For Sale at Auction: 1957 Oldsmobile Starfire in Newport, Rhode Island

Chassis No. 579L04098

Oldsmobile's postwar years were marked by meteoric growth, offering the increasingly affluent middle class an automobile that was faster, sleeker, and better equipped than its competition. Americans in the latter half of the 1950s began looking to the stars and wanted that ambition reflected in the cars they drove. Kickstarting the 'space age' in 1957, the Oldsmobile line received a substantial overhaul headed by automotive designer and executive Harley Earl; the '57 Starfire introduced a comprehensive visual redesign as well as a smorgasbord of options. The top-of-the-line and most expensive variant was the Ninety-Eight Starfire Convertible, with a base price of $3,840 equivalent to $45,776.63 today. The Starfire Convertible's party piece was a hydraulic ram-operated, power top that could be raised in under 40 seconds.

In addition to its highly desirable convertible body style, this Ninety-Eight Starfire is equipped with the desirable 'J-2' induction package. Advertised as "not recommended for street use," this package used triple twin-barrel carburetors to rocket horsepower output to a stratospheric 300. The 'J-2' option proved so dominant on the NASCAR circuit that officials outlawed multi-carburetor setups but not before Oldsmobile had already won five Grand National races with it. Mated to a Jetaway Hydra-Matic four-speed automatic transmission, it delivered stunning power in a smooth, futuristic package.

In the spirit of the time, many of the options end in "-tronic" or "-matic," one of the most unique being the Autotronic Eye: a light-sensing phototube that detects oncoming headlights and signals an amplifier to trigger the activation of low beams. The phototube was housed in a dash-mounted, ray gun-like enclosure, its lens tirelessly peering out over the road. Rounded out by an interior straight out of a Popular Mechanics magazine, every button and dial is set within oval, cosmic-inspired shapes.

Having the luxury of a single ownership period spanning 20 years, this 1957 Oldsmobile Starfire Ninety-Eight has been lovingly preserved and cared for. Re-finished in a dazzling, factory-correct three-tone combination of Jade Mist Iridescent and Alcan White over a three-tone turquoise, green, and white leather interior and sitting on polished stainless-steel wheels with chrome covers wrapped in BFGoodrich whitewall tires the car resembles a flying comet. In 2005 it was awarded a Senior National First Prize at the AACA Nationals, and today it stands as a rolling piece of space-age Americana, ready for its next caretaker.