Vehicle Description
Mostly original Starfire with one older repaint. Beautiful interior
with bucket seats and console. Nicely optioned with power windows,
power seat, cruise control, and more. Powerful 394 cubic inch V8.
Pretty convertible that drives like only a survivor can. We like
cars that have never been taken apart, even if they're a little
scruffy around the edges. Regardless of how good your restoration
shop might be, they're still not as good as the factory at putting
cars together. As a result, cars like this handsome 1963 Oldsmobile
Starfire convertible have an intangible feeling of quality that's
tough to restore back into a car. We believe the car has never been
apart and aside from a repaint in the original Regal Mist perhaps
25 years ago, it remains almost entirely original. That means the
doors swing closed with a solid-sounding THUNK rather than a loose
rattle and the car feels substantial going down the road. The paint
has an appropriate shine that isn't like today's modern urethanes,
and the distinctive Starfire trim along the flanks remains in
excellent condition. Be sure to note the peak that runs from nose
to tail and is trimmed in bright stainless trim, which gives the
Olds appropriate top-of-the-line looks and the remaining brightwork
remains in very good original condition. Details like the taillight
lenses show a little fading, but they're not cracked or damaged and
all the original emblems are in great condition. This is still a
very handsome car! The white bucket seat interior remains in
fantastic condition. We gave it a good cleaning but otherwise it
needed nothing to look this good. We believe the seat covers were
replaced at some point, and they remain bright and the cushions
underneath are firm and all-day comfortable. The clean, simple dash
houses instruments that monitor the basics, with a factory tach
down on the center console. You'll note this car is equipped with
power windows, a remote mirror, power driver's seat, tilt steering
column, and cruise control, and everything works except the cruise,
clock, and tachometer. It's luxurious but sporting with buckets and
a center console, and provides the kind of grown-up performance for
which Olds was famous in the 1960s. The AM/FM radio was
state-of-the-art in 1963, particularly with the reverb, which is
controlled by a switch under the dash hood. The white power
convertible top folds itself into position with the touch of a
button and the original boot is included, although it seems to have
shrunk a bit in the intervening years. You also get a massive trunk
with correct mats and a full-sized spare tire assembly.
Oldsmobile's potent 394 cubic inch 'Rocket' V8 advertises 'Ultra
High Compression' on the air cleaner, and it certainly delivers the
muscle to make this big ragtop feel energetic. It's nicely dressed
in correct red engine enamel with chrome air cleaner and valve
covers, just to add some under-hood appeal-Oldsmobile designers
know that their sporting Starfire would attract performance-minded
buyers. It starts easily, idles nicely, and has the kind of
smoothness that you usually only find in original cars. On the
road, it pulls with enthusiasm from a deep well of torque, which is
really this engine's calling card. The 3-speed automatic
transmission clicks through the gears unobtrusively and with 3.42
gears out back, it feels punchy around town but settles down for
highway cruises. The underside is obviously unrestored but look at
the ultra-clean floors with no rot or patches-not so easy to find
in a ragtop of this vintage. The rest is a combination of surface
scale and dried dirt, as this car seems to have lived its life down
south. The ride is Oldsmobile smooth and it looks right on big
H78-14 whitewall tires that should probably be replaced if you're
planning long trips. This is not a show car, but given Starfire
values, it isn't priced like one, either. Instead, it's a cool
cruiser that has a low-key demeanor and asks for very little in
return for a great driving experience. The Starfire will always
draw attention given its flashy look, but the guy behind the wheel
will always have the best time of all. Just get in and start having
fun. Call today!Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes
personal or professional inspections of any vehicle in our
inventory prior to purchase.
