Can anyone help me find the number of Oldsmobile Dealerships in the US in 1967? By knowing the number, I can get a very good idea as to how many Cutlass Supreme/"Springtime Specials" were produced in 1967. Thank you in advance for ANY help. Robie (VERY Newbie)

 

3,395 Oldsmobile dealer franchises (estimated as of January 1, 1968)

 

So what is this car? And how can you tell how many?

 

I'm guessing the OP is looking at an ad like this... (and no, I've never heard of it or seen any documentation either). It's apparently a triple yellow convertible. Certainly rare. There's no way to know or even estimate how many were made that way.

https://carscoms.com/rare-survivor-s...r--239821.html

 

Thanks for you question. From all I've read and been able to find out, the "Springtime Special" edition was produced for the 1967 model year only. And (again as far as I have been able to find out) only ONE (of each convertible that Oldsmobile had in the 1967 lineup, and was built as a "S/S") were given to each dealership. (1 Cutlass, 1 '98, 1 '88, and I believe 4-4-2, etc.) These were (usually) fairly highly optioned and were "triple" yellow. (Olds) Saffron Yellow, exterior. (It was also called Butternut Yellow on on some other GM cars) Pearl Yellow interior (soft surfaces/console/dash panel,etc.) padded dash is medium saddle, as is the carpet, and seat belts. Yellow convertible top. (Although mine, as with almost all others that I have found/seen are now black nylon since yellow tops are [almost?] impossible to find.) I actually prefer the black top myself, (aesthetically.) Since only 1 of each "S/S" convertible (body style-model) was produced/given to each Olds dealership of record in 1967, if I can get a good idea as to the number of said dealerships, that would tell me (pretty closely) how many Cutlass "Springtime Specials" were produced that year. I'm still trying to find some sort of "documentation" re: the number of dealerships (as of January 1968) that was supplied to me by another member of this forum. Is it a "necessity", or will it actually "change" anything as far as my ownership/enjoyment of the car? No, but I guess I'm just curious as to exactly HOW "rare" they actually are. I'm sure you have heard of/know about the "PHS" documentation available for Pontiac owners. (I had a '66 GTO prior to this Olds, and one can send in the VIN [along with some cash, naturally] and get pretty comprehensive information on that particular car.) I wish Olds had something comparable to that for their cars. (So far) I haven't been able to find it, if it exists. Again, I'm a "Newbie" to this entire Forum, so I'm not (fully) used to this format, etc. It's a process. Thanks for your question, hope this helps.

 

First of all, THANK YOU for your reply.
Can you tell me how/where you found these numbers? (Source. I haven't been able to find ANYTHING relating to total number of Olds Dealerships in 1967.)
Thank you in advance, Robie

 

In the ad Joe linked to: explain to me how an October build can be part of the Spring Special promotion?

The triple yellow color scheme was available the entire 1967 production run but was as noted heavily promoted in spring 1967 sales campaigns.

I've seen the triple yellow cars in 88, Ninety Eight and Cutlass lines. Also seen them fully loaded and sparsely optioned. Depended on what the dealer thought would sell in his area.

 

Out of curiosity, what did you read and where did you read it? The yellow interior and convertible top were only available in the 1967 model year. That's got nothing to do with any "springtime special"; those options were available on the Cutlass, Cutlass Supreme, Delmont, Delta, and Ninety Eight model lines at any time that model year.

 

And to demonstrate even further how not "springtime special" this was, here are pages from the 1967 dealership brochure that was printed in 1966 before the 1967 cars even went on sale. Note the yellow Ninety Eight convertible interior.

 

Unfortunately it does not exist for Oldsmobiles of that time period. GM only started keeping records of Olds in the mid 70's. There is a possibilty that you may find information on the Springtime Special at the GM Heritage Center, if that edition of Olds actually existed. My guess is that it may have been a localized promotion by individual dealers.

 

To clarify, Olds (and all automakers) kept records. They were only RETAINED from the late 1970s-onward in response to federal documentation and recall requirements. Automakers are (and were) in the business of selling new cars, not retaining historical records for half a century. The data that Pontiac Historical Services has only exists because someone who was there when Pontiac was about to also throw them out intervened and saved the documents.

 

I have no idea where you got this info, but as someone who was alive, reading car magazines, and living in an Oldsmobile household in 1967, this is the first I've ever heard of this. The story sounds like total fabrication. Please provide any factual material that you have to back this up.

 

Joe, you are correct on the word retained, I am well aware of how the other makes have, or managed to get the records for their manufacturer.

 

Agreed, I think Ed Skaff would've mentioned the phrase as he loved those triple yellow 67s. Think it's hi-test BS.

 

I have a yellow/yellow interior with white painted roof 1967 Cutlass Supreme 2dr hardtop
AFAIK the yellow with tan carpet & lower dash were the early cars this changed to yellow with black carpet & lower dash before "spring"

if they made 1 "springtime special" for each dealership, they would be among the most common combinations of Cutlass Supreme convertibles

the dealership number data is from the 1968 WARD's AUTOMOTIVE YEARBOOK (covers model year '67)
the 1967 WARD's AUTOMOTIVE YEARBOOK (covers model year '66) estimates 3,445 Oldsmobile franchised dealers as of 1/1/67

 

^^^THIS. Olds made 10,897 Cutlass Supreme convertibles in the 1967 model year. One alleged "springtime special" per dealer would mean that about 1/3 of all 1967 Supreme convertibles were triple yellow. I think not.

 

This reminds me of another "numbers" game. In the mid- to late 1980s in Hemmings Motor News, there were lots of '68 4-4-2 convertibles and holiday and sport coupes for sale (sometimes up to two columns worth). For the '68 4-4-2 convertibles, there was an occasional ad for one that originally came with a bench seat instead of bucket seats, saying that only 201 '68 4-4-2 convertibles were made with bench seats. My '68 4-4-2 convertible came originally with the "A52 BENCH SEAT FRONT 68.46CR" (per the window sticker) and that's the way it is today. I have no idea where the "201" number came from and now it's gone. Not that it makes any difference to me as I would rather have bucket seats and a console. But it sure would be interesting to find out where that "201" number came from. It might be real - you don't see a whole lot of '68 4-4-2 convertibles with a front bench seat - but it's just as likely someone made it up to make the car sound rare. Even then, some cars that are more rare are not necessarily more desirable.

Randy C.

 

This is unfortunately all too common today. Every seller is hyping the rarity of some undesirable option combo in an attempt to inflate the sale price. How many ads have we seen recently for the "rare" three speed manual cars? And sorry folks, but post cars were bottom feeders when new, which is why few were sold. No one wanted them. Of course, now I have to laugh at ads that say "Rare - only 14,273 made". Seriously? (and yes, I just saw that today). As I've said before, some things are rare for a reason.

 

3500 Olds dealers mean 70 per state average. That sounds like a lot.

 

Well- thru the early 90s there were 9 within a 50 mile radius of here, in rural Virginia and North Carolina. They were even closer together in more densely populated areas.

Small town I grew up near had Chev-Olds, Buick-Pontiac, Ford-Lincoln-Mercury, Chrysler-Plymouth-Imperial, and Dodge dealerships. The only one left is the Ford store, and it changed ownership in 2017 after 100 years in the same family.

Had the Grand Marquis in there this morning for oil change- hey, they're same price every other shop is and I figure Ford can't give me any lip if I have a failure and it's always had Ford oil and filters. Though I am not fond of the way a modern Ford oil pressure gage works.

 

My guess is that, during spring sales promotions, a dealer may have ordered ONE triple yellow car to keep the Zone sales people happy. It may have been a Cutlass, maybe an 88, maybe a Ninety Eight, whatever the dealer thought he could sell to his market. Pretty sure there were Olds dealers in, say, farm country that a triple yellow convert would have sat on the lot forever because the local Olds buyer wanted 4-door sedans.

That's why it's hard for me to buy into each dealer got one. Lots of difference in Olds buyers between say Southern California, Mid Atlantic region, and Kansas/Nebraska. What would sell in one area would stay on the lot till new model carryover in another.

 

estimated dealerships: 1/1/67 = 3,445 VS. 1/1/68 = 3,395 ------------------- looks like Oldsmobile lost ~50 franchised dealerships during the calendar year

here's a chart of new car sales per dealership for the decade of the '60s - from AUTOMOTIVE NEWS




by my math: 1967 OLDSMOBILE model year production 548,390 divided by 161 (units per dealership) = 3,406 dealerships

U.S. Automobile Production Figures - Wikipedia

 

for comparison number 1 & 2:
1967 CHEVROLET model year production 1,948,410 divided by 307 (units per dealership) = 6,347 dealerships
1967 FORD model year production 1,730,224 divided by 250 (units per dealership) = 6,921 dealerships

 

Hi . . . just so ya know, everyone here is interested in this. Please don't personalize this.

I used to have a Newspapers.com membership but no longer. I'd think that would be a good way to see if Olds had a spring promotional kick with these cars.

But I know the yellow/yellow was available throughout the year, and they're not as common as one-per-dealer would suggest. If anything, I bet it was more of a signature combination that was often promoted as dealer stock at the beginning of the model year, but that's just a theory.

Honestly, I'd approach this as a car you're interested in because it's a gorgeous combination. Don't fall for the puffery, especially if the claim can't be backed up. And if they're asking a premium for this so-called spring special, then it's best to walk away and revisit if the car's not sold. Not sure if others agree with this, but that's how I see it.

FWIW, I went to the Olds Nats in 2010 and there was a black 4-4-2 with the yellow interior. That car was gorgeous!

 

^^^THIS. I use this technique regularly, usually with parts on ebay. You'll see an item with a stupid money starting price. After listing it three or five times with no bids, reality starts to set in.

 

I wish I hadn't sold my '67 dealer books. I know there were sales bulletins in them regarding the yellow interior and the Spring Specials. At the start of the year, yellow interiors came with gold carpeting and steering column/wheel and dash. At some point during the year the gold carpeting/column/wheel/dash items were replaced with black. There was a bulletin involving that.

 

Eventually the tech section of this site might contain one Technical Bulletins and Service Guildthread for each year.

But, then I'd need extra coffee in the morning, and extra water in the afternoon, and some beer in the evening.

And a foot rest.