Vehicle Description
1963 Oldsmobile F85 JetFire
The 1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire, announced in April of that year, was
one of the world's first two turbocharged production cars, the
other being Chevrolet's 1962 Corvair Monza Spyder. Each of these
General Motors models, which debuted more than a decade before the
BMW 2002 Turbo and Porsche 911 Turbo, met very different fates. The
Jetfire's troublesome turbo setup caused much grief for owners, and
Oldsmobile canceled the model after 1963.
A rare bird due to the troublesome turbocharger setup and a lack of
dealer instructions on how to have a repair technician fix it, this
car met an early exit being produced for a mere 1 year. A low
production number of 9,167 were produced and today there might be
only about 150 left with potential for restoration and even fewer
running great like our example here in the hallowed halls of
Classic Auto Mall.
Exterior
Straight steel all bathed in Brilliant Red Metallic paint which is
the deep end of the pool paint covers this classic. An oversized
trim spear runs from bow to stern and widens just a bit as it
reaches the tail. Here small fins grow up from the rear quarters,
where on the rear of the car shiny bezels frame a square taillight
and small rectangular back up light. Rocker trim thins out and then
surrounds the wheel wells in front and back. Chrome for the bumpers
is all excellent as is the front grille which for this year has
flattened out just a bit and sports the O L D S M O B I L E badge
in the center which is flanked by dual headlights on either side. A
clean white vinyl covered hardtop is a nice contrast to the
metallic red and shiny trimmings surrounding all the glass. 14-inch
mag wheels are wrapped with 195/75-R15's on all 4 corners.
Interior
The jet age is in full swing, the race to the moon has begun in
earnest, and the styling of this car reflects that. Even the name
Jetfire inspires speed and thrust. Near perfect faux leather
pattern maroon vinyl is interplaying with chrome trimming wrapping
around various panels. A rocket in a sunburst badge is top and
center on the doors, and maroon carpeting covers the lowers. Inside
nice wide maroon vinyl low back buckets show near perfectly with
their tuck and roll inserts and smooth bolsters and wide chromed
edging. A rear bench is in back in the same pattern and also
looking unused. Molded plastic in maroon is on the sides of a
center console which begins just in front of the buckets. Here a
chromed shift lever resides along with the turbo power meter which
goes from gas saving green to ass kicking red depending on your
mood. This sits on a ribbed aluminum plate on top of the molded
maroon. In front of the original steering wheel is a symmetrical
dash with a double pointed Olds badged spear, and more maroon for
the dash top and metal painted dash front. A few brushed aluminum
panels are also here housing the pulls and knobs. Just below in a
black panel is a trio of aftermarket gauges to show more vital
signs of the mill upfront. Maroon carpeting is very clean, covers
the floors and a vented white headliner is above showing nice and
tight.
Drivetrain
Under the hood is an engine aficionado's dreamland where the Olds
designers have taken a 3.5 liter 215ci aluminum V8, and added on a
Garret AiResearch turbocharger and a special Rochester 1-barrel
side draft carburetor, creating the Jetfire mystique. A 3-speed
Hydramatic automatic transmission is on the back, and the rear axle
is 3.36 gear ratio.
Undercarriage
Clean and pristine with an ample application of rustproofing
texture coating is seen throughout. Independent coil spring
suspension and a 4 link with coil springs provides the ride, and
drum braking brings you back to earth safely. Also, a Flowmaster
exhaust is snaking its way rearward from the booster up front.
Drive-Ability
3, 2...1 Liftoff and we were off to the test track. All was
performing just nicely with snappy acceleration and good solid
handling. All seemed to be working although the wipers were not on
this day, and for the panic stop the car pulls hard to the
left.
This is a rarely seen and most examples have been converted to a
4-barrel non turbo setup, but this one survives just like it came
from the factory. All surfaces have been attended to, and we have a
great example, also be it short lived, of the Olds venture into the
muscle car era in 1963. Ready for stage 2!
631M27413
63-1963
1-F85 Deluxe
M-Lansing, MI Assy Plant
27413-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
