Let’s revisit Oldsmobile in the age of its ‘Rocket 88’ fame, as well as its transition to the Cutlass era. Today’s images show a mixed series of owners; the proud, the stylish, and the casual. Also, there’s a lot of family spirit in quite a few of these images.
These are great! More than most in this series, the subjects seem to be showing off their cars rather than their incidentally being in the background.
Love #4 because my own ’57 Olds was white with a similar distinctive red side trim.
Alas, mine was not a sleek 2 door hardtop but a staid 4 door post sedan. But I still recall all the small design details like those two little rockets just above each headlight.
Also in memory was its single digit gas mileage, thanks to the 4 barrel carb and perhaps my driving habits.
Finally, that red ’62 Starfire sure is pretty, but my ’57 had a 4 speed automatic and the sexy Starfire just had a 3 speed (Slim Jim).
OK, ok, that Starfire IS kinda nice and the owner knows it. These Starfires, in good condition, are going for big bucks on some online auction sites.
I love the ’57s ! I remember admiring my uncle’s coup parked in front of his nice home. Loved the double split rear window and the rosebud taillights.
He was a salesman and always bought Oldsmobiles.
As a kid, I could not warm up to the ’57 Olds and Buick restyle, and the ’58s were of course just a chrome-slathered refresh. They just didn’t work for me. But I loved the earlier ones (’54-’56). A neighbor down the street had a fine ’56 4-door hardtop; I remember piling in with a slew of other kids to go somewhere.
Yes, that guy with the ’62 Starfire is car-proud. That was a rare sight back in the day.
Was it really rare to be proud of your car back then? I think it was much more common then. People of all ages and situations took posed pictures next to their cars. I can’t see Grandma, or your Mother in law, standing next to a Tahoe or Tesla.
Even if people weren’t car enthusiasts, they believed that what you drove said something important about the owner.
I think Paul meant the Starfire itself was a rare sight. And it sure was in small town Midwest. Great picture. Who wouldn’t swagger with the keys to that car in your pocket in the early 60s?
The “break” in the side trim on the door strikes me as a really sour note.
Hard to believe the ‘58 was a refreshed ‘57. A total destruction of a beautiful design.
I remember some car journalists cracking that chrome was a “color choice” to GM that year.
Sean, I agree. Until Paul N. mentioned it, I thought 1958 Olds (and all GM cars) were one-offs. I owned my 1957 88, and rode in multiple 1958 Olds, and I can say the dashboards and steering wheels were different from the ’57s to the ’58s.
Where GM’s ’57s look fine (IMO), the ’58s were an acquired taste. I loved ’em all, no matter what the rest of the world said.
Chrome won’t get you home but looks great in the ditch. We had a ’55, 59 and ’61 Olds Super 88s.
Agreed, about the cat with the Starfire. Beautiful car. Sporting all the right duds.
He’s got the world by the tail.
The conservatively well dressed middle aged woman in front of that dark colored Ninety Eight is precisely who you’d expect to drive that car. That pic reminds me of some old family photos in albums my mother still has. The woman piloting the silver/grey ’59 is of course taking her grandson on an outing, one would assume.
Mr. Starfire certainly is giving a rakish vibe, just like his ride. The ’62 side trim is just so over the top- it weighs the whole design down, IMO. My coworker and I passed a ’64 Starfire on a flatbed some months back, the same color as this one. He (being 15 years my junior) asked what it was, but had never heard of it. By 1964 the trim was much more sedate. So much more “Banker’s Hotrod” than “Look at Me”.
Agree on the Starfire trim. At a time when over the top trim was going out of fashion, there it was on the Starfire. But still a great looking car.
I will join your club on the 62 Starfire trim.
I love these types of photos; the cars, the people and the backgrounds make the pictures complete.
Aunt Pauline had a tank 4 door ’56 88. It was amazing how many of the gang could pile in that car when my cousin drove.
Looks like we have Mr. Joe Cool with the 1962 Starfire! Hahaha!
Really like that 1963 Ninety-Eight four door. Beautiful car. Now I’d like to drive that one!
We had my great uncle’s ’56 Holiday 88 4 door hardtop from ’70 to ’92. 14k miles and original wide WW tires when we got it. It looked good in the ’70s after waxing, except the rusty and dented rear bumper. It was a powerful car for teenage drivers, but the brakes and steering discouraged total recklessness. There was a frumpier ’55 sedan a few houses up driven by Jerry Ford’s son’s HS gf, who was dumped when dad became VP. Son had a ’69? Mustang.
Dad must have spent a fortune on repairs, then gave it to a teenager after it sat for years. I wish the less-bulbous ’57-8 were as clean and coherent as the ’56. I don’t remember the ’57 Fiesta wagon we had when I was born.
Like the gold 58 4dr.
(oh and the babe in the red outfit!)
Living in a neighborhood built between the 1920s and 1940s, these photographs are fascinating to me. The houses look roughly the same as now. They last. The cars, and the people next to them? Not so much. They move on.
We didn’t have building codes in the early 20s here, and my house was rebuilt and expanded sloppily, and then moved 20 feet. There wasn’t a level floor or a single wall without bad plaster cracks. If my father and grandfather hadn’t been born in it–and it wasn’t inherited–I would never have gutted and rebuilt it in ’98-01. As it was, I stopped keeping track of how much I’d spent.
Oldsmobiles were the bomb back in the day. One of my most memorable car experiences as a kid was my aunt and uncle driving up in their new 55 Olds 88 four-door hardtop in the summer of 55. First year for that model for Olds. The car was yellow and black with white vinyl/black cloth upholstery interwoven with silver mylar thread. So much chrome on that dash and an electric indicator needle for the Hydramatic that only appeared when you turned on the ignition. And a power antenna! As a little kid I was enthralled. Later their daughter, my older cousin, got a new 59 Olds 88 convertible white on red interior with the wonderful bar-type speedo that changed colors as speed increased. And my Arizona cousins would arrive in their new 57 white Olds with factory air! Good times, as reflected in these great pictures.
OK, I’m not sure what made me look again, but- why is there no outside rear-view mirror on that ’63 Ninety Eight?
These are a little older than the Oldsmobile that filled my life in the 60s and 70s, but they are the cars that were the reasons so many satisfied customers kept coming back.
I really like a lot of these, especially that dark 63 Ninety Eight. Didn’t most of those have fender skirts?
A neighbor who was my cub scout den mother one year had a white 59 Oldsmobile. It was quite old in maybe 1968-69, but in good shape and I liked it a lot.
Fender skirts were on ’64 and later.
Those wearing jeans, what Levi or Wrangler back then, have their cuffs rolled up instead of hemmed. Boy does that ever bring back memories from the late 50’s and early 60’s.
That green in the third photo is just gorgeous!
The green in #3 really seems stunning!
License plates indicate some states, but that’s about it. For #3, CA plate seems to have “53” tag, and frame pins it down to “Balboa Olds, San Diego”:
Although my parents never owned an Oldsmobile when I was growing up, our neighbors across the street from us had a 57 Olds (a white two door with a blue interior) which they kept until 1966 when they traded it on a new gold metallic Olds Toronado. The main thing that I remember about the Toronado was the floorboard being flat with no traditional transmission hump! Needless to say, my buddies parents were quite in demand for transporting kids to different school activities in the Toronado!
Photo #4. The gentleman is either a banker or funeral home director.
Imports and exports.
Photo #6 (convertible). Background has typical beach houses of the ’50 & early 60’s. Most were sold for a pittance since the kids growing up at this time wanted Disneyland and Six Flags instead.
Today, these homes would be worth a mega fortune being so close to the beach.
Back in1982 I pulled a 1955 super 88 coupe out of a friend of mine junk yard and restored it did a color change from green and white to a caddy metallic black on the front and a1973 mustang gold on the rear did a black grain naugahyde interior with a gold bead trim the 324 still had good power, my dad had 3 of them I used to look at the old family pics and tell my dad I’ll have one of those cars when I get old enough to drive he told me boy all those cars will be in junk yards by the time you get old enough to drive after I got mine on the road I took dad for a ride in it , I ask him what he thought about it ,he said I didn’t think I would ever ride in another one of these. I tried to get my friend that I bought it from to take a ride in it,he never would I asked him why he wouldn’t ride in it he said he almost pulled it out and restored it himself and it made him sick when he saw what I did with it
Just _wonderful_ pictures here ! .
I like to take photos but can never seem to match the framing etc. of these which were obviously just regular snap shots .
I like the first one best, he’s a proud owner and rightfully so ~ I know that series of Olds were blobby looking but the color combo is sweet .
Pic. # 6 with the two tone 88 Rag Top appears to be Military housing, anyone know where ? .
-Nate
People were proud of their cars. Their front yards, not so much,
Love the early 60’s Oldsmobiles! I had a ’64 Jetstar 88 convertible in high school in the mid-70’s. For some reason, the original owner had a spotlight installed on it. We had a ball hitting parking spots and spotlighting our friends. I’ve looked for another one for decades and only found two others. Unfortunately, they weren’t for sale.
Jose. You are so right.
I was born in 59. My dad bought a new Chevy every 7 or 8 years and since he could walk to work, his cars did not rack up many miles. Anyway. I remember the day he traded in his 57 Bel Air and brought home a new 65 impala. We had to go to my Grandparents and various aunts and uncles to show it off. This was again reoeatd when he traded in the 65 for a 72 Impala. It was an event. I remember other relatives stopping by to show us their new rides. That tradition is long gone now since most people really aren’t interested in new vehicles. So glad we have photos of people with their cars.
My cousin bought this ’54 Oldsmobile a couple of years after being liberated from a prison camp in North Korea. He is in the center, his dad is to our left. You can hardly see the Olds for all my cousins gathered in front of it.
Terrific photo ! thanx for sharing it .
-Nate
I had a red 52 Super 88 convertible in high school. The last of the 6 volt battery. Most 52s had starter problems when hot. Finally, the wonderful 4 speed hydra matic burned out and I to sell it to my older brother who had the $236 to repair it!
Great old school pictures of cars and families,luv these
Another terrific post, Rich. Love ’em all. TY!
Oh how I long to return to those times.
Thanks for the post, Rich. I became an “Olds man” at nine, when my folks bought a new ’55 88 sedan, primrose top and medium gray bottom. It wasn’t highly optioned, even rode on blackwalls and dog dish hubcaps. But dad wanted a stick, and someone at the dealership inadvertently checked the box for the 98 engine. So when it arrived, it was a sleeper. I can remember that car’s pull in second gear seemed to go on forever. By the time he bought a ’64 Dynamic 88 hardtop and his last car, a ’69 Toronado, I was a full-fledged fan of ol’ Ransom E. 45 years later, I was able to get my own ’55, an 88 hardtop, completely restored.
For a time, Olds was GM’s forward-looking research division. I remember my uncle’s unique new ’66 Toronado, quite impressive! Years later, I remember riding with my dad in our new ’75 Vista Cruiser. Good memories!
Seems that GM cancelled Olds in favor of acquiring Saab, even though Olds was selling more vehicles.
That pic of the ‘60 Olds brought back some wonderful early childhood memories. We had a white one like that with a red interior from the time I was born until age five. My mom had me later in life but was still a bit of a hot rod in her mid 40s. I clearly remember cruising down stretches of rural 2-lanes when Mom would occasionally “blow the carbon out” of that Olds. The red ribbon under the speedo needle would stretch across the instrument cluster as I cheered Mom on from my spot next to her (standing on the front seat with my arm hooked over the seat-back to steady myself- different times!).
I’m sure that car was equipped with a 394 because I remember her saying that she was supposed to put premium gas in it, but usually didn’t to save money. Every once in a while, though, she would treat it to a tankful of Boron.
Oldsmobiles were always expensive. As far back as I can remember, my dad was a Chevy man. He loved his 1952 sedan. Later in 1960 he bought us a hideous turquoise Chevy station wagon with fins and chrome. I have no idea why. Lol. He died in 1963 and mom got rid of 5he wagon and bought a 1963 Corvair, three speed on the floor. She was never much on cars. Lol