Friday Fun Thread: Outstanding Oldsmobiles

Continuing my jaunt through the offerings of the "Big Three", this week's Friday Fun Thread Top Ten list will include the Top Ten greatest models to bear the Oldsmobile marque. Oldsmobile was in an odd position in the GM lineup - was it above, or below, Buick? Pontiac? Chevrolet was the full-line marque, with the offerings definitely slanted towards the entry level. Pontiac was the next step up, with models just a hair more refined than Chevy. Cadillac is indisputably the high-end model, leaving Buick and Oldsmobile to slug it out for second-best...


So here's the Top Ten Oldsmobiles!


1. 1970 442. Oh, the 442. Four barrel carburetor. Four speed transmission. Dual exhaust. 4-4-2. Simplicity in action. 1970 saw the 455 V8 become the standard offering for the 442, a monster officially rated at 360HP but testing much higher (up to 420+). Motor Trend called the 442 "the most identifiable super car in the GM house". 'Nuff said.

2. 1966 Toronado. The styling of the rookie year Toronado alone puts it high on the list of Oldsmobile faves. It's also the first front wheel drive American car, for those keeping score. And it came with either 425 or 455 cu Rocket V8... DAMN.

3. 1954 98. Realistically, any of the Olds coupes or sedans from the post-war period belong on this this. From the definitive Oldsmobile "airplane" hood ornament to the fender skirts to the Rocket 8 engine, the sister cars to the Chevrolet Bel Air shared the same chrome-madness styling so common to the period.

4. 1958 Super 88. The third generation of the "88" was dubbed the "ChromeMobile" for the 1958 variant, and with good reason. The "Super 88" came standard with a 300 horsepower rocket V8. 1958 saw Oldsmobile, with the Super 88, surge ahead of Buick in GM sales...

5. 1934 Series L8. The classic lines of the L8; the running boards; bullet headlights... All styling cues common to the pre-war period, all have shown up in modern cars as "retro" touches yearning for the style of that time period. Plus, you just gotta love a rumble seat...

6. 1982 98 Regency. This one's a personal favorite from my past. This was the first car owned by my first friend to get his license; the first car I ever rode in with a friend driving, rather than a friend's mom or dad. In retrospect, putting two teenaged boys in a car approximately the size of Rhode Island either was (accident survival) or wasn't (12+ passengers) the greatest idea ever...

7. 1977 Cutlass Supreme. Sharing a body style with the 1977 Buick Regal (one of my first favorite cars), this was a natural to make the list. With the post-gas crisis fears still looming heavy in people's minds, plus the new emissions controls wrought from on high, the reliability of this era of American cars was, shall we say, less than exemplary... Not too many survive even 30 years later...

8. 1961 Starfire. Dunno why this model appeals to me so much, but it does. It's a standard 1960s model, with cleaner, less cluttered lines replacing the swooping fenders and ginormous tailfins of the 1950s. The styling of the '60s was more pared down, less showy, and got more down to business with more and more powerful engines as the various marques competed for braggin' rights on the drag strip.

9. 1986 442. An obvious SOP to the success of the Grand National of the 1980s, the fourth generation Cutlass saw the return of the 442 designation in 1985 after a five year absence. It still had a four barrel carb and dual exhaust, but the second four now referred to a four speed automatic transmission. But at least it had T-roofs...

10. 1973 Custom Cruiser. What's not to like about a station wagon that can seat 17 for dinner; has a 455 cu (7.4L) motor as standard equipment; and enough glass for stargazing the night sky?

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Thus concludes another week's fun thread list of favorite cars. Some are personal favorites, some timeless classics, some ground-breaking advances, and other iconic figures that had to be included. The interesting part of this list, IMHO, is that the newest car is 23 years old and only makes the list based on nostalgic reasons. There's a reason Oldsmobile was the first General Motors casualty in 2004...

What Oldsmobile(s) would you have on - or off - the list?

That is all.