I'm not a fan of its styling despite how good these cars stay bolted, screwed, welded and glued together. They also ride and handle better than anything made before them and much better than the shuddering messes that replaced them in 1971. There are some exceptions but in general, there's just something about their lines I can't warm to. In particular these fastback coupes that all GM divisions came with back then save for Cadillac.
If you had to have an Oldsmobile coupe for MY 1968 but didn't care for the fastback, Oldsmobile referred to their hard tops back then as "Holiday", you could opt for an 88 convertible. Or spring for a 98 two-door that was spared the ignominy of the swoopy tail treatment. Bonus, the 98 rode on the larger GM C-body that afforded rear passengers a scooch more leg room; our 88 here along with Buick's LeSabre and all Pontiac and Chevrolet big boys rode on the shorter wheelbase GM B-body. Downside was, if you thought the 88 was an "old man's car", the 98 was metaphorically even "older". Incidentally, Chevrolet was the only GM division that offered a formal or notchback roof line on their B-body two-door.
Another problem with the fastback design was the rear blind spots it created. Couple that with no factory passenger door mirror and when changing lanes, I'd break out my Rosemary beads. Left or right. And on a windy day, the fastback would act like a sail making an already tailspin happy car even more so. Imagine the fun.
Oldsmobile had two '88's for 1968, the entry level "Delmont" and the "Delta"; I'm sure there's an origin story for Oldsmobile's use of the Delmont and Delta prefixes. Delmont replaced "Dynamic" in the Oldsmobile portfolio for 1967; from 1969, through 1988, Olds buyers could only buy a Delta 88. There was also a range-topping Delta 88 Royale from 1971-1988. Through the 1950's and 1960's there were also Super 88's, Celebrity 88's, Fiesta's and Jetstars. If you're keeping score, bless your heart if you are, after 1988, Oldsmobile marketed 88's as "Eighty-Eight's".
Suffice to say, whether it be an "88" or an "Eighty-Eight", it was a very profitable thus important model designation for GM's long gone middle division.
The "88" nomenclature hearkened back to the days when Oldsmobile identified their models numerically with the first digit denoting chassis or body, the second the number of cylinders it had. Although, from the start, the "88" muddied the nomenclature since there never was a 6-cylinder, "86". 1949 and 1950 "88's" shared their bodies with the existing, entry level, 6-cylinder, 76 models and featured Oldsmobile's "Rocket" V-8 engine. With the use of the Rocket V-8 in the smaller, lighter 76, some claim the Olds 88 was the first "muscle car".
Speaking of der Rocket, my only experience directly with one of these cars was during a brief, albeit memorable spin in a 425-cubic inch, Rocket V-8 powered 1966 Delmont 88 "Town Sedan". Although, much like our '66 here, I found its styling off putting if not out and out bizarre, I had much love for the mighty Rocket. Everything is relative, but compared to the wimpy sixer in my '74 Mercury Comet I had at the time, I felt that big old Olds had enough power to fly me to the moon. The power-boosted brakes on that car were almost as bad as the unboosted drums on my Comet.
I can only imagine the cheap thrills to be had with this car's Rocket 455; the poster of the ad didn't specify which of the three 455's it may have had. Yes, three. Oldsmobile made a five 455 engines in different states of tune for 1968. '68 was also the first year for the biggest of all Rockets and they built it through 1976. You'd find it under the hood of just about any Oldsmobile during that time save for the Chevrolet Nova based Omega, and Chevrolet Monza\Vega based Starfire.
Dare to be different? I usually accept that challenge but on our '68 here, I'll let someone else who's got $16,500 burning a hole in their bank account rise to the occasion. Although, I wouldn't mind taking this out on a lonesome, mid-Ohio country backroad to see if it's Rocket engine has as much power as I remember it might have had.
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