Make: | Oldsmobile |
Model: | Eighty-Eight |
Type: | Convertible |
Doors: | 2 |
Year: | 1963 |
Mileage: | 76,166 |
VIN: | 632M09326 |
Color: | Other |
Engine: | 394 V8 |
Transmission: | Automatic |
Interior color: | Other |
Vehicle Title: | Clear |
Item location: | Local pick-up only |
This 1963 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertible was one of the quickest full-sized cars you could buy in 1963. And as always, they remained powerful, comfortable full-sized cruisers with respectable performance and a ton of amenities, making this affordable Olds ragtop a great bang for the buck both then and now.
There are no replacement panels for these cars, so everything you see is 100% OEM steel that has survived the last 56 years rather nicely. The color is called Willow Mist, code J on the cowl tag, and is a wonderful, subtle color that looks exactly right on the big Olds' clean body. It could almost pass for original paint, but if we had to guess, we'd say it's an older repaint that does a credible job of looking factory-applied. Chrome is still in nice shape, as is the simple grille with horizontal bars. The split taillights blend into the stubby tail fins and are the origin of an Oldsmobile styling trend that lasted more than two decades. And you'll definitely dig the stylized rocket on the trunk, Oldsmobile's symbol up to the very end.
There's not a lot of flash in the interior, but it is stylish and comfortable and entirely appropriate to early '60s buyer tastes. The seats wear two-tone green vinyl, and the front bench features split backs to allow easy access to the surprisingly spacious back seat area. The carpets are probably replacements, but everything else looks like it might be original, attesting to the overall quality of this clean car. Spanning the entire width of the car, the dashboard houses a wide speedometer housing and simple knobs for things like the headlights and windshield wipers, and a slender gear shift lever hangs from the steering column. The original AM radio is still in the dash and yes, it still works! Overhead there's a nice-fitting white power convertible top and it includes a matching green boot for a clean top-down look. And as an Oldsmobile, you already know there's a giant trunk out back, complete with full-sized spare tire and jack assembly.
The standard engine in Dynamic 88s was a 394 cubic inch V8 making 280 horsepower and a stump-pulling 430 pounds of torque. Nicknamed the Rocket, which is proudly spelled out on the air cleaner, it makes this Dynamic 88 a lively performer. This Rocket engine was bathed in bright red engine paint, which isn't original but sure looks good. Other than routine maintenance items, however, it remains completely stock and original. Key it up, and it fires with that characteristic Oldsmobile sound, breathing through stock exhaust manifolds into a single exhaust system that has just the right wound. The rest of the chassis is clean and dry, and the Jetaway automatic transmission works as it should. It rides on a set of steel wheels with stock hubcaps and a set of 215/75/14 whitewall radials.
The timeless styling is less common than an Impala, and the sophisticated color gives it a grown-up look that a lot of cars these days are missing. And with all that room, taking your family and friends with you is a pleasure. Fans of the rocket, this is one you shouldn't overlook. Call now!