Mechanical objects don’t have feelings, or at least that’s what I always try to tell myself when I’m berating them for being obstinate in my garage, but in case I’m wrong, I feel a little pity for the Oldsmobile Starfire. From 1961 to 1966, the Starfire was one of Oldsmobile’s entries into the sporty personal luxury coupe/convertible market, which was initiated by the four-seat Thunderbird in 1958. Unfortunately for the Starfire, the bucket-seated full-size field soon included the Pontiac Grand Prix, the Buick Riviera and Wildcat, and eventually some tough internecine competition by way of the wild 1966 Toronado, in addition to any number of Impala SSs and Galaxie 500/XLs. Today, however, it’s hard to feel too bad for a car that merely has to compete for our attention on the car show field, and this ’65 Starfire has undoubtedly won over any number of people. With a shiny coat of Nocturne Mist paint (or something close enough), a new-for-1965 425-cubic-inch big block under the hood, and a top that drops, you just can’t think of the Starfire as an also-ran.
I’ve heard it said that the sixties didn’t really get underway until 1965, meaning that the first half of the decade was a continuation of the 1950s in norms, mores, and aesthetic sensibilities. If we accept that statement as plausible, the Starfire fit the character of that time period well. The 1962 model above, pictured in General Motors’ Heritage Collection, was more Sinatra than it was the Stones, and with its wide stainless trim down the side, it sold fairly well for a specialty model: 34,839 coupes and 7,149 convertibles.
By 1965, however, Oldsmobile had muddied its own lineup with a frankly disorienting array of similar models and badges: Jetstar 88, Jetstar I, Dynamic 88, Delta 88, Starfire, and Ninety-Eight. The Jetstar I was a less-expensive Starfire that offered the Starfire’s hot 370-horsepower engine for about $500 less, yet it only sold 6,552 copies (all hardtops) compared to 13,024 Starfire hardtops and 2,236 convertibles such as our feature car. Even if you add all three totals together, however, it’s easy to see that big sporting Oldsmobiles with bucket seats were not selling as well as they did in 1962.
So what did you get for the extra money over a Jetstar I when you bought a Starfire? Power steering and brakes were standard, as was the Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission (basically the Turbo 400). Convertibles (which cost an extra $630 over the Starfire hardtop) came standard with whitewalls, a two-way power driver’s seat, power windows, a heavier frame, and a few extra little goodies here and there.
Another factor that may have worked against the Starfire and its Jetstar I linemate was that Oldsmobile wasn’t the only division to get a gorgeous new body in 1965. One could argue that the average General Motors buyer was spoiled by choice, and indeed it would be hard to say that the Starfire was a better-looking car than an equivalent Impala SS or Pontiac 2+2; at best, it was a draw.
In addition to their beautiful new bodies, all divisions got a new interior with some fairly unrestrained dashboards in the case of Oldsmobile and Buick. This Oldsmobile cluster is my personal favorite, with a stand-alone speedometer flanked by smaller round gauges and controls in a symmetrical layout. Buick’s low-hanging gauges were, by comparison, hard to read and a little awkward, so they were replaced by a more traditionally “GM” horizontal speedometer for ’66, while the Oldsmobile’s layout stuck around another year with few changes. You can see why the Starfire was Oldsmobile’s full-size sports model; with a tachometer (down on the console where it really doesn’t belong), handsome bucket seats, and a sporty console, it really was an attractive interior.
As I mentioned, the Starfire used Oldsmobile’s hottest 370-horsepower version of its brand new 425-cubic-inch V8, which was, according to the December 1964 edition of Motor Trend, “a clever scale-up of the all-new 330-cubic-inch” engine introduced in 1964, and a potential “prototype of the typical 1970 Detroit powerplant.” The basic Olds architecture did survive all the way into the 1990s, so Motor Trend was remarkably prescient in its commentary. Compared to the 330, the 425 had larger main and rod bearings (the same size as those found on the old 394), longer connecting rods, 1/8-inch larger intake valves, 1/16-inch larger exhaust valves, and larger ports in the cylinder heads.
Photo Credit: Mecum Auctions
The 425’s rocker arms also had individual “ball pivots” as their fulcrums, as used by Chevrolet and Pontiac, but Oldsmobile added “stamped fingers” (Motor Trend’s words) that didn’t allow any side-to-side movement of the rocker arm. Motor Trend practically gushed over Oldsmobile’s new engine and the corporation’s history for building long-lived powerplants. The Starfire 425 owed its power rating to a hotter cam than other 425s, in addition to an advertised 10.5:1 compression ratio, up from 10.25:1 in lesser versions.
Even though the new General Motors B- and C-Body platforms were bombshells that all looked great, Oldsmobile managed to include some of their traditional styling cues, such as these tall taillights with their divisional logo incorporated into the lenses (which is my favorite part of the car) and plenty of brightwork. Oldsmobile couldn’t quite let their cars be as unadorned as a Pontiac, even though the clean ’63 Grand Prix laid a framework for how good a car could look with less trim.
The Starfire managed one more model year in 1966 before finally being cut loose from the lineup, and this 1965 model was the last convertible. With so few being built, how many have survived? How many this nice? The owner should be extremely proud of this footnote in Oldsmobile history, but we all know what the immediate future held.
When the spectacular 1966 Toronado was introduced, it was obvious that the Starfire was superfluous, but the Toronado wasn’t really the answer either. It’s been discussed a thousand times, but it was just a half-step away from what the average buying public, even in this rarified automotive air, really wanted, and times were changing. It was bold and intimidating and racy-looking in a time when sporty big cars were on their way out. Although 40,000 were built in 1966, production dropped to just over 20,000 in 1967, which was about what the Starfire sold in 1965.
But we can’t feel too bad for Oldsmobile. They figured everything out in time to have a banner decade-and-a-half starting right around 1970 or so; they got the assignment just right at the right time. It’s too bad they couldn’t keep it going, but at least we have beauties like the ’65 Starfire and ’66 Toronado to remember them by.
Related CC Reading
Our 1965 Oldsmobile Starfire 425 – Rocket Action (by Doug D)
Vintage Car Life Review: Oldsmobile Delta 88 – “The View Through GM-Colored Glasses” (by Aaron Severson)
That is a very nice looking car, it really shows the love of it’s owner.
The amount of choice prospective buyers had in the 1960’s is staggering, with the big three trying to cover all segments with all brands; undoubtedly some areas of the market had lower sales potential, with cannibalization between sister companies unavoidable (did Pontiac really need a convertible 2+2 when it also had the Grand Prix?).
Perhaps bad for manufacturers, but a golden age for consumers who could have a car literally made to specifications; compare that to today, where choice for mainstream models is limited to exterior color and trim level – period.
For 65-66 the Grand Prix had a different roofline from the Catalina, so the different coupes made sense. I don’t think there was any sheet metal difference on the convertibles, so yes they were duplicating each other but the differences were bolt on badges and interiors shared with the coupes, so what additional cost was minimal. From my dim memories of the era the 2+2 was considered more Euro than the GP so you could broaden the market at little or no cost.
I’m surprised FoMoCo’s Lincoln Lawyers didn’t cry foul over Starfire’s very Continental-like badging. Perhaps they did.
Kinda confusing name lineage at Olds.
Ninety-Eight, Delta 88, Dynamic 88, Jetstar 88, F-85, Starfire. What’s a Jetstar versus a Starfire? Made it more difficult to follow than the boys over at Chev with the Caprice, Impala, Bel Air (Biscayne?). Much simpler. Olds became easier to figure out when it was simplified to the Ninety-Eight, Delta 88, Cutlass.
Adding to the confusion is re-use of aerospace names: Convair’s Delta Dart, Delta Dagger; Lockheed’s Starfire, Jetstar.
And didn’t Texaco name their fuel grades using “Star”? I can’t confirm that though.
I think using the “Jetstar” name twice was unnecessarily confusing, since the Jetstar 88 and Jetstar I were very different entities. In retrospect, it might have been simpler to call the Jetstar I the Starfire and call the more fully equipped Starfire the Starfire Custom or something like that.
I think the Starfire was far and away the most attractive Olds B body in 1965, with the biggest improvements in the roofline and in the rear end. But all those sheetmetal changes brought few sales – something Chrysler with its 300 wouldn’t figure out until 1969.
Beautiful car(s). Nice post, Aaron.
Thank you!
Of course cars have feelings! Seriously, though, I have to remind myself of this from time to time, and I say this only partially in jest. To your point about Olds’s slightly confusing model names of this period (and I agree), I give them props for trying to trade on the “Olds Rocket” imagery that was their trademark, with names like “Jetstar” and “Starfire”. I’m a little less confused thanks to this article.
I also think the center-mounted speedometer is really cool. The ’62 is the looker for me with that brushed aluminum side trim, but I like certain styOf course cars have feelings! Seriously, though, I have to remind myself of this from time to time, and I say this only partially in jest. To your point about Olds’s slightly confusing model names of this period (and I agree), I give them props for trying to trade on the “Olds Rocket” imagery that was their trademark, with names like “Jetstar” and “Starfire”. I’m a little less confused thanks to this article.
I also think the center-mounted speedometer is really cool. The ’62 is the looker for men with that brushed aluminum side trim, though I do like some of the stylistic details on this ’65, particularly as seen from the rear three-quarter view of the taillamp and script badge.
Great piece, Aaron.
Thanks Joe! I spotted it at the Sloan Auto Fair this year…it takes a lot of nerve to bring an Oldsmobile to Flint! Just kidding. 🙂
You’re not lying! I wonder if the same would be true for driving a classic Buick to Lansing…
And I’m not quite sure what happened with my original comment, but I blame cut / paste.