We’ve been neglecting the Cohort, so I’m going to put up a few of them today. We’ll start with this unusual find in Israel, by T.Minor. It’s a ’64 Olds 98 convertible, with a removable hardtop, something I’ve never seen before. T.Minor left this comment: Apparently belonging to some Jordanian general in the 67 war, when it was captured and somehow sold on the market. Anyone ever see anything like this before?
Are you sure that is not a 1964 model? My mother had one (sedan) when I was little which probably dates me right there but the taillights look 1964 to me.
Yeah, I think the car pictured is a ’64. The ’63 has taillights that extend to the top of the fenders.
The 63 model did not have fitted fender skirts.
I am a sucker for the ’64 Ninety-Eight. The Olds and Buick C cars were definitely influenced by the ’61 Lincoln Continental beginning in ’63, but it took the ’64 Olds version to really get the details right.
Interesting history if true. Outside of the dust and flat tires, this appears to be in good shape.
The hardtop is a bit heavy handed, and probably plenty heavy.
Hmmm, it’s not too late to hack the roof off my hardtop to get the best of both worlds… until I get caught in the rain without the roof on.
Probably cost more than the income of an entire Bedouin village ….. and the money could have provided them all with running water.
Those wacky Jordanian generals !
I can’t believe how huge the rear trunk is on these cars, they’re almost as long as the hoods, nice car
Those flat tires aren’t doing much for its curb appeal, but those hubcaps are so period correct. My grandmother had a 1964 Ninety-Eight 4DR sedan in a light blue. It was so big and so long. Also had that electric eye for the automatic dimmer. Wonderful specimen–look at those straight lines.
It looks like a padded Carson top, a removable hardtop that fits over a standard convertible top , generally with the roof in the up position. That would probably explain its bulk, but I can be wrong. An unusual one.
Company called Riviera, know little else.
that page is a great piece of graphic design.
What a handsome looking Olds. To my eyes, the styling is just right. Once again I learn something from CC.
Sorry for going political, but…. “Apparently belonging to” usually means it wasn’t just apparently, but did belong to someone. And “captured and somehow sold” means it was a spoils of war, stolen then sold by its “capturer”. If the story of the origin is true to the owner, then he knows he’s been trading in stolen goods, keeping something that actually belongs to someone else.
This I understand was used as a staff car and hence war booty, in the same way this happens in any war, and as the case is often the victorious side disposes of non-standard/unusable vehicles on the market. To extend your logic vehicles captured in WWII from Germany or Japan have been stolen from their rightful owners. The only fishy thing in this story (if at all) is how it found its way to the market, given the rule that pensioned IDF vehicles are not to be sold on the home market other than as for spares or scrap iron, although exceptions have been made before for lighter vehicles (although I would not put it beyond someone knowing, or bribing somebody). Private vehicles owned by civilians are NOT confiscated by the IDF unless involved in terror activities and I can assure you there are more than one or two pre-67 vehicles in the Palestinian Authority held areas. In fact, it is forbidden to import any vehicles from these areas into Israel (but not the other way round). Last but not least, if you were familiar with the motoring scene in Israel, you would have known there is a very big problem of vehicles being stolen from Israel into the PA areas and then either dismantled for spares or given new identities, so theft is mostly one way traffic over there…
PS: Adding that given the peace accords between Jordan and Israel, I have no doubt that had this been a private vehicle, said general or his family would have been able to reclaim it.
I’m sure you’re right. Not like Israel to illegally keep something it got in a war.
I think the politically correct word to use is “reparations” of war.
Some years back Special Interest Autos had an article on a 1963 Pontiac Bonneville convertible (I believe) that had a similar removable hardtop. IIRC there was even a reproduction of the magazine ad for the hardtop.
I wonder how heavy it was. I had a 1970 Chevrolet K5 Blazer when I was in high school (fiberglass top extending to the windshield header with side widows and lift up hatch at the rear). I’m average size but was hitting the weights back then. I could take that top off and put it on with the help of one similar sized friend but it was definitely no cake walk.
Those look like later model Lincoln wheel covers.
Those are 1963 or 1964 Oldsmobile deluxe wheel covers
Here’s a couple of links with info and pictures of the Riviera tops:
http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/280140/
https://www.mecum.com/lot-detail/SC0512-126668/0/1964-Chevrolet-Impala-SS-Convertible/4-Speed/