Take a 1997 model, give it the front and rear fascias, bumpers, and bodyside moldings of the same car from 1995, add in the chrome grille, wheels, and interior from a different 1996 car, and sell it as a new model. Sound like a logical plan? Well, that is just what Oldsmobile did for the 1997-1998 Regency.
You see, the 1990s were a very rough time for Oldsmobile. The “Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile” campaign clearly backfired, failing to attract younger buyers and turning away some of Oldsmobile’s loyal older buyers. There was also mass Cutlass confusion, and in general, Olds’ models were consistently redundant and unremarkable compared to related cars from other GM brands. Buick had clearly emerged as the champion of the “premium American road car” duel against Olds, and by the mid-1990s, it was clear that sticking to the same game plan, or lack thereof was a sentence to death.
With severely eroded brand identity and value, Oldsmobile took a final stand at completely reinventing itself by unveiling the Centennial Plan. With the target on younger, import-conscious consumers, the Centennial Plan was aimed at giving Oldsmobile a clearer purpose to buyers by eliminating aged and overlapping models, streamlining its product portfolio, and introducing new vehicles that better fit the appeal Oldsmobile was going for.
These new models featured clean and elegant Aurora-inspired styling, and attempted to provide the interior, ride, and handling refinements that were drawing younger buyers mostly to Japanese and German brands.
Yet even with this defined initiative, Olds found it hard to make a clean break from the past. This struggle was made no more apparent by any car than the 1997-1998 Regency, which was basically an amalgamation of leftover parts from the previous two model years.
If the face-lifted 1996-1999 Eighty-Eight was the nicotine patch on Olds’ arm as it made strides to break old habits, the 1997-1998 Regency was a security pack of Camels.
With wide, soft, and flat leather bench seats, plenty of exterior gingerbread, white walls and even the old logos which Oldsmobile ceased using the previous year, the Regency was a clear attempt to hang onto any “traditional” buyers that might be alienated by Oldsmobile’s new marketing strategy. It was somewhat a surprise that the car didn’t bear a factory vinyl roof and wire wheel discs.
Apart from the softer seats, interiors were typical Eighty-Eight/Ninety-Eight (as the two shared the same dash and door panels). In fact, aside from a few standard features which were extra-cost options on the regular Eighty-Eight, the Regency didn’t offer much uniqueness besides its less progressive appearance and packaging.
In light of its confusing regressive nature, the 1997-1998 Regency didn’t seem to excite buyers looking for a “traditional American luxury sedan” with “understated luxury and smooth road manners”. Sales of the Regency were only 8,219 for 1997 and 7,958 for 1998, substantially less than both the Aurora and the regular Eighty-Eight, and even less than the Ninety-Eight’s final year sales in 1996. “Traditional” buyers, like my own grandfather who traded his ’92 Ninety-Eight Regency in for a ’97 Eighty-Eight LS, were either satisfied with the more contemporary Oldsmobiles, or otherwise went to Buick.
Related Reading:
1991 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight (GM Deadly Sin)
“If the face-lifted 1996-1999 Eighty-Eight was the nicotine patch on Olds’ arm as it made strides to break old habits, the 1997-1998 Regency was a security pack of Camels.”
That’s some mighty fine wordsmithing to help offset the horror of witnessing brand homicide.
Well done, Sir.
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I am not sure that I ever noticed these at the time. I know I wasn’t paying attention to new Oldsmobiles then, and likely just assumed that any of these I saw on the street were older models. Fascinating stuff.
Knowing you share some of my Midwestern sensibility and respect for what Oldsmobiles were during much of the post WWII period, your lack of interest in the ‘90s is testimony to how far Olds had fallen about the time we were becoming the prime buyer demographic for Oldsmobile.
I was at least watching them from the sidelines, but had not been a buyer since having a 1982 model. I did admire their efforts with the first Aurora, the Intrigue and the Alero, but had serious doubts about their dumping of some long successful nameplates. I do recall this latter day Regency, and even saw a few. There was nothing really wrong with it except that it was inspired by fear generated after the cancellation of the Ninety-Eight. Seeing how few Regencys they sold, the smell of fear may have cost them in the net. Other trims of the 88 probably would have satisfied those few buyers and have allowed the 88 to remain a more cohesive part of the Oldsmobile strategy.
If I recall correctly, the 88 was the bestselling Oldsmobile when they dropped it. What they were doing at Oldsmobile was incomprehensible.
Good point about my lack of interest. And this from someone who grew up with them.
From a mechanics standpoint these were super tough cars. You couldn’t break that 3.8 engine with a hammer, and the 4t60e trans might make 200 thousand if you didn’t drive like a meth addict. Lots of these (and Buick Lesabres) still on the road in Oklahoma
We shouldn’t forget that GM quality was all over the place back in the 1990s. There were a fair number of bad H-cars coming off the lines but they’ve likely all been junked by now. The good ones (including my ’94 LeSabre) are the ones that are left, and they might run for a long time yet.
I think that “leftover parts” might be the operative phrase here. Olds 98 sales had been declining dramatically as the ’90s progressed and I’ll bet that there were a large number of grille and fender assemblies laying around. Hence the backward-looking Regency.
I would probably look at “leftover parts” as more a figure of speech here. The idea that some 15,000 front end assemblies were leftover from Ninety-Eight production is not likely. They were teaching “just-in-time” parts delivery in business school in the early 1980s. The succession from the 1996 Ninety-Eight to the 1997 88 Regency was linear and I would believe that the parts suppliers simply received more orders over a two year period. The final Regency was inspired by the fear of cancelling the Ninety-Eight and was likely a child of a paranoid marketing department or perhaps some of the dealers.
I just never warmed to these things with their pinched-in side styling, lack of doglegs and awkward C-pillar. Never did anything for me.
I very much liked the Olds Intrigue when it arrived in the mid 90’s. However, I had just bought a Camry the year before, so I was out of the market for awhile.
If my timing had been slightly different, you could have counted me as a Olds loyalist.
Some of the photos in the 1997-98 Regency brochures were actually reused from previous years’ Ninety-Eight and Eighty-Eight brochures.
The Regency interior photo shown here is the same photo that was used in the 1996 Ninety-Eight brochure, and if you look closely, the angle of the roof pillar gives that away. There was also an exterior photo that was retouched from the 1994 Eight-Eight brochure.
The full interior picture I used here in the article actually is from Ninety-Eight press photos. I couldn’t find any good Regency interior pictures, and the seats were exactly the same. But old brochures are famous for using previous year pictures with some minor retouching.
If I recall correctly, that is the same photo that they actually used in the Regency brochures.
From that not-your-father’s Cutlass ad:
Well! I’ll take one; no, make it two. Was the copywriter even listening to himself? Evidently not. Sheesh!
Those dubious “qualities” add to blindingly awful ad campaign. It’s literally the opposite of the famous 1915 Cadillac “Penalty of Leadership”.
It’s a textbook example of how NOT to sell a car. I’m so glad GM learned from it,……Oh,…..Wait……..Never mind!
I was thinking the same thing about the “one of the worlds most totally developed suspension systems” claim. I’m not sure I even know what that means! Then there was the “such a world class automobile” reference. The copywriter really like the World word!
Rejected Text:
“This sure isn’t your father’s Oldsmobile! , He’s not stupid enough to fall for the Worlds most highly developed misguided ad campaigns in World’s History,He resisted the wind! (OK, the hot air…) He stuck to his guns like gum! and said “to hell with it!” — Then went up the street and bought a LeSabre! Call 1-800-GAV-UPP1 and see if we can build one for you, ’cause you’re a dumb Yuppie who might fall for it……..Or not.”
Pretty lame car. Almost funny. As you said, this was counter to the new direction of the brand. I can’t stress enough how remarkable the 1st gen Aurora was (having owned one).
I recall an article in Car & Driver, around 1997, when the “Euro” look was penetrating into US car design. It predicted that within 10 years, we wouldn’t even see new Caddy’s with whitewalls.
I’m a little confused now, and probably was then, too. Did this Regency replace the Ninety-Eight? It sounds like this was sold concurrently with Eighty-Eight, but not Ninety-Eight. Yet, it looks exactly like the Eighty-Eight! Is the only difference the interior?
This Regency replaced the Ninety-Eight, which was discontinued after 1996, and was sold alongside the Eighty-Eight. It essentially was an Eighty-Eight, but with various interior and exterior trim pieces from the discontinued Ninety-Eight. This resulted in an appearance very similar to the 1994-95 Eighty-Eight, prior to its 1996 refresh that included a new front end and smooth bodyside cladding. The Regency also reused the previous Eighty-Eight taillight design.
The Oldsmobile Regency interior, beginning with the 1972 98 Regency, used to mean tufted upholstery. However this probably was not in keeping with the decree that Oldsmobile was to become “European style sedans”. The Aurora’s interior was European in style and the body structure was also European, but the FWD was not for a large sedan, although Audi is a counter point, except they are generally Quattro’s.
I think that GM’s upper management, in decreeing Olds to be Euro, and Buick American, expected to dump one of the two devisions, which one wasn’t clear.
OK, I just Googled the 1997 Eighty Eight. Not enough differentiation there!
GM probably had tons of leftover parts and figured they would resurrect the 98 Regency nameplate to try and capture some more sales for the Delta 88 platform.
These were very good cars from what I understand. Perhaps if they changed the bodies on them just enough to distinguish a 98 from an 88 they may have had a good seller on their hands.
I never liked the pre-facelift 88/98 body style in the first place. However, when they gave the 88 a much sleeker nose and fixed some of the details with the ’97 facelift, in my opinion they had a winner on their hands. Better late than never. And then they go and replace the 98 with something that looks like a three year old 88? Pure confusion.
I still might not turn down a solid ’97-’98 LSS if one in good shape with the right options (black, leather, alloys) ever crossed my path. As has been mentioned, time has seen all of the lemons off the road, and the good examples will be with us for a while longer yet.
The 98 was replaced by the Aurora, at least in theory. I think Oldsmobile’s management understood that they were in trouble by the end of the 90’s.
Yes, in terms of being a flagship model, the Aurora did replace the Ninety Eight. But they were such different cars–how many 98 buyers actually traded their skirted-rear-wheel retro-cruiser for the spaceship Aurora? I’d be surprised if that number was in the four digit range. The Regency was the spiritual successor.
My favorite incarnate of the 98 Regency was the 1974 model year. My father-in-law Jack Frost(And yes,that is his real name) owned one. It was a Canyon copper 4 door hardtop with a beige vinyl top and a chocolate color velour interior. It had a 455 cu in V/8 with a four barrel carburetor. “74 is the last model made without the catalytic converter. The 1972-1976 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight’s were the largest Olds models ever built. The “76 model year saw the last of the original skirted land yachts Given the level of luxury,sophistication, & pure class,I thought the Aurors should have been badged as the last 98 Regency. I thought the last 98’s looked like an 88 myself.
I was only too happy to pick up a well maintained 98 Regency Elite II as an estate sale car. Well maintained, with 145,000 miles, it was a steal at $1,500.00. It was not a car that I would have ever chosen, but it is a well maintained “classic” with a paper pedigree that included the employee order letter, window invoice decal and complete maintenance record. I’m proud to drive it every day, but it’s too nice of a car to drive
into one of the top 20 most populous cities of the US. I’m sure that one day soon, it will meet its demise at the hands of an in experienced or incomptent driver. It is a Geezer Rocket and I’ve become a Geezer driving a car, whose name says it all: Olds.
The spoiler on the trunk was ordered by the original owner. To the best of my knowledge, it’s from either an Oldsmobile Touring Sedan or a Toronado Troféo. Surprisingly, it doesn’t look out of place on this car.