Carmel, Indiana is the home of this 1977 Olds Delta 88 Royale, a low-mileage original that is sitting here on ebay with an asking price of $11,000 but the tantalizing words, “or best offer” also displayed. If you’re looking for a turn-key cruiser in a handsome color and with very little age-related deterioration, this might be the car for you. Could this be one of those, “fly in, drive it home” scenarios so many of us have long dreamed of?
What would you do with this car? It’s a low-mileage example at under 34,000 miles (it is believed) clocked, but not so low that you’d be doing something criminal to drive it. This car has another 100,000 miles left before it even needs considering for a rebuild, and at 5,000 a year, that’s two decades of cruising. Barn Finds experts, if this is one of those famously troubled GM engines of the era, enlighten us, please. It’s a bit hard to know, though, given that further info about the motivating power is lacking other than that it is a V8. Apparently, in this year, GM used Chevrolet engines for some Olds applications, a switcheroo that ended up in court and had the company offering warranty extensions or engine replacements to owners who got a non-Olds engine in their Oldsmobile chassis. That’s all water under the bridge now, of course.
If this 1977 Oldsmobile Delta 88 were in my state, and if I could drive it without the hassle of every-other-year smog inspections, I would so love to have it. Half-vinyl top. Interior swathed in velour (or even better, velvet). Full wheel covers. Massive plastic woodgrain covering the dash. Original tire change instruction sticker still under the deck lid. This one has retro cool coming out from every pore, and it truly looks untouched, at least in the angles we see. The body style is squared off in keeping with the 1977 restyling which made the car nearly 1,000 pounds lighter in this its eighth generation. That was a big deal back when suddenly it was unacceptable to suck up a gallon of gas every twelve or fourteen miles, but now matters less in a fuel-economy mindset and is more is a matter of taste and styling.
One thing we know is that the AC is not working. No images help to suss out what other mechanical features the car was built with nor how any of the under-hood components look, but any signs shown, such as the look of the interior of the trunk lid, point to this one having been under a blanket for a good long time. The present owner rescued it two years ago, and now it’s someone else’s chance to live the luxury car dream. Can you let this opportunity pass you by?
Neat as a pin. These were a big departure from the year prior. Paid off big to GM as others waited to see how it turned out. This just about what you wanted in ’77, air locks and Royale trim. Should be a find for the next owner.
Add says it sold for $11k and yes I would have made it a almost daily driver. I have kinda been on the hunt for older clean cars like this Would only need to find a 4×4 for days like we have had the last week or so
Well that didn’t take long. Sold
Wow!! I just had to do a double take on this one. I had a 77 Delta 88 Royale almost identicle to this one except I had power windows in mine, same exact color same vinyl top same steering wheel. I had a 260 2 barrel in mine with the THM 200 (what were they thinking? Oh right gas mileage) I believe the mileage claim is absolutely
legit. I bought mine in 1988 with 49000 miles on it and the wood veneer was already worn off the horn button, and I made it worse, this one its all basically intact. The dash carpets everything, this is like stepping right back to 1977. I think you could get the Olds 350 and Olds 403 in these too if im not mistaken. Hope it goes to a good home.
My grandparents had a 79 4 door just like it, with the same colors (no vinyl top) and the olds 350 engine. They bought it in 1981 or 82. They had the oil changed every 1500 miles. Must’ve been a very solid engine in that car when they sold it in the 90s.
My first car was a 66 red Dynamic 88 convert. Next 69 Delta Royale 4 door Sedan gold with black vinyl top and luxurious brocade interior. For me, the downsized 77 to 79 Oldsmobiles were the best looking of GMS offerings. The Coupes like this one were the best. Roof design was similar to Coupe de Ville. Only drawback with this one is interior. Whatever happened to brocade? Have always preferred cloth (more recently tufted velour) to leather. Guess someone got a Sweet Treat at CARMEL! 😉
I like it and if I had the dollars I would fly in and drive it home. Perhaps when more of the snow disappears. Not a model of Oldsmobile I would have bothered casting eyes on back in the day. It’s lines do look good in 2024. What a nice summer cruiser it would make.
Dr Olds’ big coupes were always cool offerings.
sold
My buddy bought a new 77, same exterior and interior color and fabric, white full vinyl top, with every option, windows doors tilt cruise delay wipers am/fm 8 track, but got built with a Chevy engine, got a few hundred dollars back, Chevy was the bottom of the barrel to an Oldsmobile or Buick owner, now it’s all the same
That interior takes me back! My uncle Bob had a ’77 or ’78 88 Royale with the same baby-blue crushed velour. His was a 4 door in a brighter blue but it also had the light blue vinyl top.