Here is another one that I have been sitting on for awhile. Since August of 2011, in fact. Why did I take pictures of this car? I don’t really like (he said politely) these 1971-76 B and C body cars from GM. And I certainly don’t revel in cars that find themselves in this condition. But there was that one thing that spoke to me.
These cars made a strong impression on me when they were new. It is true that any Oldsmobile was liable to make an impression, if only because there were so many of them in my family. And as one who liked luxo-boats, if I was going to find an Oldsmobile to love it would be one of these bruisers.
And then there was the “Regency” model itself. I felt like someone who got in on the ground floor of the Ninety-Eight Regency. When my mother was shopping in earnest for a 1972 Cutlass, I spent hours in Oldsmobile showrooms.
The Regency was a limited edition super-luxe package offered on the Ninety-Eight that year, Oldsmobile’s way of celebrating its 75th anniversary. It was offered in a single color combo – “Tiffany Gold” paint with a matching vinyl roof and a black velour interior.
On the outside, it was an attractive package. The 1971-72 Ninety-Eight was one of the best looking of a good looking family of cars, and the new Regency showed the car in its most elegant light.
But it was on the inside where this car made its money. Those seats. I had never seen seats like this in a car. Understand, at the age of 13 I was a connoisseur of big American luxury cars. This was where my tastes naturally ran, and I had the bonus of a Dad who was on his second Continental Mark (a 1972 Mark IV). So I knew what the inside of a high end U.S. car was supposed to look like. But this! This was new.
A little research shows that Cadillac also offered velour-upholstered seats as a choice in its Fleetwood Brougham that year, but I think it is fair to say that Oldsmobile’s version was the one that made you want to jump in and try them out. Could the “Tiffany inspired” Ninety Eight Regency have been the car that ignited the Velour Wars of the Great Brougham Epoch? By 1974 the stuff was everywhere and the “loose pillow” upholstery style was spreading in the higher price classes.
When the ’73 model came out, I was not sure that the look of the outside was an upgrade. It did not suffer the way the cars from FoMoCo did, but it was not an improvement either. I will admit that the rear end came off as one of the better looks of the big-bumper era. The Regency now held top spot of the regular lineup and was not some kind of limited edition.
But The Seats were still there. Is it just me, or did Oldsmobile re-use the 1972 artwork here, only with a change in background scenery?
I got to experience The Seats a few times. In 1971-73 I was attending catechism classes at a local Lutheran church. It was an odd situation, it was not our own church because their classes conflicted with my scout meetings. So I was at an unfamiliar church, but one where some of my friends from school attended. This was Fort Wayne, Indiana, where there were more German Lutherans per capita than anywhere outside of Minnesota. Or Germany too, I suppose.
Various parents took turns car-pooling us and one of the Dads was driving a brand new 1973 Ninety Eight Regency in emerald green. And yes, it had The Seats. They felt just as comfortable as they looked. There was a lot of cheap in the interiors of these big GM cars of the period, but none of it was in these fabulous, fabulous seats. For a kid used to slick vinyl bench-style back seats, those tufted velour pillows seemed to envelop the rider in a soft, gentle hug. I can’t say I enjoyed those catechism classes much but the rides in the back of that big Regency made getting out of the car less enjoyable than usual.
Could these be the most famous seats of any American car ever? Yes, there was the “Corinthian leather” of the Cordoba, but the seats themselves were not all that memorable. I would argue that this upholstery style lit the flame that would not burn out for a generation.
Just for comparison, take a look at what passed for luxury seating in a non-Regency Ninety Eight of 1972. Does anyone remember these? Of course not. Loose pillows and velour were “where it’s at” and would be a combination that would take a long time to go away, For my money none of the imitators ever did the job as nicely as Oldsmobile in these big sleds.
Olds was still doing seats in this style (though not quite as thick and decadent) in the 1984 Ninety Eight I was driving in the late ’90s. It would not be a stretch to say that those seats were my favorite part of the car. I found them very comfortable, and that chocolate brown velour wore like iron, never showing the effects of wear or age. There were things I griped about with that car, but those seats salved my hurts and made me feel better about the whole thing.
But let us return to this poor wrung-out Oldsmobubble. The Moss Gold lacquer paint (a 1973-only color) did its best against the elements but eventually gave up. The plastic bumper fillers are toast. The wheelcovers and fender skirts have gone AWOL and who knows what kind of maladies lurk beneath this car’s deteriorated skin.
But The Seats are still there and looking mahhvelous. My early experience was that these automotive velours were as tough as cast iron and this car confirms that opinion.
I don’t think its a stretch to say that the Ninety Eight began its glory years in the early 1970’s, earning a quiet luxury cred that it would hold onto all through the 80’s. The Ninety Eight broke a production record in 1973, with 138,462 cars being welcomed into garages everywhere, a figure well above 1972’s record year of 121,568. For some perspective, the 1973 Ninety Eight was only about 20,000 units shy of the what the entire 1971 Chrysler line had managed to sell, Newports and all. Add in 88s and Toronados and you can see that Oldsmobile was hot (and Chrysler was not). And this ignores the Cutlass altogether, something very few were doing in 1973.
In my eyes the Olds Ninety Eight was every bit the equal of the Buick Electra 225, something that had seldom been true in previous decades. And it seemed to hold its own against its Flint-built cousin until the oddly styled 1991 model which was the final version.
I look at these awful pictures and marvel that I was allowed to post them here in the site’s early days. But though I have much better pictures of other cars, these are worthwhile to highlight the peak of 1970s’ Brougham Decadence. I think it is safe to say that few were better than Oldsmobile at understanding what middle-class America wanted in the 1970s. We had no idea in 1971 that what we really wanted was a pair of fabulously opulent pillow-tufted velour seats. It was Oldsmobile that showed us that what we wanted was exactly that.
Further Reading:
1972 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight (Paul Niedermeyer)
1972 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Coupe (LongRoofFan)
1975 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Regency (Jim Grey)
1976 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight (Jason Shafer)
Great article JP. Your account of riding in a schoolmate’s father’s Ninety-Eight with The Seats highlights the important point that as children we often pick up on details of cars that appeal to more of the senses. For example, I’ll always remember the smell of my grandfather’s own 1997 Eighty-Eight, and can still smell it this many years later.
For such a “terrible” car, it actually looks very straight in these photographs, and I’m guessing that the skirts and the hub caps are safely tucked away in the trunk. A couple of rear springs ($200) and some TLC would make a neat cruiser. Hopefully it found a home instead of the demo derby.
Yes, me too. I shot this one in a mechanic’s lot. It looks like something that spent too many years outside but maybe didn’t get driven much, so maybe there was some life in it yet. I don’t think there’s much hope for that paint, though.
The one thing about these huge cars is that when they go south it is obvious given the massive expanse of sheet metal and paint compared to a small car. If you put a clapped out 20 year old Cadillac and 20 year old Nova next to each other, most people would go “oh, that is a shame” in regards to the Cadillac, but expect it of the Nova due to preconceived ideas.
These cars back then a 6’ tall plus person had no trouble getting in and out of it. That’s why so many people these days are driving trucks and SUV’s you can get into and out of it easily. The windshield is not setting in yr lap.
The Seats. Oh, how so very true. While I never experienced the early versions, a great-aunt and -uncle bought a new Olds Delta 88 diesel in the early 1980s that had The Seats. At that point in time, that Olds was the nicest car I had ridden in and The Seats only amplified my being smitten.
Hmm, I’m needing a new office chair. Maybe Herr Klein can find an Olds with The Seats so I can build me a customized chair.
Haha, they’re out there. The kids now have a set of nicely bolstered gaming chairs from a late model sporty car in perfect condition and are clamoring for a back seat for when their friends come over to ride along…
Hey, that’s a great idea. Could put a lot of furniture manufacturers out of business if it gains traction. Plenty of scrap cars with usable seats out there.
I remember when I was a kid, you’d often see an old car seat out on the veranda for the folk to sit and watch the world go by.
The thoughts that run through my mind as I read this!
These car were my epitome of hate, for these land yachts were everything that was wrong with the U.S. auto industry in those days and opened the doors wide for the Japanese.
My friend’s dad bought a 1974 Caprice 4 door sports sedan, and the best mileage he could wring out of it on the highway was 13 mpg!
No thanks. I drove a 1972 Nova in those days.
Those huge boats sure did ride good, however, that I will admit!
13 mpg? That would have been a source of envy for some. My parents had a mid-sized ’73 Torino with a 302.
Its best ever mileage? 12 mpg. That a heavier 350 Impala could do better is actually a rather admirable feat. 🙂
An important factor (and one cheaped-out on with the recycled brochure pic) was that starting in 1973, year two, you could have The Seats in the then-usual variety of colors.
It’s surprising that Olds waited until 1976 before combining their Greatest Hits and putting The Seats into the Cutlass.
That would explain the explosion in sales of the Cutlass for 1976 and 1977. A comfy seat such as these in a smaller vehicle with better fuel mileage, handling, parkability and a great rep for reliability.
Those Seats! I have such mixed feelings about these, as I too remember suffering through a series of truly awful vinyl bench seats with sagging springs that typified the cars of my childhood. The revelation I experienced while riding in one of these belonging to a father of a friend was one of supreme comfort and “luxury” in the grandest 1970s style. The problem was that ornate living room furniture fails to provide support while doing other things in a car, like driving, braking, and, well, just about everything other than oozing down glass-smooth streets at 30 MPH.
You’ve nailed the problem. Seat designers often forgot that cars move. And young guys want them to move faster!
My grandmother owned a 1973 or 74 model just like this one. Gray outside, gray inside, with 4 doors. As I recall, it had a 455 engine in it.
In the 1980’s, after church on Wednesday (or maybe it was after Sunday evening services, I can’t recall), my grandparents and I would go to the local Diary Queen for a blizzard. I can still remember being told to be careful and not spill any of the blizzard on the seats.
In 1994 or so, it became my first car. It got horrible gas mileage (definitely in the low single digits) and didn’t like starting up in cold weather, but it got me to school and back.
One significant issue I had with the car, however, was that my student parking spot was a parallel parking space, and the car was literally longer than the parking space. So if I didn’t get to school early (or, at least, before my parking spot neighbors “north” and “south” of me did), then it was highly likely that I would not be able to park the car.
The passage of almost 50 years has definitely help my perspective on these cars, and especially these seats. At the time I despised them, though perhaps that’s partly because I don’t think I actually experienced them with my own rear end. Thanks for helping open my mind, JPC, as you often do. And your post also prompted me to wonder, what IS velour? I found this article, which, assuming it’s factually correct, is quite informative. https://www.contrado.com/blog/velour-vs-velvet/
That is an interesting link, but interesting that she does not mention automotive applications where it was used heavily. But then not everyone thinks like those of us around here do.
The other thing about these seats I did not mention is that they made you change how you entered and exited the car. The favored method of my youth was right foot in, slide into the seat. With these velour fabrics they would grab you like velcro, especially if you were wearing something like corduroy. There was nothing graceful about the final Skootches into position.
I have a 1984 Regency for sale. 4 door, new engine, rebuilt transmission, new battery, new tires. Less than 1000 miles on new engine. Asking $4,000 or best reasonable offer.
When I was a kid, my friend from across the street and down a few houses had a dad with one of these from about this year, white with black vinyl top and burgundy inside. I think I wanted be friends with this kid so he’d let us use the basketball court in the backyard, and occasionally the pinball machine in the rec room. We weren’t close friends though, which meant I never went anywhere with his family, which meant I never got to ride in or even sit inside the Ninety Eight. But I distinctly remember gazing into that car parked on the driveway several times and imagining what it would be like being coddled by The Seats. Yes, this was unquestionably the car that kicked the Brougham Epoch into high gear. I, too, loved the elegant rear design which is what faced me from the street. Because of cars like this, I still thought of Oldsmobiles as something special as a kid, and these ads pick up on that with the not-quite-affordable price prominently featured. Within a decade Oldsmobiles seemed run of the mill; by the 90s I thought of the current Cieras as low-buck cars for people who didn’t want to pony up for a higher-trimmed Accord.
It’s strange to me seeing The Seats sold on their ergonomic benefits. By the time I was grown up only European-style Recaro-esque seats were sold that way, with loose-pillow Brougham seats sold simply on their luxurious appearance. Also, as crucial as the seats are to this car, the ultimate sizzle-over-steak Broughamness here is that Tiffany clock. Did this thing cost even 99 cents more to make than the standard clock? But how much did it add to the car’s perceived worth? Whatever it cost, GM was behind the curve still using mechanical clock movements until the 80s. Didn’t Chrysler already switch to electronic quartz movements by this time (“you can set your watch by it”)?
If one of these should ever fall unexpectedly into the hands of someone, say a millennial, who has only ever driven Civics, Fortes, Corollas, and even Accords all their driving life, I think they should have to go for a license upgrade to Ground Pilot, to qualify to drive one of these land yachts. What a huuuuge car. I’d love to drive a car this size again, it has indeed been quite some time. For this car, I christen her, the SS Cavanaugh.
When I was 17 my father had a 1970 Olds 98 as a company car. Dark blue with the massive 455 engine. It was a very fast car for it’s size. Did I like driving it? Yes. My of us teenagers drove mostly hand me downs or in my case a 68 Cougar. These full size luxury cars were great to be seen in knowing the teenage mind.
Sadly that car was the very last full size American car I ever drove until 2003 when I bought my 67 Park Lane. When I went down to test drive the car the body had the dings that make you go ohhh. Yet the 410 started immediately, was quiet, had that great torque off the line, the smooth shifting C6 automatic, along with that smooth steady ride down the boulevard. Then you make a right turn and feel the car lean over the other way. Still, it brought me back to the 70 Olds and I had to have her just so I could cruise the roads when the mood strikes.
My dad bought a 71 olds ninety-eight for my brother to go to high school and he would always park in the first parking space everyone thought this guy is to young to be the principal lol. But my brother would say that not to many cars could keep up to him. The 455 400 transmission under the hood was very fast. I had the pleasure to drive it for about a year and it had lots of balls and class with all the bells and whistle.
When I was 5 years old, our neighbors bought a new 1977 Oldsmobile 98 Regency. They traded it in in 1982 and another neighbor bought it. Then I got it in 2005, and am still driving it. And yes, it has The Seats. Those marvelous, beautiful, DECADENT Seats! In IMMACULATE condition!
I do love me some good button tufting and velour is just the icing on the cake. The only disadvantage is that it takes a while for my drool spot to dry after I fall asleep in those seats after riding in them for as little as ten minutes…it’s only 8:30am but I think I need to go upstairs and take a nap now.
Once upon a time, many Americans wanted to use land yachts as their daily drivers. They grew up in rough cars that strove to be land yachts, but by the early 1970’s, the land yacht became as common as today’s land behemoths, the SUV. However, during those years, the land yacht weighed more that today’s road whales and manatees. This Oldsmobile was ubiquitous in Chicago and as common as a hot dog without ketchup in the downtown Loop.
Corporate executives drove them. Doctors drove them. Partnered lawyers drove them. Daley Democrats drove them. Big church ministers accused of overspending drove them, aspiring white collar types throughout Cook county drove these land yachts by Oldsmobile. So popular were Chicago Oldsmobile, the brand offered cars labeled, “GMO” (Gallant Men of Olds), editions were sold throughout this part of the US. Oldsmobile was one of the biggest selling car brands, of not the biggest car brand, throughout the Heartland of America.
For a generation raised on very little, who remembered days with there wasn’t anything at all, this Oldsmobile was their reward for saving every penny, and raising all of their children through world wars and the atomic age. Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Regency drivers earned these cars. These mammoth vehicles with the coffin interiors were as comforting as Latin masses and rosaries to a generation of Americans who knew poverty and celebrated every Thanksgiving with tears in their eyes and gratitude in their hearts.
Good job JP!
“For a generation raised on very little, who remembered days with there wasn’t anything at all, this Oldsmobile was their reward for saving every penny, and raising all of their children through world wars and the atomic age. Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Regency drivers earned these cars. These mammoth vehicles with the coffin interiors were as comforting as Latin masses and rosaries to a generation of Americans who knew poverty and celebrated every Thanksgiving with tears in their eyes and gratitude in their hearts.”
Well stated! In this era of widespread plenty and readily available credit to indulge in every luxury, the deprivations endured by previous generations is soon forgotten. Now, the rewards of the land-yacht Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency they finally enjoyed after much self-denial may seem trivial, to them, they were anything but.
+1. Now I understand their appeal. It’s a matter of social context.
VD, you totally nailed the appeal of the big Olds to so many of its buyers.
Not much to add except that the dash always reminded me of a wood trimmed Plymouth.
Just noticed. Apologies for using initials. No dual meaning intended.
I don’t believe you can say the 1991 Olds 98 regency elite was oddly styled. I owned one for many years and it was a wonderfully comfortable ride with wide, deep leather seats – real leather. Remember too, this was the redesigned front wheel drive and it was excellent in the snow. It was even quite different from the 91 Park Ave, (I now own a 93 Park Ave. Ultra) in that it had a much smoother feel and seemed to be larger in interior space and exterior length. The 91 to 96 Oldsmobile was the one to have, in my opinion, as it was overall better ride than the same era of Buick Park Ave.
Having $old these BLOATED Belchmobiles I guess I totally forgot that the seats were in any way supportive, therefore comfortable. Admittedly selling that interior “look” as elegant and comfortable was fairly easy…….just as long as the potential customer had no idea of what a properly designed seat should feel or look like!!
In those days, in the U.S. market, such a buyer was few and far between. Actually I don’t remember ever working with such a person. I do recall that I was rather amazed with the seats in the 1971 VW Super Bug I bought my wife: she hated them and I was always quite comfy while driving that Super Bug. The front seats were the best thing about the Super Bug, IMO.
The “luxury” Oldsmobiles did rack up good sales back then based on both exterior and interior styling. They were, by the standards of the time, a cut above most GM products. Also, the dealer’s gro$$ was large enough so that a competent salesman could ensure a decent % for both the house and himself. DFO
East Towne Mall in Madison, WI would sometimes have brand new cars on display in the Fall, usually the doors of the cars were open so people could compare and contrast the new models. There are only two times I remember that new car event – the debut of the ‘79 Mustang and when I was almost ten in the fall of 1972, getting to sit on those puffed velour pillow seats of a new Ninety Eight Regency.
I’ll confess, I too was under the spell of the brougham. The two new cars I got the most excited about around age nine were boat tail Rivieras and the Continental Mark III and Mark IV.
Not sure if Oldsmobile had a special model to celebrate their 100th Anniversary in ‘97. My brother & I attended an Olds Centennial homegrown parade in Lansing, MI with Tammy Wynette serving as Grand Marshall and at the 1997 Chicago Auto Show, in the Olds display I spotted a cardboard box filled with brochures that had “Centennial quantity 100” printed on it.
Just another terrific article on a topic not given much attention in any other auto-themed website or publication. I’ve read that seats and brakes are two of the main areas where manufacturers will try to save money. Conversely, I’ve also read that seats are one of the primary areas that determine a vehicle’s true longevity, with a case in point being the excellent seats in that 3.2 million mile Volvo P1800 (the owner of which sadly passed away last year).
Personally, of all the cars I’ve owned throughout the years (and there have been many different makes and models), I’ve only experienced three vehicles with seats so bad I could not endure them for more than 30 minutes before experiencing excruciating lower back pain, and two of them were of German design. The first was a first generation rental Focus sedan which I put down to the cheap bottom cushion having compressed by too many lard-butts.
Then there was a brand-new 2003 BMW 330. It was a perfect example of German seats with all the comfort of a wood bench. The situation was offset a bit with the help of a small lower back pillow, but not much, and something I hadn’t needed before or since.
The most recent was spending an extended amount of time in the back seat of a newer Grand Cherokee. Like the Focus and 330, neither the bottom cushion nor lumbar support had enough padding for my old rump.
You might be surprised to know that I had a car with tufted velour seats inspired by this, my 1981 Buick Skylark Limited, which was owned by the tv station and assigned to me when I became the GM. The picture below is the best I can find; it was blue too.
It was a decided contrast coming from my Peugeot 404, with its legendary comfortable seats. And I will admit that the Peugeot’s were decidedly better. There was a major shortcoming in the early X car seats; one could feel a metal frame member running horizontally in the lower back area, especially after sitting in them for some time. Not exactly my idea of lumbar support.
“You might be surprised to know that I had a car with tufted velour seats”
Not as surprised as if you said that you had liked them. 🙂
I think that the fact that this kind of tufted pillow style stayed around for so long in so many American cars says something about how well done (at least visually) the originals did it. Oldsmobile truly brought the living room into the car and for the generation of people these cars were aimed at, this was just exactly what they wanted.
I do not doubt that there were seats that would have been better at comfort over long periods, and I understand that Peugeot was legendary in this area.
Whether my Peugeot 504 was running or parked for a month waiting for a transmission on a slow boat from Paris, I could always enjoy the superb comfort and support of its seats.
I will note that the seats in the ’87 Sable that replaced it were darned near as good.
The issue with these was a well known flaw in the X car seats. Many folks bitched about that steel bar that could be felt in the lower back. I assume it was changed after the first few years.
I’m sure the ones in the big cars were a lot more comfortable.
Great read. I owned a ’73 98 luxury sedan 1 step down from the Regency.
I have owned a ’84 Cutlass Brougham for almost 28 years. Loose pillow seat backs.
19 trophies from local car shows mostly 1st. place. Pastel beige with dark brown interior.
This brings back memories. Sitting on that type of seat became a major attraction to my young friends and I at the Harrisburg Auto Show during the mid-1970s. They seemed almost decadent – particularly since our family cars were a 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 Holiday sedan and a 1973 AMC Gremlin with black vinyl seats. The only real competitors were the Lincolns and the Chrysler Imperial/New Yorker Brougham.
My family finally joined the “loose pillow look” brigade with a 1982 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale sedan, which featured divided front seats in dark green velour. This was just in time for debut of the 1983 Ford Thunderbird, which followed the lead of the imports, and made this look seem old hat even to someone living in a small Pennsylvania town.
If you lived in the American Midwest in the early ‘70s, the ’71-’76 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight had nothing if not gravitas. I generally prefer the sedan body through ’74 with its solid C pillar, the later cars sporting an opera window.
The summer of ’74 I spent a few very enjoyable weeks riding along with my father as he visited his clients; locally owned banks in small to moderate size towns. Our ride? The beautiful Eclipse Blue 1974 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale sedan that had just joined his employer’s fleet that summer. That car made quite an impression on 10-year-old me, more accustomed to the somewhat tired 1968 Impala that my parents owned.
The owner and president of one bank took us to lunch at his country club. This is not nearly as pretentious as it sounds in small-town Nebraska, but it was still very nice, and the food was delicious as we looked out from the air-conditioning over the sunny and hot links. Our ride to the club? The president’s Colonial Gold 1974 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency. I rode shotgun with one of the bank mangers at the wheel, my dad and the president in back. The view of the cockpit was the same as my dad’s company car, but wow, the seats and door cards in the big GM C-body hardtop were definitely two or three cuts above.
The democratization of extreme brougham through lesser Oldsmobile models, along with used car pricing, gave me the opportunity in high school to own a 1976 Olds Cutlass Supreme Brougham with similar seats. By then, even as an owner, I though the design a bit over the top, but I enjoyed it, realizing the era of such things would pass.
The super rare leather version of the Regency interior doesn’t seem quite so over the top, but rather comfortable in some sort of English way….
Wow, I don’t recall seeing these in leather. As I remember it, the 74 Imperial was the one that made the loose-pillow leather with all the buttons really popular, a design that survived down into the New Yorker of 1976-78.
What was interesting was how Chrysler abandoned the loose pillows on the 77 New Yorker velour seats (keeping it in the leather). That must have generated a lot of complaints because the tufts/pillows/buttons were back on the cloth seats in the 78.
Chrysler, despite its weaknesses, really did a lot to successfully market leather in the ’70s. The Olds interior in the picture I attached is a ’76, probably the first year for leather, and was very rare. Likely a response to Chrysler.
Chrysler did some very nice leather interiors, I’ve regarded the leather ’78 LeBaron interior as nicer than the then contemporary Cadillac Seville. Worthy of the name Imperial LeBaron.
Poor Chrysler, with decent build quality and better reliability, the LeBaron would have been better than the Seville in almost all respects.
Nice write-up, you did these cars justice. I can’t say I have ever been a fan of the velour interiors, especially with the loose pillow look. In the later downsized B-Bodies, they didn’t hold up overly well in my opinion. Our ’78 Olds had the base interior, while the ’79 we had was the velour and it just didn’t hold up well in comparison. When I was buying B-bodies as cheap old used cars, the velour interiors were a big turn off to me, and most I found looked the most worn.
For Oldsmobile, the most durable interior I had was the one in my Custom Cruiser. The seats weren’t the most comfortable, but the interior wore like iron and it looked like new even when 20 years old and well used (see pic below)
73. horrible rust problems. anywhere the paint was fractured. stone chips, at moldings….ugh.
car itself was great.
72 and 74 was ok, but 73….omg.
My public school was located right beside a Canadian National railway line heading east from Southern Ontario and Michigan. I had many opportunities to see brand new GM full sized cars up close in passing rail cars, from the mid ’70s onward. This 98 with its whitewalls, no wheel covers, and a lack of fender skirts brings back memories of spotting these on recess. Thank you!
J P: you picked up on something here. Olds was all about the seats in the 70s. Check out this advertising footage for ’72 98 (@1:30) with footbal coach Eddie Robinson touting “this front seat is solid foam!”. Quite a Substantial Car indeed!
https://youtu.be/fehaeYNWJNg
JP
Here’s a ’75 that I spotted earlier this year. Needs more TLC than your example (especially the roof), but still solid.
Interior was complete and decent, with some sun fading on the upper extremities. A fairly well loaded car for the day.
“…the rear end came off as one of the better looks of the big-bumper era.” It should be noted that in 1973, only the fronts of cars had to comply with the new 5 MPH law—hence the still-attractive tail on this model. In 1974, both front and rear had had to meet the new regulations, and that’s when things got real ugly out back for the 98, as well.
Fascinating!! I don’t know where you found this car, but it looks almost identical to the 73 olds 98 Regency my parents owned in the late ’80s, even to its cosmetic condition except the skirts were still on it when they had theirs.
I actually liked that old land yacht. It rode like a cloud, and with that 2 speed differential, I don’t think the engine would even hit top end. The old engine had plenty of power, it would just glide down the interstate, and if you wasn’t careful, you was pushing 80 to 85 mph before you realized it. Thanks for the blast from the past.
I have one of these my grandfather bought back in the 70’s and then my uncle Bought from him and it sat under his carport ruining up to about 7-8 years ago when the gas finally went bad. He gave to me a few years back and I hate to see it just rust away. It didn’t have any of this rust on the hood or trunk until I took it and parked it outside. All original and all there except the little plastic peace’s at the rear taillights.. they rotted away sticking out of my uncles carport. Anyone interested in purchasing this car please send me an email.