The seller refers to this 1969 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Holiday hardtop sedan as a barn find, and says it was stored for 35 years in a barn with a tarp over it to keep out rodents, which worked, but it messed up the paint on the roof, hood, and trunk. Oh yeah, the reason it was stored is that a branch fell on it. They have it listed here on eBay in Cincinnati, Ohio; there is no reserve, and the current bid price is $760.
What an elegant car, I’m a huge fan of the last two years of the eight-generation Olds 98, or Ninety-Eight, in this case. The ’70 is my favorite, but I would love to have this car, normally, if it didn’t require some heavy bodywork on the rear portion of the roof due to that falling tree branch. It must have been a heck of a branch.
Gaaaaa! Ouch. Now that’s a tree branch! Here’s a close-up, but please click on the eBay link and check out the photos; there are a bunch of them. This formerly beautiful car is a Holiday hardtop sedan, according to the VIN. I sure hope this one can be saved, and the bidders aren’t going to use it for parts. The seller says a rear window is available, but that smashed top had better be spot-on for it to fit correctly.
The eighth-generation Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight went through some big design changes during its run from 1965 through 1970, and the folks in Lansing achieved slab-sided perfection for the last two years of that generation before the design was radically changed for the 1971 model year and beyond. Some of the photos are a little blurry, but what can be seen inside looks almost perfect, both front and rear. Even the trunk looks nice for not having been in use for 35 years, but there’s a fair amount of surface rust everywhere. The seller says the underside is as straight and solid as the top side is.
This engine is Oldsmobile’s famous 455-cu.in. OHV V8, which had a tire-smoke-inducing 365 horsepower and a whopping 510 lb-ft of torque when new. Backed by a THM-400 sending power to the rear wheels, this one isn’t currently running, but it was recently. After they pulled it from the barn, they got it to start. I’d bet it’s an old fuel issue, but that’s for the next owner to figure out. Do any of you have the bodywork experience to fix that roof to look like new again?
Anybody have the number of a good Paintless Dent Removal company??? Ok, maybe not. Scotty, we both have 1970 Olds Ninety Eights being in our lives in common. Ours was a Reef Turquoise 4 door hardtop. This one looks like it didn’t have a vinyl top which is not very common. ( ours was black). This one is solid, not even the fender skirts are rusting, ( they go in the center). And I drive ours as a teenager, and I’m not bragging here, but 365 HP and over 500 ft. Pounds of torque gave that huge boat the surprising ability to outrun a lot of other cars. Lots of surprised looks when they’d catch up at the next red light.
That being said, this one is too solid to ignore, I hope it gets back on the road. Great write up Scotty thank you, I enjoyed it and all the old memories too.
Horsepower sells cars.. Torque wins races. 🏁
@Stan. My favorite T shirt my oldest son used to wear said… ” Horsepower= how fast you hit the wall….
Torque= How FAR you MOVE the wall after you hit it” lol
One interesting thing about the difference between the ’69 and ’70, if you look at the steering wheel on this one, its upside down compared to the ’70. The rotated it 180 degrees flipped the lettering and had an Oldsmobile badge in the center. I always thought it looked better the way they have it on the ’70 Models.
In the voice of Lt. Columbo….. Umm just one more thing….. I’ve said it on here before, but I’m going to say it again.. The “65 to ’70 full size Olds had the biggest gas pedal in the business, I always wondered if they were trying to say something, primarily about the power of the Rocket 455 they were hooked up to. Ok……. I’ll stop now.
Ha! That’s all great info, sir, keep it coming!
I used to be a 1970 snob, but I really like this one, and also the ’69-’70 Delta 88 Royale Coupe.
Oh yeah. If you’ve ever seen a ’69 or ’70 Delta Eighty Eight Royale with bucket seats and a console? With a 455 under the hood it eas a total gentlemans 442.
This is the one I want, but in nice condition:
https://barnfinds.com/1970-oldsmobile-delta-88-royale-with-455-v8/
What a car, and it had the console!
Thats the exact model I was talking about Scotty. They must be rare, I’ve never seen one in person.
Driven by Ted Kennedy, I’d check for water damage
Most likely, someone will want it for the engine and transmission. This is how there are more Cutlasses with big blocks than were actually manufactured that way.
Yes, because of the damage to the roof, the 455 makes it a viable parts car. With a smaller engine it would likely have little to no interest.
Steve R
Add says NO RESERVE but later says a $2000 dollar deposit is do within 48 hours my opinion it was a really nice car at one time now its a demolition derby candidate or doner for the drive train to be put in something else
My mother bought a new 69 98 convertible with the 455. Dark blue, black interior and a white top. As a teen driver at the time, I can attest to just how fast these were! I surprised many motorheads in their Mustangs and GTOs. That roof damage is a tough repair for all except a true pro coach work body person.
Put some slicks on the back and punch it. I bet the torque would twist the body enough to pop that roof dent right out!
I had a 69 Ninety-Eight Town Sedan. The only differences I can think of between it and the Holiday are seating surfaces and door cards, and I’m not too sure about that. It’s been over 50 years. A few things: 1, if you accidently hook your FM converter up wrong to the passing gear switch it won’t change gears until max shift points. 2nd to 3rd 82 mph. 2, silicone spray makes the viinyl seats look really good but a new bride in a wedding dress will slide right onto the floor when you take a corner too fast. 3, if you have enough advance it will outrun NC highway patrol vehicles. the sound of their rumble as they drove down my street but never stopping (with me cowering in my bed) makes me pretty sure they didn’t know what they were chasing. Ah the memories.
Land barge with a lot of Torque!
if you had mad skills, you could fix it. it would be a shame to part it out but unfortunately that may be what happens here. wish i was a bit closer i would bid on it and try to save it. these cars ride so nice
I’d buy this one with my eyes closed.
The problem is the distance.
4 doors with a hardtop and lots of horsepower are guaranteed fun.
If only it were closer, the roof repair isn’t terrible if ya know how to use a porta power along with metal work skills, personally the body and interior are way to clean to give up on, I would get it running fix the roof repaint the complete car and drive this comfortable beast.
Auction update: this Olds Ninety-Eight sold for $1,500!