Oldsmobile 98
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{{Infobox Automobile
|image=Image:Olds 98!.jpg
|name=Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight
|manufacturer=General Motors
|production=1941–1996
|class=Full-size
|related=Buick Electra
Buick Park Avenue
Oldsmobile Toronado
Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser
Buick Riviera
Cadillac Calais
Cadillac Deville
Cadillac Fleetwood
Cadillac Sixty Special
|successor=Oldsmobile Regency
|similar=Chrysler LHS
Mercury Grand Marquis
Lincoln Continental
}}
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 90's as the bread and butter of the full-size Oldsmobile lineup.
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-fifties.
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 available, 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.
A majority of Ninety Eights (including the mid-1970s Custom Cruiser station wagons) had rear tailfins until 1985.
Contents |
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 used a 126 in wheelbase.
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.
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 rear-wheel drive to a new front-wheel drive platform for 1985.
Engines:
- 1985-1990 3.8 L (231 in³) V6
1991
This final redesigned generation of the Ninety-Eight would prove to be the shortest, seeing its last year in 1996. Although not manufactured in over nine years, many of the these cars remain on the road in good condition. The 98's are very distinctive with the fender skirts that adorn the rear tires. With the Aurora being introduced a year earlier, and the Eighty-Eight around, the 98 replaced by the Regency version of the Eighty-Eight. However, drivers of the 98 did not accept the Regency 88 as a replacement, and many opted for the Buick Park Avenue as the only suitable alternative. The Aurora replaced the Ninety-Eight, after a 2-year overlap.
Engines:
- 1991-1999 3.8 L (231 in³) V6
Popular Songs:
- Public Enemy had a minor hit in the 1980s with You're Gonna Get Yours, a song about an Oldsmobile 98.
