1961 Oldsmobile Super Eighty-Eight Convertible

1961 was a significant year for the Oldsmobile product line, as it marked the first time there was a compact car, the F-85, in the catalogue. The larger Dynamic Eighty-Eight, Super Eighty-Eight, and Ninety-Eight continued, but were significantly redesigned.

The 1961 Oldsmobile Super Eighty-Eight benefitted from the light-weight body of the 88 and the 325 horsepower engine found in the Ninety-Eight. They were very well optioned, with all the items found in the Dynamic Eighty-Eight plus Safety-Vee steering wheel, parking brake lamp, courtesy lamps, and two-speed windshield wipers. Buyers had the option of selecting either a fabric or vinyl interior. Several body styles were at their disposal including a sedan, convertible, station wagon (in 5 or 7 passenger capacity), and a 2- or 4-door Holiday Hardtop.

They had a new perimeter-type chassis frame. The 1960's semi-elliptic leaf spring suspension setup in the rear was replaced with a trailing-arm coil spring arrangement. The 374 cubic-inch V8 engine developed 325 brake horsepower, thanks to 10:1 compression and a Rochester four-barrel carburetor. The four-speed Hydra-Matic was replaced with a new three-speed Roto Hydra-Matic, which featured a torque converter in place of the old fluid coupling.

The 1961 Super Eighty-Eights had the same wheelbase as 1960 model, but were five inches smaller in length and its width had been reduced by three inches. This made the Super Eighty-Eight more maneuverable and offered better visibility for the driver who could now see all four corners of the car and thus park more easily. This improved visibility was aided by the elimination of the 'wrap-around' windshield.

This particular example is a Convertible Coupe that was purchased new by Raymond Coppola, of New Haven, Connecticut. It was delivered by the Brown and Thomas Company, the local dealer, and came equipped with Hydra-Matic, power brakes, power steering, a Deluxe heater, Deluxe radio back-up lights, windshield washers, an electric clock, a tilt mirror, white sidewall tires, and undercoating.

Currently, the car shows 37,000 miles. It has a white vinyl top, red vinyl interior, and has had one professional repaint in the original Provincial White.

Oldsmobile produced just 2,624 examples of the Super Eighty-Eight Convertible for 1961, making them very rare in modern times.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2015