1959 OLDSMOBILE 98

1959 OLDSMOBILE 98 Holiday Coupe.
The top of the line Oldsmobile in 1959 was the 98, offering every standard feature in the Olds lineup, plus a few more like an electric clock, power steering and brakes, and the attractively named Jetaway Hydra Matic Drive.
The 1959 Olds 98 remains attractive to fans of late-1950s chic. Horizontal sculpting and big tail fins ruled the day, along with dashing wheel arches that suggested speed. The 98 was available in four body styles, starting with a very handsome two-door Holiday hardtop and convertible, and then a four-door hardtop or sedan. The four-door hardtop was the most popular, at 36,813 units, followed by 23,106 sedans, 13,699 two-door hardtops, and just 7,514 convertibles.
Power was provided by a 394 ci Rocket V8 at 315 hp and a whopping 435 lb-ft of torque. In fact, performance was good enough that Richard Petty drove a 1959 Olds 98 two-door hardtop to victory at the first-ever Daytona 500 race in that year.
The 1960 model year brought more changes to the bodywork than anything else. Like other cars, the rakish tail fins were flattened out to the sides in this year. But overall body style, engine and drive train options remained the same. The Olds 98 convertible was selected as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 in this year.
Collectors should seek out the two-door hardtops and convertibles for best value. Some rare options for both years include air conditioning (installed on just 16 percent of cars), dual exhaust (4 percent), limited-slip differential (5 percent) and the rarest option is air suspension (0.5 percent). As with most cars of this era, condition counts for much more than any given option package.
Sixth generation (1959-1960)
For 1959, the Oldsmobile line-up was completely redesigned. However, unlike other GM makes (such as Chevrolet and Cadillac) Oldsmobile continued to use a full perimeter frame, instead of the GM X-frame. The Ninety-Eight shared its appearance with the Oldsmobile 88. Oldsmobile stayed with its top series format by offering four body styles on an exclusive 126.3in (3,208mm) wheelbase: a four-door sedan, a two-door hardtop, a four-door hardtop and a convertible. For 1959 and 1960 only, the hardtop body styles were dubbed "Holiday SceniCoupe" and "Holiday SportSedan" respectively, while the convertible continued the traditional "Convertible Coupe" moniker. Each body style had a distinctive greenhouse, shared with other 1959 GM cars. The 4-door sedan had six side windows and a sloping roof; the 2-door hardtop had a very large rear window and thin pillars; the 4-door hardtop sported a "floating roof" look, with a large wrap-around rear window.
Standard equipment included oil filter, turn signals, air scoop brakes, Safety spectrum speedometer, rocker panel moldings, special emblems, parking brake light, sponge vinyl headliner, deep twist carpeting, electric clock, wheel trim moldings, power steering, power brakes, and Jetaway Hydramatic Drive. Interiors were selected from leather, "Morocceen" vinyl, or cloth in different colors. Standard tire size was 9 in × 14 in (229 mm × 356 mm). The 394 ci (6.5L), the largest first generation Rocket V8, was used from 1959 until 1964.
CC rating: 6,456cc 394 ci (6.5L) Rocket V8
NZ First Registration: 29-Jun-2017

[@zaphodsrealm1549]

Beautiful automobile! 1959 is my favorite year for GM styling.
I always thought George Jetson would drive one of these👍

[@jasoncarpp7742]

Hi there! Beautiful looking car. Were Oldsmobile ever sold in Australia or New Zealand?

[@rattfink3285]

Not in any large numbers, there may have been the odd importer at the time, and/or private import. Probably more imported in the last 3 or 4 decades than as a new vehicle.

[@johnterry6757]

H.Terry