I miss the days when a carmaker had a full line of body styles and makes and models within a single model family. Like, when Oldsmobile came out with the fifth-generation 88s there was a two-door hardtop and a two-door coupe, a convertible, a four-door hardtop, and a four-door sedan, and then they had wagons. This 1961 Oldsmobile Super 88 Fiesta wagon can be found here on eBay in Seattle, Washington. There is an unmet opening bid price of $1,250.
Wait, is that snow? In Seattle?! It appears that this car is on jack stands and/or blocks. Maybe it was done to keep the suspension from compressing, or who knows what the reason was. It looks like a fairly solid and complete car but it also needs a boatload of work.
The somewhat nautical-inspired “skeg” at the bottom of the rear bumper is interesting. I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of that design feature at all, I’m not quite sure what the designers were thinking there. Anyone? It certainly reminds me of the bottom of the 1961 Cadillac rear quarters. This car is about a foot shorter than my ’66 Lincoln Continental Coupe was which is surprising. I would have thought that this full-sized wagon would be longer than 17.5-feet.
The interior looks great other than needing a headliner, and the seats and door cards/panels could use some work. I’m guessing that the original rear seat fabric pattern could be fairly closely matched to redo the front seat. There is a humongous storage area with the rear seat folded down and as with every other part of the interior other than the dash, it looks like it could use a little help. The seller even provides an underbody photo.
The engine looks like it could fire up without too much problem but who knows, there is no word at all if it runs or even turns over so it’s a wild card. It sure looks good to me as it is other than being dirty. It’s Oldsmobile’s Skyrocket 394 cubic-inch V8 which had 325 hp and 435 ft-lb of torque. Hagerty is at $21,000 for a #1 concours car so this one will never be nut-and-bolt restored, I’m guessing. Have any of you owned an Olds Fiesta?
Ya know, if those “skegs” below the quarter panels got rusty, it looks like they could simply be ground off, improving the look of the car’s profile, and nobody would be the wiser for their absence. Kind of a sacrificial rust- attracting piece, like the anode rod in a water heater!
The dashboard is t!ts.
Should have the very cool “band Speedo”, but not seeing it in the photo.
Be hard pressed to see another coming at you. I’m actually liking the rear profile!
Yes Rex, it sho is!
I only ever see 61 Chevy’s. This is cool. It’s neat how different it is. Good thing it is straight because I have never seen one so parts would be a bear to find.
Nice. My sister had a 61 Dynamic 88…went like a bat out of hell, but she never knew I drove it that way. Fast car for the weight. Gobs of torque.
Yes, it has the color band speedo, green to yellow to red. It was in the red most of the time I was able to drive it. Personally I like the inverted fins but I’m biased.
This example is pretty nice and un-molested. Rare as hens’ teeth, too. lol
Again, same thing. We all ooo and ahh at how unusual it is, and it is, but few, if anyone is going to restore this in this day and age. These are big cars, and it needs everything. The bigger the car, the bigger the bill. For the general public to take notice, they have to be nicer than this, and unless you were born in a ’61 Olds wagon, not many will go for it.
As scarce as these wagons are, this one IS very saveable. It deserves a frame-off restoration. I’d add period-correct whitewalls, and the optional wheel covers Super 88’s/98’s had. Seafoam green is perfect for a `61 GM anything, really.
Funny, the compact 1961-62 Olds F-85 copied its older brother pretty well in the front and sides, but the wagons had a more conventional rear end treatment, bumpers, liftgate. I believe the steel pressings are similar to the Corvair Lakewood and Buick Special and Tempest wagons.
When I was in my preteens, my father bought one of these. It was a gorgeous black with gray interior. My brothers and I loved it, we thought it looked like a rocket. Unfortunately it started giving him trouble almost immediately. He wound up returning it to the dealer since it was advertised as a 39,000 mile car, but history proved it to actually be 139,000 mile.
A darn shame I say! There is probably a reason the car is not running and the owner seeks to unload it. Ya think?
Really too bad. Design wise, it is a gorgeous statement which speaks to the optimism and maybe, excess, of a time when the full fruits of the labors of the WW 2 generation were coming to pass.
Too bad the seller hasn’t gotten gotten it runing
Bring a barnfind trailer :)
Not a car you see everyday and the horse power that motor put out is surprisingly impressive!! The inside of the car looks exceptional metal wise!! If the reserve isn’t to high it would be a nice car to restore except the parts might be a little hard to come by!! Might be best to go the restomod way!!!
Definately a car of my liking and I wholeheartedly applaude whoever decides to tackle this project. 60s Olds and Buick fullsize wagons were never big sellers and survival rates are low. Under all the grime and dull appearance this one still looks to be a shockingly intact and complete starting point for someone with the proper skills and/or network.
While I tend to prefer OE engines, this Olds is one of those rare occations when I’d say LS it should its 394 be beyond. Its transmission is the questionable Roto-Problematic shared with lesser Pontiacs so that would make an excuse for a modern driveline. Whether the next owner opts for the original or restomod route I’d love to see the final result
Interesting piece of info is that in 1962 they changed the chrome around to match ’62s and the front clip or pieces of it were off a ’62 Olds but beyond the front clip, the ’62 was a ’61 body. They continued full sized wagons, completely changed, each year, until ’64 and the full sized wagon (custom cruiser) returned in 1971.