Fins were “in” by ’59, and this 1959 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Holiday Sport Sedan features wedge-shaped fins following a straight line from the front fender tips to these high-rise oval ports at the stern. The Space Race was on, and if your ride wasn’t decked out with giant fins, you were past your prime, Daddy-O. This Olds may have lost some luster, but it’s straight and not busted or rusted too badly. All in all it’s full of promise for the right buyer. Check out more pictures and details on Facebook Marketplace, where this Prophetstown, Illinois road yacht can be yours for a mere $3500. The glass alone might bring that much. Thanks to reader Zappenduster for spotting this Interstate schooner.
The widely split dual headlights aren’t my favorite styling choice on this Ninety-Eight, but they do strike an imposing face. The chrome has some shine left and the extensive collection of trim seems present and accounted for. Three more inches of wheelbase (126.3 vs 123), belt trim extending into the rear door, and wraparound rear trim reaching forward nearly to the wheel well (among other details) distinguish the high-rolling Ninety-Eight from the 88. Thanks to the library of brochures at lov2xlr8 for some information.
The Ninety-Eight gets this “hand-buffed leather” and cloth upholstery. This one has power windows and a power seat to boot. That spindly two-spoke steering wheel testifies to the luxury of power steering. This ain’t no farm wagon, bub.
The 394 cid (6.5L) V8 makes 315 HP (gross) and 435 lb-ft of torque, spinning a high-tech four-speed Jetaway 315 automatic transmission. According to AACA, some had 1:1 third gear with an overdrive fourth and some had a close ratio setup with 1:1 as fourth gear. Maybe our Olds experts can comment on which came with this ’59.
This view shows off the full-length spear-shaped fin, set off by two tone paint on some models. My ultimate Route 66 ride might be a ’59 Oldsmobile or ’59 Pontiac in this body style with the wraparound rear window, with plenty of room for three friends to pay for gas. I’ve nearly missed the Centennial, but maybe someday! Can you think of a more fintastic Interstate cruiser?
My dad bought a ’60 98, pretty much like this car except the fins were a lot smaller. Solid white with deep maroon interior. For it’s size it was really fast. This one needs a bunch of work but I’d bet on a lot of fun on a long cruise.
I’m going to be a broken record here. But. I’ll say it again, of all the ’59 GM models Olds has my favorite tail fin design. And just stop and think about how different all the tailfins were between Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, Olds and of course Cadillac. Nowadays, its pretty hard to tell what make car you’re looking at until you get up close to the name badge for the most part. These 4 door hardtops are good looking cars. I don’t know what the fate of this Ninety Eight is going to be, but man it would look good painted and restored.
It’s amazing that the tail fins are so drastically different between divisions when you consider that they had to share the same door stampings to save money. I think only Olds (?) had to add an additional piece to the door tops on some models to have the fin blend properly.
Thats right!!! I remember reading about that, I want to say it was the door of a Buick? I had completely forgotten about that.
Too far gone to be a viable project, too expensive for a parts car. If this is someone’s dream car, it might be worth the effort. For someone looking for an old car to drive around, there are turn key 4 doors from this era through the mid-80’s that need little to nothing that can be found for not much more than this cars asking price.
Steve R
Would be cool to get running, throw some Indian blankets on the seats and just enjoy driving it as is.
Just checked my old copies of the “Chinese Calendar”. It confirms that 1959 was the “year of the fin” with Cadillac being the ultimate variation. Rumor has it GM had some extra fin material and created the tail fin first and then found a body they could attach to the fins, the creation–the ’59 Cadillac, Emperor of the tail fin era!
Damn, another one! Make one out of two. There oughta be enough usable parts. GLWTS.
With a little give on the asking price, this could work! Not much difference between this and the ‘60 98 that I owned. They give you lots of space with which to work. I like it.