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So as I've gotten more into Olds over the last couple years and in particular the 88 line, one thing I've wondered/been curious about is the cool factor of an Olds 88 in the days when bringing one home new.
What I mean is from what I can gather, the first generation 88 was seen as the first muscle car, the rocket name meant something big, it was one of the Olds to own, etc.. but as someone born in 1984, I can tell you that that by the time I could remember cars on the road, the 9th and 10th generation of the 88 certainly weren't seen as anything particularly special or appealing (no offense meant to anyone that owns these cars now as I've developed a love for all things Olds and 88 in particular including the FWD generations).
So to those who are a bit older than me, I guess what I'm curious about is if you were bringing home a new 88/delta 88 in say the 6th, 7th, or 8th generations (65 to 85), was there still a coolness factor around bringing one home or had most of the glory gone to the cutlass by this point? Just curious of the perception around the car in those days. As I've mentioned I love the 71 to 76 generation and own a 83 but not sure either was seen as particularly cool when they were new. No wrong answers so if you tell me the car was great until the gen I own, I promise I wont be upset but certainly curious to any thoughts and opinions.
And of course I realize we love oldsmobiles just by being here so feel free to be biased I love these cars too.
To Mr. Joe Average the 88 was a much more preferable ( and expensive ) car .
It was a REAL Oldsmobile
To the young family man , the Cutlass line offered a much cheaper and economical car .
To the gearhead speedfreaks the 442 was the bomb !
As has been said before " there's an *** for every seat " .
IMO I like the big car line from Oldsmobile. 88,98 and Custom cruiser. I recall there was a 1976 2dr 98 Regency Burgundy with white vinyl top for sale by a dealer in Florida.
I'd be proud to own that rig any day of the week!
Eyeballing a 1983 88 royal brougham coupe with 2 tone for sale near me. Two tone with wire wheel covers. Crappy weather to be driving and inspecting cars up here in Michigan right now.
I grew up in a Blue Collar steelmill town (Calumet City /So. Suburban Chicago), in the late 60s and 70s. An 88 in the driveway meant something and said something. Was not so much a question of the "cool" factor as it was one of material success. No one could afford a Cadillac and typically only Doctors, Attorneys, and salaried management regularly drove Buicks or a Olds 98. Having an 88 was the top of the food chain for most Joe Lunchbox guys - even the skilled trades. I remember when my Father purchased a brand new 1976 Delta 88 Royale - with the optional 455ci/4bbl no less. It was the first new car he ever bought - at age 42. He was a bricklayer at Inland Steel and saved years to get that car. It said to him, and the neighborhood, he was a success.
That '76 Delta 88 was some car too. Last of the real full-size cars and the end of the line for the 455 engine Royal Blue metallic with blue velour upholstery. Even strangled with poorly designed pollution controls, that 455 could light the tires up if you pounded it. Drove that car to my senior prom. Spent two days cleaning and waxing it. Thought I owned the world.
I have a 67 Delta Custom Holiday Coupe now. With the long hood, short deck, fastback styling I think it is every bit as "cool" as its A Body relatives.
The Oldsmobile 88 was the car seen in the movie Fargo. Wasn't it also seen in one of the Lethal Weapon movies? That's a cool car in my book.
I dont know if it's cool or not but i will say shortly after i bought my 83, this 89 2 door with the suspension package popped up nearby and it made me appreciate the car more driving past it on a regular basis until it sold..
I grew up in a Blue Collar steelmill town (Calumet City /So. Suburban Chicago), in the late 60s and 70s. An 88 in the driveway meant something and said something. Was not so much a question of the "cool" factor as it was one of material success. No one could afford a Cadillac and typically only Doctors, Attorneys, and salaried management regularly drove Buicks or a Olds 98. Having an 88 was the top of the food chain for most Joe Lunchbox guys - even the skilled trades. I remember when my Father purchased a brand new 1976 Delta 88 Royale - with the optional 455ci/4bbl no less. It was the first new car he ever bought - at age 42. He was a bricklayer at Inland Steel and saved years to get that car. It said to him, and the neighborhood, he was a success.
That '76 Delta 88 was some car too. Last of the real full-size cars and the end of the line for the 455 engine Royal Blue metallic with blue velour upholstery. Even strangled with poorly designed pollution controls, that 455 could light the tires up if you pounded it. Drove that car to my senior prom. Spent two days cleaning and waxing it. Thought I owned the world.
I have a 67 Delta Custom Holiday Coupe now. With the long hood, short deck, fastback styling I think it is every bit as "cool" as its A Body relatives.
Dave
I have a spot in my heart for the big girls. I remember getting home from my paper route one morning 15yrs old and took my sisters 68 Delta out for a beat lap, I pulled back in the drive and she was washing her hair in the kitchen sink window(crap busted) never noticed me slide back in her parking spot. Bought a 73 Delta from a friend of hers that her Dad owned for 800bucks when I was 21, a pack of us cruised 90mph for about 45min one day coming back from the north woods smooth and effortless she had legs. About 20yrs ago I stubbled on a 69 2dr 98 drop top at a garage sale for 4k bought it and 6 bar stools. Olds memories just glad I had the chance to acquire them and look forward to making some more.
While the mid 70's to mid 80's where no powerhouses, they sure where great cruisers in my opinion. I loved driving them, and riding in them. {I have a 75 Delta conv under resto} I also had a "sister car", an 85 Lesabre limited. My buddy had a 78 Delta 88 coupe, another an 85 Delta 88 coupe. They where better looking than the competition from ford and chrysler, and a set of wire wheels would really set them off. And nothing rides like a big Gm, hands down the winner in that category. So, when I was in high school, - early 20's, {1980's early -90's } I thought cars where cool, especially if you had the $$$ for some basket spokes, and if you had some more $$$$, a set of tru spokes really look sharp on one of these babies. My 75 conv has Tru spokes , but they are showing there age. My Lesabre had a 403 from a 77 98, as the 307 was rapping when i got it. We repainted it original silver with blue landau top and blue interior, basket spokes w/ whitewalls, I put that car together for peanuts. My friends 78 was black with red interior with baskets. my other friends was white / red interior with baskets & whitewalls, all sharp looking cars. They were all obviously a few yrs old, but still better looking than the early fwd offerings of the mid-late 80's and early 90's.
The nicest one i ever saw was a 77-79 Delta 88, it was a light blue, not a powder blue, but a light metallic blue, white interior, white 1/4 landau , buckets and a floor shift console, even back then i never saw another like it.
I came home from school one day in the spring of ‘72... all of 11 years old at the time to see a dark blue with a black top brand spanking new ‘72 delta 88 royale sitting in the driveway, went in the house and asked my mom who was over? She said nobody. I said who’s car is that and she said dad bought a new car... I wasn’t happy at all about it... he traded in the family ‘68 lite blue vista cruiser 3 seat wagon for it. I asked if he could take it back and get the wagon back... still mad about it to this day, I did warm to the delta but it took awhile. recently seen that same color 72 delta on cl and was mulling over buying it, it’s still for sale and if the price was more reasonable I’d buy it, but, if a ‘68 lite blue vista came along I’d forget about it in a heartbeat
Not exactly my time period - the 50's, but I think the 88's of the fifties were pretty special with their "Rocket" engines, etc. Then early 60's there were the Starfires and later Jetstar 1's that were the hot rods and the 88's started to be more family type cars. Then came the F85/Cutlass and in 64 the 442 and that is when I believe the 88 was no longer considered the hot rod at all. But still what cool cars they were and still are
NOT ALL OLDSMOBILE .
When I was a young guy , I owned a 50 Ford sedan , with a 55 Olds motor , Lincoln-Zepher rear , LaSalle transmission with shift on the coloum .
NOTHING BUT NOTHING could BEAT it . This was in 1959 .
February 7th, 2020, 06:06 PM
