1954 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight

Automatic

549M24174

This is a 1954 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Starfire Convertible with only 33,900 original miles. This car comes with the orginal 324.3 cu. in. 8-cylinder engine and hydramatic transmission. The engine is strong and sounds great! The transmission shifts smoothly through it’s gears without a hiccup. The interior seats have been restored to near-new condition. There are no tears or rips that I can detect. The carpet is brand new. The chrome has just been redone (95%). The chrome was done at Bubba Moon’s in TN and there were a couple pieces that came back that were missed – he promises to make it right. One piece that is the most noticeable is the passenger side rear bumper guard (it is presentable, but would definitely look better chromed – I paid for it, so I will make sure to get the winning bidder the information to forward what needs done to Bubba). The convertible top is in excellent condition. It is power and it DOES work!! There is a super tiny ¼” snag (I call it a snag since it is a cloth top not vinyl) just above the ribbing above the window. The rear window zipper had gone bad (I assume) and it is currently permanently sown shut – they did a great job and it looks good (can’t even tell in fact). The exterior color is a gorgeous burgundy – the research I did seems to point to the color being called “Etna Maroon Metallic” – since it has been repainted, I wouldn’t be able to guarantee that it is 100% accurate. The paint shines like glass – it is near-perfect. It does have a few chips – I took some photos, but they are small and barely noticeable (not sure if you can see them in photos). The tires are back-to-original Coker Wide White Wall tires – they are in new condition still. The wheels are stainless spoke that are factory also in good condition. There is a spare located in the Continental tire which was a costly addition. It is also in very good condition. This car had the original factory undercoating in the trunk as well as underneath – very ugly looking and thick, but that’s how they did it back then. It is still in very good condition. The one thing that I did notice is that a few of the windows don’t go down – assuming it is switches (I can hear the motors on some). But, of course, that is minor. There is a minor chip in the windshield on the passenger side close to the dash – does not affect visibility. All-in all, this is an extremely beautiful and clean car. I dare say that it is one of the most sought-after convertibles around! It is a car that you could be proud to either show or tool around in…definitely a head-turner! Please refer to this link for detailed information about these vehicles: http://classiccardatabase.com/specs.php?series=5117&year=1954&model=27815 There were only 6,800 of these cars produced – the current N.A.D.A. on this car is $129,990 – I am not asking anywhere near this much…here is your turn to be able to buy a beautiful classic at a more than reasonable price. The reserve is super low as compared to the actual value – I am not giving it away, but I am reasonable in what I want to get out of it. SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY! A $500 nonrefundable deposit due via paypal within 24 hours of end of auction – NO EXCEPTIONS!!! Balance due via cashier’s check, money order or bank wire transfer within 7 days. If you cannot, or do not want to follow the payment and/or auction terms, please don’t waste my time or yours in bidding. Here is what I have been able to find out about the Starfire in general: Oldsmobile Starfire From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Oldsmobile Starfire 1957 Oldsmobile Starfire 98 Manufacturer: General Motors Production:1960–1966 1974–1980 Successor:Oldsmobile Firenza (1980) ClassFull-size 1961–1966 Subcompact 1975–1980 Oldsmobile Starfire are automobiles produced by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors in two generations from 1961 to 1966 and 1975 to 1980. The Starfire nameplate was also used for the 1954–1956 Ninety- Eight series convertibles, and all 1957 Ninety-Eight series models. 1961 was the first year for the Starfire as a separate model, available in a single convertible body style. The Starfire competed in the growing personal-luxury car market as was typified by the 4-passenger Ford Thunderbird first introduced for the 1958 model year. However, the Starfire shared most of its sheet metal with other models, and was considered part of the full-sized Oldsmobile line. The Starfire Hardtop Coupe joined the convertible for the 1962 model year. The convertible was dropped for the final 1966 model year, moving to the Eighty-Eight model line. The Starfire returned as Oldsmobile's first subcompact car for the 1975 model year, featuring a V6 engine supplied by Buick. The 1977 Starfire featured the first-ever Oldsmobile four-cylinder engine as standard equipment, with the V6, and a V8 engine optional. Origin 1953 Oldsmobile Starfire show car at theMotorama auto show, Waldorf Astoria-1953 The Starfire name was first used by Oldsmobile on a one-of-a-kind dream car that was shown at the 1953 Motorama auto show. Named after a Lockheed jet fighter plane, namely the F-94, the original Starfire was a 5-passenger convertible that had a fiberglass body, a 200 hp (150 kW) Rocket V8 engine, and a wraparound windshield like that used on the top-of-the-line and limited-production 1953 Fiesta 98 convertible. The name was then used for the 1954–1956 model years to designate the convertible models of the 98 line in much the same way that the Holiday name was used to designate hardtop body-styles. The 1954–1956 Oldsmobile 98 Starfire convertibles were the most expensive Oldsmobiles offered during those years. During the 1957 model year, all 98 models were referred to as being Starfire 98s. The name was dropped from the 98 series beginning with the 1958 model year. ">