More power, more colors inside and out and Flying Color styling was how the Oldsmobile marketing department were describing their beautiful cars for 1955.
Ninety Eight was top-of-the-line for Oldsmobile in 1955 and consisted of four models: a four-door sedan, four-door Holiday Hardtop, Starfire Convertible and the two-door Holiday Hardtop you see here.
The Ninety-Eight had a longer wheelbase than the other series in the line-up at 126 inches rather than 122 inches.
Even more colors were available in ’55 over the previous year – a total of nineteen solid colors and seventy-five two-tone combinations were available for the exterior. Oldsmobile described there new, more colorful cars as their Flying Color scheme and was shown off with their side profile “GO-AHEAD” look, a combination of the swept-cut wheel openings and attractive molding package that separated the two-tone colors.
Interestingly, only the 98 had a true swept-cut rear wheel opening (interestingly, except the 4-door sedan). The Eighty-Eight and Super Eighty-Eight all used a rear fender skirt that was cut to give the appearance of one.
Standard equipment for the more luxurious Ninety-Eight models included: electric clock, hand brake light, custom cushion lounge seats and a safety padded instrument panel.
Even more fabrics and colors were on offer for the interior too. This two-tone red and white interior matches nicely with the exterior and liven up the car wonderfully.
Super 88s and 98s both enjoyed a 324 cubic inch V8 with 4-barrel carburetor with a power output of 202 horsepower (the 88 got a 2-barrel carburetor and achieved 185 hp).
Options on this car include – (original cost in brackets) : power steering ($108) , power brakes ($38), power windows ($80) and deluxe radio ($94).
A Ninety-Eight 2-door Holiday Hardtop would have cost you around $3,069 plus any options back in 1955. Oldsmobile’s managed to sell 38,363 of them and 118,626 Ninety Eight cars across the four models available.
It was a fantastic model year for Oldsmobile who had their best ever year to date with a total of 583,179 cars sold.
This 1955 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight is currently for sale on eBay. (follow the link for lots more photos)