Vehicle Description
1955 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Deluxe 2 Door Hardtop
The mid fifties were an amazing time for General Motors. Each of
their brands had a distinctive identity and business was booming.
While almost everyone recognizes Chevrolet's tri-five collection,
Oldsmobile's offerings of the day were equally impressive. In 1955
sales were way up for Oldsmobile, and it was due in part to this
division of GM offerings to compliment, not rival the tri-fives.
From upmarket to experimental to performance leader, Oldsmobile
played a number of roles over the years and this '55 Olds Ninety
Eight Holiday manages to showcase nearly all of them at once.
This 1955 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday has a look that will stop traffic
with a two tone paint and chrome to remind you of the mid 50's and
a pre-finned swoop spear design to die for. Oh, and with its Rocket
V8 power and luxurious options, you are definitely in your father's
Oldsmobile! With just 93,691 title verified miles, this car has
many holidays in its future.
Exterior
Upfront an "open maw" toothy grille, complete with a central bumper
bar and parking lighting inset, is surrounded on top by the hood
trimming and below by the massive bumper, which completes the
bottom of the smile. A large screened open Oldsmobile globe is in
front of the hood, and it's topped by the winged futuristic looking
rocket plane hood ornament. The hood, top of the front quarters and
lower front portion to the bumper is bathed in Polar White. A
midline chrome spear delineates the two-tone Polar White from the
Cherry Red lowers below. It runs through the doors and to the rear
quarter, where it takes on a knife shape, and rises upward
corralling the white, and allowing the red top flow and fill in the
rear quarters completely, as well as the trunk lid. Fender skirts
pour over the rear wheels and on the back, simple lighting with
chrome bezels adorns the wide expanse of red steel complete with
Ninety-Eight futuristic badging, and another Olds globe. Below is a
large shiny rear bumper. 15-inch wheels with vintage hubcaps are
wrapped by thin whitewall radial tires on all 4 corners, with the
rim of the red-painted wheels showing through. The trunk is
huuuuuge and covered in protective mats showing a bit of dirt. No
harm there and the red rimmed spare tire and jack are present and
accounted for. A few minor blemishes on exterior paint were noted
but not significant enough to detract from this show piece.
Interior
Spectacular door panels greet you with plush uppers and smooth
white vinyl lowers, mirroring the curvature of the exterior
pattern. Electric window controls are on the door and the driver
has access to all four. The materials are copied onto the split
bench front seat with white vinyl outers and bright red plush cloth
inserts crowned by a horizontal tuck and roll stitch. The metal
seattubis also striking white and contains a toggle to electrically
move the seat. Some scuffs on this part are undoubtedly the result
of heels entering the car and can likely be removed with ease. The
back bench is flawless and wears the same pattern and the red rear
shelf holds a center speaker. The dash continues the theme with its
deep red padded upper and mid and lower white full metal jacket
dash, and the instruments and knobs polished top the nines all
neatly within the confines. The chrome trimming runs the length of
the mid dash, completes dueling circular inserts for the driver's
speedo and passenger's ribbed speaker insert and central clock. An
updated AM/FM/Cassette radio and middle mounted glovebox just below
make up the center of this beautiful dash. A more modern A/C unit
has been added to the bottom of the dash and the original steering
wheel in white bakelite and another Olds globe badge in the horn
ring center draw your eyes instantly. Red carpeting spills over the
floors with old school clear floor mats there to protect things. A
custom center console piece adds cupholders to the car along with a
small storage bin, and a requisite map pocket for your extras. The
white perforated headliner with exposed polished braces is
essentially, like so much of this car, a work of
art.DrivetrainUnder the hood in the very clean and totally restored
engine bay sits a mean green valve covered machine with its 324ci
Rocket V8 configuration. This is topped with a generous 4-barrel
carburetor and backed by a Hydramatic 4-speed automatic
transmission. 3.23 gears are reserved for this rear axle and power
drum brakes bring this big car to a stop. Near mirror polished
black paint finishes off the underside of the hood.
Undercarriage
Very clean and rust free matte black rustproofing sprayed
undercarriage in X frame form shows underneath. This frame provides
the structure for the independent coil spring suspension up front,
and leaf sprung suspension on back. True dual exhaust runs from the
engine and right into the glasspack style mufflers, then keep going
to polished tops exiting the back. Shiny black rust-proofingcovers
the floors and frame and proves the mounting points for the coil
springs found on the independent suspension up front with leaf
springs out back. We note power drum brakes on all 4 corners along
with power steering.
Drive-Ability
Turn the key and go! It's that simple, and this car runs like a
champ. Smoooooth limitless acceleration, snappy ride considering
it's a large and in charge car, and the top down drive is certainly
a plus. A great cruiser, and even better head turner. People just
love old Oldsmobiles!
This is truly a spectacular piece of rolling art. When people talk
about the bygone days of automotive design when chrome was king and
form was a little better than function, this is the kind of car
they're referring to. For the discerning Oldsmobile collector, for
someone who wants to jump into the hobby with a top notch vehicle,
this one should not be passed up!
559A9604
55-1955
9-Ninety Eight
A-Atlanta, GA Assy Plant
9604-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
STYLE NO 55 3037DX 98 Deluxe Holiday Hardtop
BODY NO BA2799-Atlanta Body #
TRIM NO 338-Unknown
PAINT NO S40 60-Twilight Blue, Polar White
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