Oldsmobile 98 The Oldsmobile 98 (formerly Series 90 Custom Cruiser) was a full-size automobile sold by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors in the United States. The name first appeared in 1941 and was used again after American consumer automobile production resumed post-World War II. It was, as it would remain, the top-of-the-line model, with lesser Oldsmobiles having lower numbers such as 66 and 76. These were replaced by the Oldsmobile 88 in 1949, and the two number-names would carry on into the 1990s as the bread and butter of the full-size Oldsmobile lineup until the Aurora would replace it for 1996.
General Motors developed a system of sharing body panels between models of its different makes, but the Ninety-Eight broke ranks several times with this system. Its second body makeover did not share body panels with the other senior makes, Buick and Cadillac. It did not even have its model-changeover synchronized with the same year as the Eighty-Eight in the mid-1950s.
Occasionally additional nomenclature was used with the name, such as L/S and Holiday, and the 98 Regency badge would become increasingly common in the later years of the model. The 98 shared its bodyshell with the Buick Electra.
As it was the top-line Oldsmobile, the series had the most technologically advanced items available, such as Twilight Sentinel (a feature that automatically turned the headlights on and off via a timer, as controlled by the driver), and the highest-grade interior and exterior trim.
A majority of Ninety Eights (including the mid-1970s Custom Cruiser station wagons) had rear tailfins until 1985.
1941
The first Series 90 was the 1941 96. According to Oldsmobile's naming standard, it used a straight-6 engine and lasted just one year. The 98 name also debuted with a straight-8 engine. The Series 90 replaced the Oldsmobile Series 80 as the top car in the company's lineup.
1949
The Rocket V8 engine appeared in the 1949 98.
Body styles:
• Convertible
• Holiday coupé
• Town sedan
1956
The 1956 98 had a 126 in wheelbase. It used a 324 cubic inch Rocket V8. That engine was replaced by a 371 in³ engine for 1957. The 394, the largest first-generation Rocket V8, was used from 1959 until 1964.
1965
The 1965 Ninety-Eight received an all-new bodyshell along with other full-sized Oldsmobiles but retained a larger C-body shared with Cadillac in contrast with the B-body used in the Oldsmobile 88. The Ninety-Eight featured many of the lines found on 88s but with more squared off styling. Also new for 1965 was the Ninety-Eight Luxury Sedan, which featured an even more luxurious interior along with more standard amenities than the regular Ninety-Eight models such as power windows and seats. Most 98 LS's also had vinyl roofs, which were offered only in black that year. A new three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission with torque converter replaced the original Hydra-Matic used by Olds since its 1940 introduction. Along with the transmission and bodyshell, the engine was also new for 1965. It was a 425 cubic-inch Super Rocket V8 that was more powerful and of a more efficient design than the older 394 cubic-inch V8 previously used, yet it was much lighter in weight. The Ninety-Eight's standard and only engine offering for 1965 was the four-barrel "Ultra High Compression" version of the 425 Super Rocket rated at 360 horsepower.
1971
The 1971 through 1976 Ninety-Eight was very similar to the Oldsmobile 88 (which by now was called the "Delta 88") with rear Cadillac-esque tailfins to differentiate between both full-size models. The standard 455 cubic-inch Rocket V8 was rated at 340 horsepower and designed to run on lower octane regular leaded, low-lead or unleaded gasoline for the first time this year thanks to a General Motors-mandate that all engines be designed to run on such fuels in preparation for the catalytic converter equipped cars of 1975 and later years that absolutely required unleaded gasoline.
A new bodyshell was introduced this year that would last until the 1976 model year and were the biggest and heaviest Oldsmobiles ever built, especially in 1974 and later years when federally mandated 5 MPH bumpers were added both front and rear that increased the overall length of the cars by several inches.
The 1974-76 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight (as well as the Delta 88 and Toronado) were among the first US production cars to offer an air bag option. Few cars were so equipped to the high cost ($700) plus public uncertainty about the yet-to-be proven systems that are now universal in today's automobiles.
|
