(first posted 5/2/2017) It seems my most recent CC captures involve my first born, somehow. I either capture them on dash-cam whilst hauling him along to/from the nursery, or on my way taking him to see my Mom and Sister & family (well, more so that they will see him; don’t tell them, but I think he doesn’t mind them at this eight-months-old point).
When I drive him to the nursery, at the main street I always spot two classic shapes on the way, one must be a 1970s compact GM, and the other is an… early 1960s compact Buick? Have to stop there sometime and check it out. But the cars vanished some time ago. Oh well, maybe they’re close by.
They were. Yesterday I finally had the chance and went on foot to pick Ben up from the nursery. On a small alley, rested the suspects, or should I say victims- of neglect. You’ve seen the opening photo, now just look at this:
That was my first view of things. And it’s bleak, to say the least, with the dust, sand and grass growing freely under the cars. Think I’ll start off with the Omega, even though it’s further away from us, and save the best for last.
First look is somewhat encouraging; yes, the paint has had way too much over-sprays (if that’s the original paint at all) and yes, those strips have nothing to do with it (as expected, they look horrid) and yes, some good souls have keyed the car already. But on the whole it looks complete, with all its trim and wheel covers intact. Note it even has a 1980s alarm relic, in the shape of the key hole under the front indicator.
But diving in deeper you start seeing the rust, the under-acceptable paint preparation (if there ever was one), etc. Look closely at the boot’s edges, for example. BTW, that wire at the back of the Omega is not tide to it – it just looks like it in the photo.
License plates tell many things to those who know how to read them, and this one tells me this is (you guessed it- or read the post’s headline) a 1974 Oldsmobile Omega, imported to Israel way back then (as opposed to new classic imports), and had its MOT turned into a “collectible vehicle” status sometime ago. Note how sad the Olds’ emblem looks, broken in two, the right part dangling down. I must cite this page for helping me determine its DOB best.
But the main event is obviously this:
Look, I don’t know how rare these are in their original homeland, the USA, but trust me when I say there is a chance of nearly none of another Special like that in Israel (and I write “nearly” just for the slight chance there actually might be one). I could write all about how this was the first compact Buick and the manifestation of its V6, but I’d be best served if I lead you to J.P. Cavanaugh’s excellent post about it. After you’ll read it, you’ll understand how important this car was.
But just look at it now. Never mind the deflated tires- see the unavoidable rust at the doors and windshield base. Up close it was even worse. Neglecting a classic like that has to be treated as a deadly sin. Ok, I’ll admit that early 1960s Detroit iron isn’t really my cup of tea- but I simply love the styling of this car; staring from the pointy sides of the front, the lovely creases at the sides, all the way to the back:
Yes, the back, where you’ll find a sloping tail, rear-lights inserted neatly and a bumper so in-line with the rest of the body-style, I can only point back up to the Omega to see the exact opposite. And all this is just rotting away in some alley. Oh, and the rust has also taken place at the base of the rear window, of course.
I was all the more disappointed when I saw the license plate. This is another original import, and has a five digit number as all cars in Israel were, starting from 1949. But- most crucially- the country started using six digit plates in 1961, the same year this car was made. So how, you may ask, did I decide this Special is a 1961 model? shouldn’t it have a six digit plate?
Well, researching the licensing system in Israel throughout its early years, I found Israel started issuing six digit plates no earlier than September 1961 (it was actually on the 26th, and the first car to receive a six digit plate was a new… Beetle, no less). Therefore, this Buick is one of the last cars still around to have five digit plates. Which part of the year it got here, I couldn’t tell you- the plate doesn’t give away that much. So it has its own value as well as a “national” value (if you can call it that, in terms of the license plate).
You might understand by now, this post is written more out of frustration than the usual wish-to-share CCs with you. I should hope most classics I meet will never be treated like this, just left somewhere to rot, the owner unable or refuses to do anything with them, and won’t sell, for whatever reason.
What a perplexing & mind blowing pic!
As if someone in Israel bought a 61 F85 and resolved not to replace
it until the next-gen compact came out, 15 years later!
Wow ~
_BOTH_ needed saving IMO, if that Oldslowmobile had the Chevy 250 CID i6 it’d make a dandy little commuter / runabout but I’d prolly try to save the Buick first as i remember them new and yes, it’s a sharp looking design .
-Nate
It’s possible the old license number was “grandfathered” in when the Special’s first owner bought the car. Simple transferred his plates from old car to new. That’s how I’ve done in with my cars in Missouri and Iowa, anyway.
Well, that’s not an option in Israel- a car gets one plate for life. Obviously, there may have been exceptions, but I must admit I’ve never heard of such things.
But who knows what transpired way back in 1961- the original owner may have managed to have a license no’ “saved” for him, known the right people at the MOT.
Wow! 🙁
The front fenders on the Buick look solid, well the one visible anyway. With that point that sticks out almost as far as the bumper, they were very prone to damage. Someone, somewhere must be looking for a good set.
“Rust”? Here in the Northeast (USA) those are both super solid project cars, hell, I’d drive the Buick as-is…
I agree 100%
Signed: a native Clevelander 🙂 .
^^^^I also agree 100%
Signed: another native Clevelander.
Trust me, there was more than what the camera shows- I wouldn’t say these cars are beyond saving (certainly not the Omega), but leaving them outside like that will get them beyond the point of no return- especially in Israel, where restoration projects are much more costlier than in the US, for lack of professional people and parts. That point is much closer than you think.
That Buick actually looks like a ’62 model, with the horizontal bar grille and the “Buick” nameplate up on the trunk lid instead of between the taillights as on the 61. I only looked closely when I started to comment that the car surely had to have a V6 to have served in what I would assume to be a warm climate for so long. The aluminum V8s were known for weak cooling systems, especially in an age when coolant was not always friendly to the alloys used in those.
Perhaps this is a very early production 62 that reached its destination shortly before the license plates changed.
These still look a little odd to me in their proportions. It is a big American car of the early 60s shrunk by about 20%. Maybe it is modern cars that make them appear off to me now.
Yes, it is a 1962.
I was also more inclined to think this was a 1962 car, having read your post previously and searched the web. And I think it indeed is.
But the license plate don’t lie. As I wrote in one of the comments above, the only thing I can think of is that the original owner knew whoever it was to know at the MOT, and “saved” a five digit license for him, to be used only after the car arrived here in 1962. I think it’s highly unlikely that an early car would be sold in Israel before it was sold in the USA.
A mystery for sure…
Typically model year production would start in August of the prior year and “official introduction” would be in October, so it might not strain credulity that a very early-build 1962 could have been exported and got registered in September when they were clearing out the old plates. I don’t know what Motor Vehicle bureaus are like in Israel, but here in the States there were all kinds of things that happened that probably should not have.
The Buick looks like a full-sized car that was sent through a copier set at 80%, while the Oldsmobile looks like a compact car that went through the copier when set at 125%.
If I could only save one of these it would be the Buick. Not to be ironic, but nothing about the Olds says Special.
The Omega would be special if it had an Olds 350 with 4 pot carb.
Good quality tires on OLDS.still Holding Air.ISRAEL’sSUN is cruel.i would drive that OMEGA every day regardless of Engines size.Rare Birds For Any Country Out Of NorthAmerica.Great Finds Yoha.
Even though it’s not an Apollo it’s interesting to see the contrast between two GM compacts separated by 10 years back to back. The Y bodies were some of the most daring cars GM put out, the N.OV.A. um, not so much.
That is one serious size exhaust pipe sticking out rear, looks to be larger in diameter that the rear bumper thickness.
Regardless of its current condition and treatment, this car must have been purchased by an individual of some means in 1961. Based on what little I know about living standards and automobile ownership in Israel during that era, having a car at all was not common, and a Buick (even a compact) would have been a high end car. I recall reading that former Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion had an early 1960s Dodge Polara, and that Plymouth Valiants were used as staff cars for IDF generals.
True, a post on the early heads of Israel and their lean towards MOPAR products is also on my list…
Me I would save the Oldsmobile Omega probably because I’m a big fan of the 1968-74 Chevy Nova’s regardless if it’s a coupe, sedan or hatchback, I’ve always liked the X-body cars of this vintage and would drop a 350/350 combo in it if I’ve had the money.
Confirmation # 3 for the Buick Special being a 1962. I’d save it, maybe even ship it State-side because they’re not so common now even in the U.S. I wouldn’t bother shipping the Olds because plenty of those are still here in B-O-P form. Israel climate, to me, is just like Los Angeles climate, which looks like it worked to the Buicks’ advantage. A great find, Yohai.
Thanks. Regarding the 1961-2 mystery, see my comment to J.P. above.
So are the low numbered plates valuable in their own right in Israel, like they are in Delaware, which likewise has used consecutive numbers? Are there any one or two digit plates in use?
Well, they are valuable to the classic car owners- and the earlier they are, they make the cars more valuable.Four digits are long gone, because in 1958 the state ordered any car owners that had then to come in an have them replaced to five digits, and that was that.
Then, in 1961 they moved to six, as I wrote in my post. In 1980 Israel moved to seven digits (but cars with six kept them, plus some concessions were made, such as new classic imports and so on).
And wouldn’t you know, starting this very year, 2017, new cars will start using eight digit plates, With so many new cars mounting the roads, there’s no choice.
* this list does not include service vehicles or the IDF- for example, the head of police in Israel has always had the same plate that was transferred from car to car- מ1, which means M1- MIshtara (police) 1.
Thanks all for your comments, I promise I read them all even if I don’t comment to each patron…
Just keep the fascinating and informative posts and photos coming Yohai .
-Nate
Yohai, when a vehicle attains the collectible age, it keeps its number and you get another plate that says “collectible”?
Nice pair of cars. I had never noticed the weird design of the rear lamp in the Omega, having the side marker put there as an afterthought, as if the whole plastic had been red and then painted to mask it.
The number is retained but the words “Collectible Vehicle” are added to the plate and, of course, an appropriate change is made in the registration documents. The change is not automatic; you have to apply for it with the Israeli DOT. The benefits are lower insurance and less periodic inspections.
…less frequent.
Thats interesting about the plates permanent plates were issued here on June 30 1964 I can still remember dad installing them on his near new Vauxhall nowdays black plates with machined silver letters are prized but cant be swapped from car to car my old car still wears the plates that were issued to it in June 66 it has never been reregistered, or had the rego lapse.