Oldsmobile 98
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Oldsmobile-98-'55.jpg
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 appeared with the first post-World War II Oldsmobiles in 1941. 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 90's as the bread and butter of the full-size Oldsmobile lineup.
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 (save for the Toronado), the series had the most technologically advanced items availalbe, such as Twilight Sentinel (a featured that automatically turned the headlights on and off via a timer, as controlled by the driver), and the highest-grade interior and exterior trim.
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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 coupe
- Town sedan
1956
The 1956 98 used a 126 in wheelbase.
1971
The 1971 through 1976 Ninety-Eight was very similar to the Oldsmobile 88 (which by now was called "Delta 88").
1977
The 1977 model was extensively redone and downsized, at the same time as the Oldsmobile 88. The new models were several hundred pounds lighter than a comparable 1976 model, but were just as roomy inside. The 98 was slightly revised in 1980 (but was essentially the same car); the LS, Regency and Regency Brougham models were available at various points during the run.
1985
The 98 moved from the rear wheel drive GM C platform to a new front wheel drive platform for 1985.
Engines:
1991
This final redesigned generation of the Ninety-Eight would prove to be the shortest, seeing its last year in 1996. With the Aurora being introduced a year earlier, and the Eighty-Eight around, the 98 simply lost its place in the Olds lineup. It was replaced by the Regency version of the Eighty-Eight.
External links: 98 Images
- '53 Convertible (http://199.239.248.45//images/full/2003/80/ol195398801547.jpg)
- '82 Sedan (http://www.oldsmobile.nl/main.htm)
