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Wasn't the A/C option very rare back in those days? That was a really nice car you've had.
Yeah, it was like a $300-400 option back then, which was alot of money back then. A/C was more often seen on the luxury models, but even some of those didnt have standard A/C.
I acquired my 1960 Oldsmobile Super 88 4dr sedan back around 1992. I traded my 1972 Cadillac for it, which I regreted later. The Caddy was ride and drive... the Olds had been setting since 1974 and had a stuck engine. The 394 was hard to find parts for. I had a guy remove the engine to try to free it, but he ended up losing alot of parts. I ended up giving him the engine... the car set engineless for about 3 years in grandpas yard. I ended up selling the car for $75.00, yes, $75 around the year 1999. I am not sure if the guy was going to restore it, or use it for parts for his 2dr '60 Olds. I didnt have internet at the time... I probably could have advertised it locally and sold it for much more. It was a 100% rust free car.
Here is a 1960 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight, same body style as the 1959, but the front ends and back ends were different. Mine was the 4dr sedan like this one, which had the "round-top".
I love the '59 DeVille, particularly in the 6 window configuration that you showed in the picture. Obnoxious as all getup, and the only model year with the fins at those heights. They were derided by lots of folks at the time as "too much," but now that they've aged, it's part of the fun. I also love the Electra, as do I all Buicks of that era. "Cruising Vessels" they certainly were.
I'll take my Duce and a Quarter in white. Was that one of the years that the starter switch was on the gas pedal? I remember those. You turned the key on and depresses the pedal to activate the starter. It was available somewhere between 57 & 63. I'm too old to remember.
Me too! I like the 6-window Riviera hardtop sedan (with the 4dr hardtop rounded roofline like the Caddy) The Buick Electra was the only other GM car in 4dr hardtop form with the round top like the Cadillac. All other "round top" GM 4drs were pillared sedans... the hardtops were flat tops they called them (like the ones in the ads).
Quote:
Originally Posted by tande1n5
I love the '59 DeVille, particularly in the 6 window configuration that you showed in the picture. Obnoxious as all getup, and the only model year with the fins at those heights. They were derided by lots of folks at the time as "too much," but now that they've aged, it's part of the fun. I also love the Electra, as do I all Buicks of that era. "Cruising Vessels" they certainly were.
Yeah, now its neat too see those fins. The only other car that came close with the fins were the 1960 Plymouth and 1961 Chrysler Imperial.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AllenKarber
How could you pick just one? All of them are very cool.
I like them all, but just voted for three. Impala, Electra and DeVille, but also like the Bonneville and Ninety-Eight.
Quote:
Originally Posted by studedude
I'll take my Duce and a Quarter in white. Was that one of the years that the starter switch was on the gas pedal? I remember those. You turned the key on and depresses the pedal to activate the starter. It was available somewhere between 57 & 63. I'm too old to remember.
Yeah, my mom took her driving test in a 1960 Electra in 1972. She could not figure out how to start it when it came time for the test... it was a friends car.
I am not sure the exact years, but grandpa had a 1955 Buick and it had the starter switch under the accelerator pedal, it was further back than 1957, but not sure how much further.
The '59 Chevy had a crazy rear, with those outrageous taillights and fins, but I don't care for the front. The Pontiac Bonneville is my favorite overall. I once had a '59 Pontiac hearse with the 389 and a 3-speed manual, and it would get right down the road for a 5900-pound car! It would do 102 mph with the air conditioner on (great a/c!) and 112 with it off (don't ask me how I know).
I think I'd pick the Caddy. I seem to favor the bubble top roof over the yacht roofs the others have.
Yeah, I have always preferred the "round-top" models as well over the flat-top models. It just happened that sales brochure showed the flat-top models on all but the Cadillac, which was also available as the flat-top style.
For those that prefer the bubble-tops, here are the cars above in the round-top 4dr sedan body styles...
Bonneville - (the Bonneville was not available as a 4dr sedan, only 4dr hardtop, which is odd, as all other GM top trim cars were available as 4dr round-top models) However, here is a Catalina 4dr sedan... (top center in blue)
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=11717 6&g2_serialNumber=2 (broken link)
Ninety-Eight - (shown in pink in upper right)
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=11526 4&g2_serialNumber=2 (broken link)
Electra - (lower right photo in green - the Electra was also available in a hardtop round top like the Cadillac... it was called the Electra 225 Riviera hardtop)
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=11185 8&g2_serialNumber=2 (broken link)
and here is a LeSabre sedan...
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=8800& g2_serialNumber=2 (broken link)
then since the round-top Caddy was shown in the original post... here is the flat-top version...
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=12307 &g2_serialNumber=2 (broken link)
Last edited by Tennesseestorm; 04-05-2009 at 10:34 PM..
Yeah, I have always preferred the "round-top" models as well over the flat-top models. It just happened that sales brochure showed the flat-top models on all but the Cadillac, which was also available as the flat-top style.
I agree that the round top is my preference too, and that's what I was getting at. Caddy would refer to it as a "4 window" for the flat top or "6 window" for the round (being that the side windows were pillarless to count as 1 per side and the round top had 2 extra rear quarter windows to finish the line). Was there a particular reason other than pure styling that they offered both options? Increased headroom?
Interesting to the 50's Buick fans that the new LaCrosse for '10 has a "sweepspear" line again. Seems like a better "heritage" design signature to bring back rather than simply sticking on some portholes, especially now that you can find them at Walmart to stick on your Civic. Using the "dollar grin" like they did for the past few years was a good idea in theory, but on delivery was usually so muted down with today's smaller grilles that it was really easy to miss what they were trying for.
Last edited by tande1n5; 04-05-2009 at 11:23 PM..
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