Whoa, what do we have here? A turbocharged 1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire, and it’s a pretty rare bird. I looked into the BF archives and found only one that has been reviewed in the last seven years, and I can’t recall ever actually encountering one. Available in ’62 and ’63, the Jetfire is considered one of the first domestic turbocharged production cars. Today’s discovery, courtesy of T.J., has been beautifully restored and is looking for a new home. Brazil, Indiana, is where you’ll find this rarity, and it’s available here on eBay for a BIN price of $80,000 (yikes!).
The Jetfire was a hopped-up version of Oldsmobile’s F85/Cutlass. It was available strictly as a two-door hardtop and yielded 3,765 copies in ’62. Production continued through the ’63 model year, and another 5,842 units left the Lansing assembly line. The seller tells us this Olds was parked by the first owner in 1974 and sat until he acquired it, as the second owner, in 2015. The full restoration, which commenced in 2019, took two years to complete, and what you see here is the magnificent result. There’s nothing here to nitpick; this Jetstar shows like new. You can view this video, which reveals this Jetfire upon discovery in Chicago in 2019.
The heart of the beast is a 215 gross HP, 215 CI turbocharged V8 engine, known as the Turbo-Rocket, and in this case, it’s attached to a four-speed manual transmission. The seller claims 46K original miles of use and states that this high-compression powerhouse requires the use of “Turbo Rocket Fluid,” a methanol-and-water mixture additive, necessary to combat engine pre-ignition. This video showcases this Jetfire’s road maneuvering skills while being piloted by Jay Leno.
The seller tells us that the interior is largely original, and it’s striking in a 1962 sort of way. The two-tone vinyl upholstery is perfect, and the carpet, interestingly, is original, but it has been dyed back to its original shade. Note the cool turbo gauge on the console; imagine trying to source one of those today!
Leno states, “that not many people know about this,” referencing the Jetfire, and I guess I’m in that category. I do recall, somewhere along the line, reading about such a model, but I guess I put it away so far into a deep recess that it is as good as never having known about it. This was an impressive bit of automotive engineering in its day, but it’s no surprise to me that it’s an Oldsmobile – they were the engineering division at GM. And today? No Oldsmobile, and GM? Well…I’ll just move along.
Yes, it’s a beautiful restoration, and I’m sure it cost plenty in terms of time, research, effort, and $$$. But $80 large worth? I’m not sure about that. Anyway, tell me, were any of you aware of this substantial Oldsmobile known as the Jetfire?
For $80 thou, I’d want it to come with a lifetime supply of Turbo Rocket Fluid. My local Oldsmobile dealer seems not to have any in stock.
This would be fun to own, and would certainly be a hit at Cars & Coffee. Just not at that price. I’m pretty certain the seller really doesn’t want to unload it. Or he wants every penny of the restoration cost returned, with a little extra for good measure.
It’s just distilled water and methyl alcohol, 50/50, and a little water-based lubricant. You could make your own, I assume. You could even run windshield washer fluid.
These needs to, and probably will at some point, roll through Barrett Jackson if he wants to acquire that kind of money for it. Truly a rare little gem!
That would be a mistake, they push no reserve auctions, with a limited number of spots available that have a reserve which appears to be available only to cars that meet certain requirements, which are not spelled out on their website, downside risk is probably too great.
Steve R
Not to mention you can’t use pump gas.
Love the Jetfire Cutlass!! Rare being turbo charged!!
80 grand though…
I was stunned when I saw that picture of it brand new in ’62. Just amazing. I can’t even imagine the hours that went into the restoration. What a gem!!! Absolutely beautiful.
Dang, how did this thing make it all the way down to Brazil?
Beautiful car. Probably the best of this make and model in existence. Unfortunately, it’s selling into a small pool of enthusiasts. For the asking price, you can get premium examples of most enthusiast oriented cars, with much stronger followings, if you have that much money to spend you won’t compromise that aspect of your decision. The desire to be different has its limitations, usually hitting a wall at your wallet.
Steve R
My first car was a 1962 Cutlass Convertible, same color as this, with a white convertible top and a red interior. It had about 90 coats of Classic Car Wax on it. (Remember that stuff? It Had DIATOMS in it!)
I think the red interior is much better looking. Mine had the mini console with the automatic shifter. They didn’t make the Jetfire in a convertible just as they didn’t make a Cutlass as a hardtop. I grew up in the Lansing area but even so these cars were not particularly plentiful.
The aluminum-block 215 was treated with suspicion back then but mine seemed to run just fine. It came with a 4 barrel carb which was a beauty to behold in and of itself. The B-O-P compacts of 1961-63 were built like miniature versions of the full-size cars and had a substantial feel.
I got my car in 1966 so by then the GTO and 442 and SS396 were the far more desirable options compared to this mini muscle car. Even if I were wealthy I’d think $80K is a bit much.
Very interesting car. Rarely seen, in any condition. Highly awarded. That 1962 pic is cool. The type of car I would enjoy seeing at a show.
All aluminum 10:1 compression, turbo charged with alcohol injection to quench detonation, all in 1962? Way ahead of its time but that was Oldsmobile. First to install a speedo, use chrome trim, a fully auto shifting tranny, the first to offer an overhead valve V8 and then offer it in the light weight 88 series which dominated NASCAR in its day, first V8 FWD car and still the highest HP in FWD from the toronado, first to offer air bags and the list goes on. This car is an icon and I wish I could afford it.
The 1937 Cord 812 had front wheel drive and a V8.
Steve R