Here’s a somewhat unusual pairing posted by Slant Six at the Cohort; a sheer-look era Oldsmobile 98 and an Aero-era Ford Thunderbird. Both, sitting quietly in a driveway, and both suffering from the odd paint ailments of Detroit’s mid-80s finishes. Still, the two vehicles speak of two styling languages that each marked an era; though living side by side in the early ’80s.
The brown Olds, which is an ’82-’84, was a styling holdover, carrying the sheer-look that took over all of GM’s offerings by the late ’70s. They were clean-looking Broughams and looked fit and taut for their time. Still, as a previous post told, this was truly “your father’s last Oldsmobile.”
The Thunderbird appeared in ’83 with a new Aero design language that marked the decade, carrying a sense of luxury that embraced the 1980s Sharper Image lifestyle. Maybe in its current state is a bit hard to tell, but when it came out, this ‘Bird spoke money in a so 1980s way.
I won’t deny I find it slightly odd to see these two sharing the same driveway, but they make a welcomed sight nonetheless. Two opposing sides of the 1980s, that together seem to tell about the styling upheavals of the period.
Related CC reading:
Vintage R&T Road Test: 1983 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe – (My) Eco Boost Pioneer
Auto-Biography: 1983 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe – EcoBoosted EgoBooster
Curbside Classic: 1984 Oldsmobile 98 – Your Father’s Last Oldsmobile?
By then it was MB and Bmw that spoke of money, in my memory. I’d take the Olds, pre-’80 though.
The Aero-look, aged so gracefully. A car that looked so much better, without whitewalls. As this one has them.
This is an interesting pairing. The aero-look was every bit as good for Ford as the sheer-look was to GM. The difference is that Ford never became a slave to the aero styling the way GM did to the sheer look, when most of the company’s products looked alike.
And whether we consider the jelly bean or the box it came in, they both age poorly when left out in the weather too long.