Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present a stunning example of this
very desirable 1962 Oldsmobile Starfire 2 door Hardtop coupe
'Bubble Roof' with the 394/345HP V8 engine with factory options
including: Hydra-Matic automatic transmission, power steering,
power brakes, power drivers seat, electric clock, courtesy lamps,
soft ray tinted glass, Wonderbar AM radio with power antenna,
console with shifter, tachometer and with rare factory added option
of outside rear mirror.The Starfire was Oldsmobile's entry into the
personal luxury market built on the Super Eighty-Eight's 123-inch
wheelbase frame. The list of standard equipment included a more
powerful V8, Hydra-matic drive, sports console with shifter,
tachometer, courtesy lamp package, two-speed wipers, power brakes,
power steering, brushed aluminum trim, dual exhausts and leather
trim. Oldsmobile introduced the new Starfire in mid-1961. It was a
high performance, high style, luxury automobile that was true to
the company's rich performance history and offered a host of
distinctive features. The Starfire returned for 1962 to include a
hardtop variant. Priced around $4,000, the Starfire Hardtop Coupe
was equipped with all the features found in the Super Eight-Eight
plus brushed aluminum side panels, a sporty cockpit featuring
bucket seats, leather upholstery, floor console and power-operated
front seats. Power was from a 394 cubic-inch V-8 engine that
offered 345 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque, courtesy of a
Rochester four-barrel carburetor, 10.5:1 compression, a revised
camshaft profile, an efficient combustion chamber design and a
free-flowing dual exhaust system. This particular model comes
complete with power drivers seat, factory tinted glass, console
tachometer and reverb rear speaker.The Oldsmobile Starfire was
easily distinguishable from its Super 88 counterparts by the
addition of brushed aluminum side panels. Arguably this was the
first muscle-car from Oldsmobile since it combined a very powerful
engine in a small, compact body. The Starfire's sporty and
luxurious hardtop coupe and convertible embodied the personal
luxury cars for Oldsmobile with leather bucket seats, sport and
special luxury trim. "Distinguished . . Distinctive . . Decidedly
New" was how Oldsmobile advertised their all new 1961 first
full-fledged Starfire series. Oldsmobile chose the General Motors
1961 Motorama which opened on November 3, 1960 at the
Waldorf-Astoria in NYC to debut the new one-model series. This
series remained until the revolutionary Toronado picked up the
Oldsmobile personal-luxury banner. At select Oldsmobile dealerships
in January 1961 the first Starfires began arriving. On the outside
the Starfire included two slim parallel hood moldings and a 4-inch
wide band of brushed aluminum on the sides, touches which were
exclusive to the Starfire. The 1961 Starfire also sported a
chrome-plated air cleaner perched on top of the four-barrel
carburetor and shiny valve covers and oil filler cap. Burning only
premium fuel, the Starfire had a 10.25:1 compression ratio. Another
unique advertising campaign was a direct-to-dealer piece that urged
dealerships to stage special open houses to showcase the new model
and gave interested dealerships with up to 500 invitations and
envelopes. In 1962 Oldsmobile product planners expanded the
Starfire lineup with the addition of the coupeBeautifully finished
in 'Garnet Mist' color paint over its original brushed aluminum
side panels and with a very striking matching 'Garnet Mist'
two-tone interior the car looks extremely impressive! The car has
all it's original logos and its original radio and the brightwork
design on the dashboard, the dashboard itself, the headliner with
original chrome strips, the carpets and all the seats are in
absolutely exceptional condition! All the chrome work is also in
very good condition and the original spare wheel and jack is in the
trunk.This particular car drive absolutely magnificently - must be
driven to be fully appreciated - drives straight as an arrow with
no strange road wobbles, shakes or rattles - a truly remarkable
daily driver that will really give any modern day sports car a run
for it's money! The transmission shifts smoothly through all the
gears and the temperature always remains cool!It is hard to pin
down the first actual muscle car; some have asserted that it is the
1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88, which was built with speed in mind and
with an overhead valve V8 placed in a mid-size car with a
relatively lightweight body. A lot of observers cite the next big
step in the evolution of the early muscle car to be the
introduction of the 1955 Chrysler C-300 with its 300 horsepower
Hemi engine that could go from zero to sixty in 9.8 seconds and
reach a top speed of around 130 miles per hour. A car that came
along a few years later that is of note to many collectors and
muscle car enthusiasts is the Oldsmobile Starfire.This is a rare
opportunity to own a great daily driving example of a 1962
Oldsmobile Starfire 2 door Hardtop coupe - one very desirable,
collectible and unabused example of one of the outstanding early
muscle cars and beautiful Bubble Top GM designs of the sixties.