(first posted 2/6/2013) We had some lively discussion the other day about the J-body Oldsmobile Firenza, thanks to the beige sedan Paul found at a 7-11. Lansing’s version of the J-car may well be the rarest variant. The only one I recall seeing back then was a white ’87 coupe a friend’s mom owned. Perhaps the unusual grilleless nose was a little too ahead of its time; the Taurus was still nearly five years away–along with greater acceptance of smooth-nosed family cars. Oldsmobile did finally address it with the restyled ’88, but it would prove to be the little Olds’ swan song.
Like all the other divisions (including, sadly, Cadillac) 1982 brought the J-body onto the scene. While meant to replace the H-body Monza, Sunbird, Starfire and Skyhawk, the J added four-door sedans and wagons. The Firenza sold 30,108 copies and was rather handsome with its mini-Toronado nose.
The fastback was particularly fetching. I really like this one in ice blue metallic, with the mini-Super Stock wheels and white interior. I didn’t even know you could get a white interior in a J-car, other than the later Sunbird and Cavalier convertibles.
Now, granted, 1982-83 were not really great years for car sales, but the Firenza never really took off until 1984, when over 82K came off the line. That proved to be a one-year deal, as sales again dived to 49,041 in ’85, when corporate cousin Cavalier sold over 420,000 models. Sales steadily trailed off at that point: 46,701 in ’86 and 25,828 in ’87.
I did have some experience with Firenzas back then, as a neighborhood friend’s mom had a white 1986-87 notchback coupe. It had a blue interior if I remember correctly, and the steel rally wheels (not the super stock version) with chrome caps and lugnuts. Mrs. Brady was a schoolteacher at Denkmann Elementary, and she took immaculate care of her Olds. It was still pristine and rust-free when it was traded in on a rosewood metallic 1992 or ’93 Accord coupe (identical to this one), with a really sharp burgundy cloth interior. She had good taste in cars.
Image: jspajak.tripod.com/dougk.htm
Which brings us to 1988. Now, although some styling changes were made to the Firenza between 1982 and 1987, nothing drastic was done, and it retained its mini-Toro front end during all that time. But in ’88, a rather thorough facelift was done, with a much more conventional, Cutlass Ciera-like nose, and new wheel covers, among more minor trim fillips.
Image: jspajak.tripod.com/dougk.htm
At any rate, it certainly didn’t help sales, which sank to 12,260. This consisted of 2,724 coupes, 8,612 sedans, and just two apiece of the LC coupe and LX sedan–special export orders, perhaps? The wagon, like the tan metallic one I found online shown above, saw only 995 copies. This particular one is even rarer, as it has the five-speed stick. All wagons featured steel sides, as the Di-Noc Cruiser model disappeared. So too, did the S and GT hatchbacks.
Now, why did Olds go to the trouble? While probably trifling for GM as a whole, it still cost money to tool new headlights, grille, header panel and bumper. And since they did all that, why not at least continue the Firenza through ’89 like Buick did with the Skyhawk?
I suspect the arrival of the new-for-’85 Calais ate into Firenza sales, and since Chevrolet didn’t have a comparable N-body, the Cavalier was not affected from 1984. And I can imagine salesmen telling Olds showroom visitors, “for just a few more dollars a month, you could have a Calais Supreme with more room and comfort!” The ’88 Firenza coupe cost $9,295 and had sales of 2,724, while the standard Calais coupe was $10,320 and sold 48,998 copies. Add a few options to your Firenza and the gap would have narrowed even more.
The standard engine on ’88s was familiar to past Firenza customers: a fuel-injected 122CID I4 with 90 horsepower. For a little more oomph, an OHC version of the same mill was available, with all of 96 horses, though I understand it really woke the car up despite the small bump in power.
I recall the ’88 Firenza well, as one of my souvenirs to my very first Chicago Auto Show was the 1988 full-line Olds brochure. Something about the Firenza clicked with my eight-year-old brain, and I made a point to hang onto that catalog all these years. I only recall seeing one in person though, a rusty survivor spotted in downtown Rock Island in the mid-’90s. Good luck finding one today, after 25 years of attrition.
So then, may I present everything you ever wanted to know about the 1988 Firenza: options, models, standard features. Be sure to click on the pictures for bigger, easier to read images. Know this car well, and maybe, just maybe, you will run across one yourself. Enjoy!
I remember being a senior in high school, in ’96 my best friend had one of these.
It was already in in somewhat distressed condition , and her teenaged driving habits on the mountainous roads of rural Pennsylvania did no help to the car.
Interestingly enough, my parents’ graduation gift to me was an ’86 Pontiac J-2000 .
Even at the age of 18 , I was struck by how blatatantly badge-engineered the J cars were. It became more apparent when I purchased my second car, a 1979 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale sedan and comparing it to my mother’s 1986 Caprice Classic Brougham.
I miss the little Sunnies hatchback, but I miss my B-body even more.
My first car was a brown 1984 Oldsmobile Firenza hatchback. Purchased in 1992 off a used car lot. My family was awash in J cars back then. My parents had a 1986 Cavalier Wagon, which I had learned to drive in. It was replaced by a 91 Corsica by the time I got the Firenza. My sister bought a 1990 or 91 Sunbird in 1993.
Another familiar car but a bit different. The Vauxhall Cavalier/Opel Ascona’s American cousin.
An intersting sidebar about the J-body Firenza: I recall that GM Canada wanted to use the Starfire name, because the class-action lawsuit (Canada’s first ever) over the biodegradeable 1971-72 Vauxhall Firenza was still very fresh.
http://www.vivaoutlaws.co.uk/gallery/other/can2.html
Didn’t the Buick Skyhawk also sport a grilleless nose? Maybe it was those ultra-wide headlight arrays that were off-putting to buyers.
Nice images though. I too thought the Olds was the best looking of the J-bodies, especially the first generation hatchback.
Yes. Just a couple days ago a Skyhawk post was made on one of the automotive websites…. I can’t seem to find it.
Here’s an ’82. Similar, but the Buick had a sloped nose, not unlike the ’82 Camaro.
I always though it was kinda Camaro like too, the Oldsmobile Firenza front always kinda made me think of the 1980-81 full size Pontiacs with the parking light inbetween the headlights.
That an unlikely backdrop for this mini Buick–looks like a former Ottoman city.
The only thing I remember about these cars (J-bodies) is someone near our house had a Cavalier sedan that seemed loaded (as far as a Cavalier can be “loaded”) and it always sat on the street. All I remember is it had a trunk-lid rack, power windows/locks, a badge announcing a suspension package, aluminum wheels, etc. Somebody wanted every option in the book, apparently.
Where did the last 5 pics come from? Looks like some kind of salesman-only ordering guide. These things are really cool to have if you are in love with a particular car/brand. I have one for the 1976 Seville that I got on ebay. These salesmen-only literature items are cool to have, but also very expensive!! If you check ebay, they can go for hundreds of dollars. Mine wasn’t that much, but I see literature from the fourties and fifties go for a fortune.
Michael, that is actually the ’88 dealer brochure. It was printed to look like it was hardbound with tabs, etc. but it was all printed on standard glossy paper.
The dealer guides are cool. I have one for the ’76 Pontiacs that is really neat. The paint chips and vinyl top samples are arranged below transparent outlines of every 1976 Pontiac, so you can see what your car would look like in, say Metalime Green with a black top.
Some of the upholstery choices are pretty far out!
I have that same brochure. Actually, I have all the Olds brochures from at least 1985 and up!
I am not sure I have ever seen a Firenza notchback coupe. Back in the 80s, we had a secretary in the office who drove one of the earlier Firenza hatchbacks (their other car was an early 80s Toronado). These were fairly common in the midwest, where they were still selling a lot of Oldsmobiles.
Wow I’ve never know of any vehicle to come with that many wheel options!
Those are actually the choices for the Cutlass Ciera, Calais, Cutlass Supreme Classic, and Firenza.
Here’s the whole brochure:
http://oldcarbrochures.org/index.php/NA/Oldsmobile/1988-Oldsmobile/1988-Oldsmobile-Mid-Size-Brochure
Yea well also remember that by the 1980s, GM pretty much standardized bolt patterns to 5×100 and 5×115 for almost all FWD vehicles. So ALOT of wheels could be switched around. Firenzas were standard with 13″ wheels but could be optioned to 14″.
The first three in the top row and the middle picture in the middle row I believe are the only ones available for the Firenza for 1988.
The A-bodies were a crapshoot though. Some Centuries, Cieras and 6000s had a bigger bolt pattern than others when ordered with HD brakes. I cannot remember if I’ve ever seen a big-bolt-pattern Celebrity though.
I was impressed by the number of hubcap and wheel choices too.
I have no recollection of this face-lifted Firenza at all, which is odd considering I was trained to sell Oldsmobiles in 1989 and I remember pretty much every car on the US market for a decade or so either side of 1988.
I drove a 4 door with a slushbox once in 84/85 and was unimpressed relative to our 77 Accord. Then again my then girlfriend, now wife’s 88 Cavalier wasn’t too impressive either.
It looks like a notchback with the 2.0 OHC engine with a 5 speed, FE3 suspension and alloy wheels might be a good car wit the right tires. I would lean towards the pre-88 front end with the PX1 alloys for a proper 80s techno look, repainted in Aqua with yellow splatter graphics, or just go conservative with the Medium Garnet Red, assuming it’s a good deep color like the BMW Motorcycle Mystic Red.
These things existed primarily to get buyers in the door where they could be upsold to a Ciera or Cutlass.
“For a few bucks more a month I can put you into one of these really great Cieras that really hold the road”
“Yeah, Jeez, yer right”
“Your darn tootin'”
You gotta get that TruCoat!
I worked for Oldsmobile during those years until 1993 at my uncle’s dealership. From the late 1960s through the late 1980s, Oldsmobile was almost always thought of as a Cutlass brand. For many years, the Cutlass (Supreme) variants accounted for 50% or more of the divisions sales. The Delta 88 and 98 were popular but sold in smaller numbers because of cost. Those were the 3 mainstay vehicles at most dealerships. The Calais was offered and sold in respectable numbers but not like the Grand Am which was the most popular N-body. The Firenza was almost like an afterthought mainly because until most cars got really small Oldsmobile was not thought of as a small car cheaper car marque.
Unfortunately, GM corporate planning at the time was badge engineered cars across the line. The J-cars should have remained Chevrolet-Pontiacs only (and they sold well under those marques). Of the N-cars, the Grand-Ams sold the best both 2-doors and 4-doors, the Buicks mostly 4-doors, same with the Calais.
Part of the reason why Firenzas were discontinued in 1988 instead of 1989 was the closing of the Leeds Missouri assembly plant. That plant was way over capacity for the slow selling cars that were being produced there so GM pulled the plug.
We did not see too many Firenzas come to the dealership after the warranty ran out, because like the other J-cars, their designs were so simple and they were relatively robust cars mechanically that most people just took them to their neighborhood garage.
Most of the reason why the Firenza received a redesign was that GM made a corporate decision to go to flush headlamps across all car lines whenever practically possible. Yes there were some tooling costs but the costs were not much since all they changed was the front header panel which are fiberglass and plastic and form molded plus some minor wiring.
Interesting point re: flush headlamps. Once the law was changed to allow them, sealed beams suddenly looked desperately old fashioned.
Most cars that got “tacked on” flush headlamps looked worse than their predecesors. The Caprice is probably the most egregious example, but the FWD A-body cars suffered as well.
Some cars it was too obvious some weren’t bad at all. My 93 Buick Century looks good with its forward angling front end treatment.
The Century probably wore them best, but I still prefer the original sealed-beam version…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew-turnbull/4602989712/
I agree with Craig. The forward-angled Buick Century from 1989-96 looked sharp with composite headlights. Here is a pic of the rare coupé version (around 1995, in Custom trim).
The law changed in 1983 and the first car with flush headlamps was the 1984 Lincoln Mark VII. That law also brought us the third-brake light and a couple of other small things.
Growing up there was a nice older lady living across the street from us. She was quaintly called a spinster back in those days and never drove. However in 1987 she eventually did marry when she was in her mid-late 50s and her new hubby taught her to drive. Her first car ever was a 1988 Olds Firenza sedan, grey on grey. She took care of that car lke it was a Rolls Royce. She never had a lick of problems with it. It was still going strong and still looking good when she unfortunately passed in 2007. Whereabouts of the Firenza are still unknown.
Awesome story. And a befitting car!
Wonder how hard it would be to get a 1990 to 1994 Cavalier wagon with the 3.1V6 and put a Firenza front clip on it? I would enjoy a small V6 Oldsmobile wagon. 😛
Well, Dan, I am sure $25,000 would do it really nice and easy!
You and your costs…
I was thinking running Cav wagon (less than $2000 on Craigslist in my area) Olds out of the scrap yard (perhaps hit in the rear and totaled out) body work, paint job, heck if you want to spend that kind of money I think you could swap the 3.1 V6 for the 3400…
Amigo, you put no value on uniqueness.
There’s uniqueness that anyone can recognize and uniqueness that it takes a devotee of this site to see, Dan.
I remember seeing a 1962 Plymouth 4-door sedan in metallic brown, with a slant six, Torqueflite, non-power steering, power brakes, no radio, dog-dish hubcaps, and air conditioning. Certainly unique, but who gives a rat’s azz?
I do ! But I’d swap a T-5 for the Torque Flyte, then…
Wow, that blue hatchback is pure Olds pr0n!
The original J-bodies judged in their own right were not a bad little design, execution was another issue to be sure. But I loved the original hatchbacks no matter which division they came from. I still want one of them, a V6 powered Firenza is highest on my list.
I remember seeing the updated Firenzas (with the Cutty grille), but I had no idea they were so scarce, even when new. But by the mid-late 80’s, fuel prices had dropped significantly and folks were in the mood to buy bigger and faster cars. It’s no surprise that the Buick and Olds variants really didn’t sell well after the fuel prices dropped.
Now we have Cruze and Verano, and even at that, just one body style, at least in the US. My nostalgia for those 80’s J’s is probably misplaced, even my 1995 Sunfire is leagues ahead of the 80’s J’s; and that thing is a rattly bucket of bolts (that I love). Anything built in this century is sure to surpass them by a large margin.
But I do miss those long, sleek hatchbacks…
I always dreamed of these cars as my first car, being a child when they were new.
I must add though, that the Cruze and Verano are not rebadges like the oodles of 80s GM cars were. They share essentially nothing! Verano is quite a step up 🙂
That hatchback was the closest to the cars that they replaced, the H-Special, Monza, Sunbird, Firenza, Skyhawks, which came mostly as a 3 door hatch only.
If you like the Firenza hatch, check it out in 1983’s Sudden Impact, the 4th installment in the Dirty Harry series, Sandra Locke’s character drives a blue/silver Firenza hatch in the movie, there are lots of shots of it.
Amy on The A-Team had a Firenza hatch. I remember seeing it on reruns a couple of years ago.
Here’s a pic, thanks to imcdb.org:
Only time I’ve every seen one of these (well the later facelifted cars are very nondescript), I thought it must have been a Pontiac with the split grille.
Yes, I remember the movie. I went to a drive-in to see it. In my 442, no less!
Another short-lived front end redesign I’ve never understood was the ’79 Nova, which only had about a four month production run – none of the other RWD X-body cars bothered with any changes for ’79. The Volare/Aspen also got a one-year restyling for 1980, but I’ve always understood that it was so they could share front sheetmetal and bumpers (front and rear) with the 1980 Diplomat/LeBaron, and that it was originally intended for them to continue through 1981.
GM must have a lot of left over badges from Vauxhalls plant in Luton and just donated them to Oldsmobile not having to come up with a NEW name must have saved heaps of cash Id take a 2.3L Vauxhall Firenza any day but not one of these.
The Firenza was re-engineered for 1990 and sold as a “Saturn S-Series” complete with the grille-less nose and Olds Cutlas Supreme sedan greenhouse as noted in this Curbside Classic photo.
Was that to be an Olds? Not sure I believe that.
No, Saturn was a different kind of car….
HA.
Well, “Lichtronamo” said it was.
Saturn and Oldsmobile were almost tied together, when Oldsmobiles star started falling in the late 80’s, and Saturn had yet to be launched, there was a serious plan to combine both of them into one retail outlet.
I see what you did there (it’s amazing how the mind works in different capacities outside the office, with the help of Google). 🙂
Saturn was definitely NOT on my radar as a little child.
I don’t think it was common knowledge “in these parts” [overwhelmingly GM buyers] that Saturn was a part of GM until it died. hehe
I meant that rather than redo the Firenza to support the Olds brand, GM took the money and made a car that looked like an Olds but was a different kind of car thus cannibalizing itself just as it was doing with its other five brands.
There’s no linkage between the J car Firenza and the original Saturn S series.
That was the whole issue (in my mind) with GM and the Saturn experiment; all of the resources that were allocated to making the Saturn should have been used to improve the J-cars, or N-cars, or ANY other car that GM was producing at the time.
The whole Saturn experiment (of all things) is what set me against buying a GM product for a number of years. I can remember when they (GM management at the time) were shopping cities and towns against one another in an attempt to get the best “deal”. By the time much of this was happening, they already KNEW they were going to put the facility in Spring Hill, why go through all of the charades? I thought it heartless.
Oddly, there’s a Saturn in my fleet now. It’s my daughter’s Aura XR, the mid sizer that shares the same Epsilon chassis as my wife’s G6, a great running and driving car. It reminds me greatly of the car that my wife had when she and I got serious, a 1977 Olds Delta 88 Holiday with 403 and FE3 suspension…
It seems to me that in the end, Saturn did supplant Oldsmobile. Both are gone now, so it’s all water under the bridge…
This Olds, like the 1980 Volare’ were meant to last a bit longer, but were pulled off the lines.
The Buick/Olds J cars were meant for the planned high gas prices predicted for mid-80s during Hostage Crisis. GM was promoting “A small car available at all our dealers.” to show how ‘Fuel Conscious’ they were.
As someone stated in the Caddy 4100 thread, GM wasn’t about to keep selling gas hogs and make buyers pay the fines. DC and stockholders wouldn’t allow that. And the mood of the country [which swings like a weather vane] in 1980-81 was “We gotta save gas! GM, build small cars now!”
That changed as soon as prices fell.
Yes that and the fact that the economy was unstable, inflation was high, and interest rates were high. The initial oil shock in the fall of 1973 dissipated after a while and while gas prices did not fall down to the pre-shock levels, they stabilized pretty much until the second oil shock in 1979. Oil prices were relatively high until the mid 1980s when they fell drastically almost to early 70s level (adjusted for inflation) and remained relatively low compared to incomes until the 00s.
The final Firenzas look like Baby Cieras! I very much like the nose job.
BTW, white interior was available on the Sunbird coupe too and it’s very nice. This example is unusual in that it’s also got the 3.1 and 5-speed combo. The engine has a spun bearing I believe. This is the best picture I have on me right now.
I think that white interior was vinyl. I know the Cavalier/Sunbird convertibles were available in white vinyl.
Yes, it was available on coupes, it was genuine preforated vinyl, like in the good old days, it was mostly seen on ragtops, but a few coupes got it.
Someone abandoned a Sunbird convertible with white interior near our house several years ago. It appeared to be in decent shape initially with only very minor front end damage – interior was all filled up with trash saving the cheap so-and-sos’ a dump fee. In the week it stood by the road the top got slashed and a couple of windows broken. After it was retrieved, while it was parked in the impound yard someone lost control of a pickup, ran off the road, and landed on top of it, adequately finishing the job of converting the car itself to trash.
Here’s a marginally better shot of the interior. It’s a ’92 model by the way.
That’s got to be rare in teal with the white interior–I really like the colors! I have never seen the white seats on anything but a convertible.
Hope you can rescue this one and bring it home.
Me too! 🙂 A friend of mine who I used to repo cars with found it and called me up because he knew I was Cuckoo for GM cars with white interior. I can’t even remember what I paid or traded for to get it. This thing had to have been a pretty fast car in its day.
The idea of sticking a V6 from a midsize car in a compact seem so perverse now, like a Cruze with a 300hp 3.6 V6 in it, but these were like mini muscle cars, that was the same engine from a Lumina in a J-car, yeah it was only like 160hp, but it made those little cars scoot, crude for sure, but kinda of a little hooligan.
The only V6-powered car I had was a 1997 Jetta GLX with the 2.8-liter VR6. It did not feel fast. It did feel like the entire engine would shoot out of the front end. And it wasn’t just the motor mounts.
Wow, even as a J-car fan and former owner (’85 Sunbird) I had forgotten about this facelift. I also forgot the Firenza was ever offered as a coupe. I don’t see it mentioned above, but in the earlier years, there were only hatchbacks, sedans, and wagons, right? I remember Cavalier and 2000/Sunbird being offered in all four body styles plus convertibles, but the Firenza with no coupe and the Skyhawk with no hatchback. At some point that must have changed, but what year exactly? And I wonder why? I would think with declining sales, they would have eliminated models instead of adding.
I drove an ’85 Sunbird through college — I really wanted a Honda Civic or Accord, but my dad (who co-signed the loan) was quite anti-import. My little Sunbird was not exactly refined, but I enjoyed it and thought it looked *almost* as classy as the Honda in dark blue-green inside and out, even in base trim (no LE, no turbo). It was a coupe, by the way — now I can’t imagine why I didn’t go for the hatch, but I guess I wanted a mini personal luxury coupe look. We looked at the Skyhawk, which I really liked, but it was just pricier enough compared to the Sunbird to make me go with the Pontiac. I don’t remember looking at the Firenza, but I assume it was about the same price as the Skyhawk. The Sunbird seemed to offer more style than the Cavalier for about the same price. Oh, the fine shades of difference between GM makes back then! I know the original Js weren’t great cars, but I always liked the looks of all of them (and yes, that includes the Cimarron!) I kept mine for about 5 semi-reliable years and traded it for a Civic LX, which was easily twice the car. But still, I have a place in my heart for Js.
The J-cars launched with hatches, coupes, wagons and sedans in the Chevy/Pontiac versions, I thought the Skyhawks were the same, or was the hatch delayed in the Buick? version. I never paid enough attention to the Olds version to notice there was no coupe at the start and of course the poor Cimarron was sedan only, which was an odd choice, the should have at had a coupe and a sedan.
I always thought it was a mistake not offering a convertible in all the J-cars across the board.
I agree, why not do the Olds, Buick and Caddy versions? A Skyhawk with the hidden headlights would have looked especially sharp.
I still have the crazy idea of making a Cimarron convertible out of a V6 Cavalier convertible, it should just be bolt on stuff for the most part.
Yes. The Cimarrante Z24!
Cimarrante Z24 Biarritz D’Oro
A neighbor of mine has a 1988 2 door coupe with a 2L and a 3 speed automatic. 60000km (that’s 40000 miles). It rarely makes an appearance (him and his wife walk everywhere and its kept in their garage). Its in perfect shape. Has the FE3 suspension. Its a 1988 as it has a sticker on the window commemerating GM as the official vehicle sponsor for the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.
Always an occasion when I see them going anywhere.
I can’t say I’ve ever seen one of these in the wild. I may have, but it’s possible that I thought it was a Ciera.
I don’t recall ever seeing neither a Firenza nor a Skyhawk in person. I do however own the same 1988 Oldsmobile brochure; volumes I (full-size) and II (compact/mid-size)! They are two of my favorites in my ever expanding collection of vintage car brochures.
You never saw a Firenza or Skyhawk in person? I’m assuming you’re well under 30 or so, then? They were relatively common in the ’80s and early ’90s, but they dropped off quickly after that.
I’ve always had a soft spot for J-cars as my first car was an ’84 Cavalier wagon (resplendent in turd-metallic with rust accents). Still, I had no idea this facelifted Firenza existed.
In my current neck of the woods, you still see the Firenza’s down-under cousin, the Holden Camira, pretty often:
Hey, at least in ’88 they didn’t rename it the “Cutlass Firenza.” I bet someone at least thought about it though!
Cutlass Firenza, Cutlass Bravada, Cutlass Silhouette, Cutlass 88, Cutlass Regency, …………
Cutlass Cutlass Supreme Brougham Regency d Trofeo Caliente!
My mom rented an ’88 yellow Firenza once for a family function. To her it was a ‘wathc-u call it’.
My Junior High School art teacher drove a new 1983 Olds Firenza hatchback, in 2-tone brown. She would drive me to school since I walked the same route that she drove. I remember that nifty tan and black interior, and good pick-up (what did I know? I was just a kid in grade 7). I thought it was a really cool car. I always wondered why GM didn’t make a 5-door J-body. That could have been very popular. My favourite J-car is the Caddy Cimarron for 1987 with the aerio-headlamps and V-6. I am from Canada, and we lost the Cimarron 1 year sooner than the U.S.
Had an 83 base Firenza sedan with carburetor. Guess it is rare too. If I remember right, front end was a bit different from 84. Mine was plain with a AM radio and auto 3 speed.
I’d forgotten about these facelift Firenzas. Of course, at that point, Olds seemed to be concentrating on making their cars look as identical as possible–that nose looks exactly like the Calais, much like the Ciera, and not unlike the 88.
I liked the original design much better. But my favorite first-gen J-car would have to be the Skyhawk Limited with the hidden lamps. The Sunbird GT that got a similar treatment would also put up a fight.
I had an ’88 Firenza as my first car when I was a senior in high school (1999). Loved that car!! Lol bought it for $800. I wish I could find the only couple pictures I had of it but it believe they were tossed by accident years ago. The car was in perfect condition with no dents or rust. It was blue with a strip down the side and had GT on the rear quarter panel. There was a short luggage style rack on the trunk with a little built in spoiler. Flip up sunroof and 5 speed manual.
Obviously as a teen I made alterations to the car to personalize it. I made an aftermarket exhaust, tinted the windows, different stereo, upgraded speakers, sub and amp in the trunk and a few other things.. Lol Sold it to a friend after driving it for about a year and a half. Shortly after I sold it he wrecked it and they couldn’t get the parts to fix it so it was scrapped. Kind of saddened me a bit.
I still have my 87 firenza coupe and it runs and looks great, only problem is one rust spot on bottom of passenger door size of a no.2 pencil eraser. With only 74k miles it still drives like a dream
I have another point to add here, regarding the brochure page spread depicting the side view of the red Firenza sedan: did anyone else notice this item? The illustration shows a white line, specifying the “swing out rear quarter window”, to the small portion of the rear door glass. I don’t recall that this feature made it into production. Does anyone have feedback on this? Or was this a huge design error in their brochure?
I loved my Firenza
The Buick Skyhawk J body lasted into ’89, so the Olds re-do maybe was meant to also. Not the first time a car got a re-style and ended up lasting only a year, such as the 1980 Volare/Aspen. [Posted similar 5 years ago, upstream]
Gas prices stabilized in 1983, and economy heated up. Big cars came back in style, just as GM was bringing out FWD versions. Though, they did keep Caprice and Cadillac Brougham.
Ford was guilty of that too, ’98 Windstar, ’03 ZX2, and the ’94 Continental come to mind.
As rare as it was, I think the ’88 Firenza was a sleeker facelift than the ’88 Cavalier, and a more handsome one than the ’91-94 Cav. GM would’ve done well to recycle this with a Chevy eggcrate grille instead of that last.
Also, I don’t think the ice blue ’82 hatch has a white interior, it looks like baby-blue velour to me.
These J cars were practically invisible to me when they were new and numerous, but from today’s perspective a notchback coupe is such a rarity that I’m oddly drawn to them in whatever form they present themselves.
If nothing else these were relatively handsome little cars in coupe form, and I’d very much like a modern equivalent.
I’ve never, ever seen one. Did they even sell them in Canada?
Someone around here has an 86-87 Firenza coupe
The car a the very beginning of article looks like a shrunken version of the already shrunken 1985 98 regency.
I remember these car. I would say nicer than a first generation escort but not as nice as a k car. That includes cimmaron which was not as nice as a baby Chrysler.
The J coupes and hatchbacks were handsome little cars under any marque. My personal favorite was the Cavalier Type 10 with the V6 engine. Had the purr of the V6 and you could get the nicer velour interior rather than the tacky striped seats in the Z24 version. Too bad the V6 was not available in the Sunbird until 1991.
In 1984 my parents 1973 VW Super Beetle was nearin the end of its useful ness as a safe family vehicle. Unable to get enough for a down payment from the Beetle, my Dad traded his 1978 Scout Terra (196 4cyl/3 Speed) for a 1984 Firenza Cruiser. This was the first new car my family had purchased in my 10 years. As a total car nut this was a monumental occasion in our household. I remember that 1984 Oldsmobile Brochure vividly
I can still remember the day we picked it up and the new car smell. The car had a cassette player and came with an Oldsmobile Tape, it had “Africa” by Toto. I get nostalgic when I hear that song.
My father had shopped, Jettas, Mazda Glc’s, Cavaliers, K cars, and Corollas but Cotters Oldsmobile in St Mary’s PA came through with a payment my parents could afford and were willing to take the Terra.
Our Firenze was ordered and built and seemed to take a year to arrive. It was metallic Maroon with Sand Grey interior. Tape Deck, rallaye Gage package, roof rack, rear wiper, split fold rear seat, 2.0 litre engine and 4 Speed manual and F-41 Suspension, halogen headlights, intermittently wipers, No A/C. Probably the only cruiser built that way.
The car was so cool for a few months and then one day in the car wash the Oldsmobile emblem fell off. That was a sign of things to come.
The clutch and pressure plate were replaced around 12k Miles, when you would go over railroad tracks the wipers would cycle, periodically it would shut off and not restart for hours,
This car proved to be much more troublesome than the beetle yet safer. The car stuck around for 4 years and was traded for a 1988 Ford Tempo Sport GL. That car was much more reliable, despite my 16 year old abuse on it.
Despite the bad luck with the Oldsmobile, that little red wagon has its memor vividly etched in my mind!
A neighbor of my parents bought a brand new 88 sedan in powder blue with blue cloth interior. It was her first [and I think only] car….ever! She learned to drive late in life. I remember my parents telling me she told them she got a very good late model year deal. She had it over 14 years until she couldn’t drive anymore. It looked in pretty good shape for being an outdoors stored car. Sadly I don’t know what happened to it after that.
I have a soft spot for these. I have no idea why. If I ever find a fastback in good condition, it’ll lead to a spectacular argument with my wife, I’m sure.
While waiting for a commuter bus into Manhattan(no subways near me) I saw a 1985 firenza hatchback the sports package with lovers on the back. I saw the for sale sign and grabbed it. I was in my early twenties and drove it until I was married.
My mother had a 1988 or 89 Oldsmobile Firenza I called it a wagon little grocery go get her blue blue on blue blue interior. So she had me drive her in the girls to shoot pool one night so I was the DD and of course you got five drunk ass women hootin and hollerin in the car it was a tight fit. Anyway to make a long story short when I took that car out without my mom and her friends that car was so goddamn fast I want a lot of races it had agility I had had a handbrake that was awesome I felt like I was in that video game off road. This car also went off of airplane Hill we probably flew through the air 18 ft awesome and no damage at all. I raced that car for quick $. Mom’s grocery go getter will suprise everybody. 100%
‘84 Brown on brown low miles Firenze wagon for sale in Mankato, MN @ Unique Specialty Auto.
Saw it and sat behind the wheel just this morning
It is in remarkably good condition