1950 Oldsmobile 88 - Not a Cloud in the Sky

Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of cars made before 1960...but I do have some exceptions. Our primer grey 1950 Olds 88 here being one of them and this one is for sale on Facebook Marketplace with an out of this world asking price. I forget what it is exactly but I believe it was around $20,000. I know. As if. 

General Motors needless if not senseless slicing, dicing, noodling and canoodling of their designs from year to year, under the auspice of creating artificial demand for new models, most often times, yes, subjective, ruined original designs. Mercifully, Oldsmobile left their new-for-1949 "88" alone for there's little to decipher a '49 from a 1950. They of course jumped the shark come 1951 but that's a blog for another day. 

Our subject here's mid-restoration certainly does it's lines no favors but we can still see the simple James Dean cool that knocked the world on it's tailpipe in 1949. All of GM's 1949 designs, save for the Buick's, were deep breathes of fresh air that hinted of a aeronautic if not space-age inspired design future. That future would be, being polite here, rather bumpy at times; looking at you 1958 Oldsmobile. However,  as the 1940's melted into the 1950's, the future appeared to not have a cloud in the sky. At least for Oldsmobile and General Motors. 

From this unflattering angle, again the primer does this car no favors as well, there's still some "Christmas Story Oldsmobile" here that I'm not a fan of; love the movie of course but not the "old man's Oldsmobile". That styling similarity is somewhat understandable given "the old man's Oldsmobile" and this car are but thirteen model-years apart. Makes the rapid evolution from this car to what Oldsmobile pushed out just thirteen model years later all the more remarkable. How did they get from here to there so quickly? 

There's no way anyone could have foretold of the hairy, gaudy, hoary rolling jukeboxes Oldsmobile pushed out at the end of the 1950's. GM's design guru Harley Earl seemingly gasping for straws as the dreary bells of retirement neared. That and the cattle prod that were the 1957 Chrysler's; nothing like a little competition to spur inspiration. Or was that desperation? His successor, Bill Mitchell, brilliantly taking his designs down a notch or several before settling down into his own 1960's through 1970's safety bumper groove. A groove that I believe was the greatest run of designs in General Motors history. Mr. Mitchell stepped down upon forced retirement at 65 in 1977. Imagine what he could have done with GM's 1978 intermediates and beyond. 

Ah, but our 1950 "88" here with it's still simple lines and just enough chrome to push the envelope on good taste. But what's really special about this car is in addition to it's handsome, arguably timeless styling it's what lies behind this elegant front end and under it's hood. 

Holy historical accuracy, Batman. This is an original Oldsmobile 303 cubic-inch, "Rocket" V-8 which has been rebuilt with period correct hot-rod accessories. The Offenhauser valve covers, the Edmund "two-deuce" intake manifold...comparatively speaking this is one hopped up "Rocket". 

This car would be a handful to drive despite the "Whirl-A-Way" Hyrda-matic (automatic) transmission behind that Oldsmobile Rocket. Worm and double roller (manual) steering and "self-energizing brakes" make for a lot of work for the driver. Air conditioning was rarely available on any cars of this period. 

Front end is rebuilt with "drop spindles" thus the "lowered look" which while not historically correct is period correct; I'm not a fan. Love the canopy over the windshield - a primitive way to block the sun back in the days before tinted glass. Our '50 is a long way from finished and even when done it still has far and away too much "'50's" in her to make it appealing to me. Especially at the asking price. Hope she finds a good home. 

1963 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 - My Mother Was Right

General Motors market share of vehicles sold in the United States stood at a historically high 53.7 percent in 1963. Over the last fifty-eight years, basically, my lifetime, the confluence of circumstances and bad decisions has whittled that once all but monopolistic share down to just below 18%. 

Years ago I asked an older and sadly since passed away friend of mine, in his opinion, why he thought that GM had the market dominance that it did years ago. Without batting an eye he said bluntly, "Styling. GM just had the coolest cars." Based on this '63 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88, I'd say he was right on the money with his assessment. 

I came across this 1963 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 in Celebrity trim recently during one of my cheap car searches. It's literally, simply gorgeous with nary a bad line on it. That's saying a lot considering just five model years before it, Oldsmobile's were probably the most chrome-drenched of any GM make; the embodiment of everything I find off-putting about 1950's domestics. Like many things before I was born in 1964, it has a certain mystery, innocense and, dare I say, sophistication and sheer honesty that I find most alluring. Sort of like a Marilyn Monroe in her prime; a timeless, ageless beauty who's as contemporary today as she ever was.

For 1963, Oldsmobile slotted the "88" between the "98" that rode on a chassis with a slightly longer wheelbase and the "full-size sports car" Olds called the "Star Fire".  Subsequently, the 88's were available in either "Super" or "Dynamic" models in four distinct body-styles. Hard top models were called "Holiday", pillared models, like our subject here, were called "Celebrity", station wagons were "Fiesta". Convertibles were simply, "convertibles".  I guess the Oldsmobile marketing department ran out of catchy names for body designations when it came time to peg the drop-top. 

Super 88's were also available in the same body styles making for a dizzying and blurry array of very   similar makes and models. The only tangible difference between the Super and Dynamic 88 and the Star Fire was the horsepower rating of their 394 cubic-inch, "Rocket" V-8 engines. The 394 in the Super made three-hundred thirty, in the Dynamic it made two-hundred eighty. The Star Fire, which was similar in concept to the Pontiac Grand Prix, Buick Wildcat and Chevrolet Impala SS 409, made three hundred forty-five. Sounds like a ton of power and not that it's not, but keep in mind that up until 1972, brake horsepower was rated at the fly wheel with no accessories on the engine. That "gross" rating was often times exaggerated or even underrated depending on manufacturer wants and needs. "Net" horsepower ratings are measured at the business end of the transmission and with all accessories on the engine. Carve roughly 40% of a gross rating to get an approximate net. 

Personally, the Star Fire with it's range topping power and two-door styling would have been my Oldsmobile jam. That or at least a "Holiday" Dynamic 88 coupe. This Walter Mitty-esque Celebrity sedan wouldn't row my land yacht. Kind of reminds me of what my father would have driven back then. Well, make that should have driven. 

I wish he drove something like this and not the boorish, ugly Rambler he had instead.  Then again, what my father was and I what I wanted him to be were diametrically different. I wanted John Wayne for a dad and he didn't even come up to be a Willie Loman. Anyway, again, I love the simplicity of this design that could only have been borne out of excess. That simplicity, in my opinion, got lost with next generation of full-size Oldsmobiles come 1965; even the '64's which are quite similar to this '63 look fussy in the details. The cartoonishly big models after 1971 even more so. During the great downsizing epoch, full-size Oldsmobile's to me seemed to be wannabee's of Oldsmobile's from this generation. Let's not even go there with the whole, "This is Not Your Father's Oldsmobile" bullshit. 

Thanks to the miserable marriage of my parents that made for a frankly hellish childhood, I naively if wistfully longed to have been alive in the time period before I was born. A time period that my mother swore was better. If GM design was indicative of that like my late friend pointed out so succinctly, I'd have to say she was right. 

1973 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 - (Beware) The Tin Worm

Not sure why this popped up when I put "Corvette parts" into the search box in Facebook Marketplace but who am I to argue with Mark Zuckerberg's wonky algorithms? Something tells me he knows exactly what I would find interesting because sure as hell here I am lovingly blogging if not thinking quasi-serious about calling on this 1973 Oldsmobile 4-4-2. It's for sale near my home here on the west side of Cleveland, Ohio for a not unreasonable asking price of six-thousand dollars. That asking price all but too good to be true considering the seller brags of just thirty-four thousand miles on it's forty-seven year old ticker. Price is negotiable too making this old beast simultaneously alluring and disconcerting. What are they hiding? 

Originally denoting four-barrels, four-speeds and two exhaust pipes, by '73 "4-4-2" still denoted that  although the engine the four-barrel sat on top of and the optional four-speed backing it up wasn't quite the pot-whopper previous Oldsmobile "Rockets" were. Blame the EPA all you want for that but the reality was even if the "Big Three" had developed emissions gear that didn't impede engine performance, insurance surcharges on anything deemed a performance car would have made them unattractive for a vast number of potential buyers. So, our 4-4-2 here along with similar models from Chevrolet, Buick and Pontiac may have looked the part but they were mostly all "show" instead of "go".  Our '73 is powered by the Oldsmobile "Rocket" 350 V-8. If it was the 455 the block and valve cover gaskets would be blue. 

I'm smitten with this well-worn black-on-black '73 4-4-2; full disclosure, many find fault with these "colonnades", I happen to like them. A lot. Maybe it's nostalgia mixed with genuine appreciation for these big intermediates that are actually pretty swell riding cars. Throw in one like this with a manual transmission and fat sway bars fore and aft and, well, at least on paper, they're pretty good values. Breathe a little on the motor, shorten the rear end and you've got a real nice runner. Thing is you need to be careful and not dump too much cash into something like this because they're really not worth a whole lot. A '70 Hemi 'Cuda these ain't. Even if this car was in showroom shape it would still be worth a good third less than a comparable 1972 4-4-2. Compared to a '68 or '69 4-4-2 convertible they're worth about twenty-percent of what they're worth.  

Of this vintage "4-4-2" that Oldsmobile pushed out through 1977, these '73's with their small rear bumpers are my favorite. The '74 and '75's with their big rear bumpers as well as the '73's fronts are a turn-off. The shovel-nosed NASCAR inspired '76 and '77's are nothing if not bizarre. Still, I wouldn't kick one out of my garage if one happened to magically appear there. 

Gotta love these oh-so-'70's "Strato-buckets". They're not to give the driver ease of entry or vice-versa but to allow passengers better egress to the rear bench seat. They're fairly comfortable as '70s' GM seats go although the back doesn't rake (weird) and there's no power adjustment. They're cool but if you're of very average height, like me, you may feel as though you're sitting somewhat in a bathtub . I'm not a fan of that although I do love the seats. 

What scares me about this car at any price is that it's a "Cleveland" car and that means rust. Save for it's delightful patina, that I wouldn't change, you have to be concerned about rust on these things. Beef up the engine and what-not all you want and turn it into a genuine rat-rod but what's the point of that if the tin-worm has gotten into it? Trust me, once it starts it's all but impossible to stop it. And repeated attempts at it gets expensive very quickly. 

Get it up on a rack see what's going on. If it's clean, which I doubt, it might be worth taking a look-see or two at it. Here's the listing. Good luck.