When the fifth generation of the Oldsmobile 88 was introduced as a 1961 model, the restyled body was already quite large, measuring in at just a hair under 18 feet in length. However, that wasn’t long enough to meet the original owner’s needs, and this Dynamic 88 was converted to a limousine when new and sold to Stageway Coaches in Cincinnati, Ohio, back in 1961. This one’s not a showpiece, but it remains solid, looks very good on the outside, and appears to have been well cared for throughout the years. If you’ve got the room and are in the market for something unusual, this 1961 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Limousine here on eBay might be worth checking out. It’s currently located in Addison, Illinois, and can be purchased now for $18,490, but the seller is also considering offers.
We’d like to thank reader T.J. for finding this rather large Olds and sending us the tip! Although the history of the first couple of decades of this limo remains a mystery, the seller says that it was purchased in 1981 by a funeral home in Anaconda, Montana, and is believed to have been repainted in its current color around that time. A peek at the trim tag reveals code A-A, which I believe indicates that this one was originally black on the top and bottom. The seller states that this one is as solid as a rock all around and says the panels are all original, with no rust and no body repairs. This Olds isn’t as flashy as some limos from the period, but I sort of like the minimal trim outside and the hubcaps, and it seems just right to have served in the funeral service industry.
The owner informs us that this 88 stayed in Montana until 2020, with the 41,023 miles showing believed to be actual, so this one has likely been used mostly for local travel. Things inside are fairly plain as well and said to be all original, with the front seat showing a few tears on the driver’s side. However, the rear seat and both jump units are in very nice shape, and the headliner is stated as mint. The front door panels could use some attention, but the dash and instrument panel appear to be in surprisingly good condition.
A 394 V8 provides the power here, which is reported to run super smoothly. One upgrade under the hood is an aluminum radiator, but the original component is also included in the sale. Almost half-a-dozen photos are shown from the underside, which seem to validate the seller’s description of the platform as outstanding. This appears to be a well-preserved example overall, and even the imperfections here probably wouldn’t be all that difficult or expensive to remedy. Do you or someone you know have any need for a 1961 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 limousine?
Mighty high price considering the work that’s needed.
Just when you think you saw everything…
I do kind of wonder why they went with the Eighty Eight instead of the Ninety Eight with this Limo build. Its an interesting Olds for sure, you’d be the only one at a Cars and Coffee, and, just think how many of your friends you could pile in to go there.
Could be the more economical 88 engine, 2brl, regular gas.
Probably more of an Airport shuttle than limo, I would imagine- that’s why the 88 instead of the 98.
Having sold vehicles to the funeral home industry. The locations have alot to do with the vehicles they buy. For instance, In the Toledo Ohio area, they use nothing but Daddy’s in dark colors. In AR and MO, White Suburbans are used as “family ” cars. Where in places like Oregon, dark red vans are preferred. So a “down cost/lower model car is not surprising. But aswazaluski said. An airport limo makes sense. However, the lack of wear/tear and mileage tends to point to funeral usage.
Or a Caddy
Quite a few of these limos were used to transport band members
and musical equipment after they
were sold off by a funeral ⚱️ home or airport. Did the same thing myself with a ’50 Packard 9
passenger limo in ’71. These old brutes would hold the whole band
and then some. Not only did I tour during the summer while in
high school, but I also played nine
months during the school year with some guys that wanted to start a band and play on weekends. Kept me out of trouble that’s for sure. Too busy making music 🎵 to even think about girls back then. Yeah, my Dad was worried about it but it all
worked out that next summer when I met this older woman in
Atlanta while touring the South in
’72. But that’s another story for
another time. I’d use it as a rental
for proms, weddings, and TV shows. And I can tell you first hand that these are as scarce as
hen’s teeth. The last one I saw was a 98 stretch limo at a service
car auction at Farm Bureau Field
in Bloomington before going out on tour in ’72 (?) it was a ’68 Olds
stretch limo. Burgandy I think. A
guy I knew bought it to haul himself and his friends to work at
Catepillar Tractor over in Peoria.
Would be great for a large family
too.
No radio, I notice.
Used only on somber quiet occasions back then.
Would make an interesting fishing/camping car.
My Dad bought a ’59 Caddy limo as a second/third car for vacations. Since we always seemed to take along additional family members.it was great not to be crammed into the back seat with the jump seats. 70 MPH all day long with the A/C cranking (had to be with a black car) and returned 16 mpg. He bought it for $200 in about 1965 and all it needed was tires and some exhaust work. The body was perfect as was the interior. It did eat a water pump that I ended up changing. (No fun as the front motor mount bracket is between the the pump and block. Definitely made an entrance when Mom dropped us off for school in the morning! (haha) Good times in that car!
Regarding the fuel economy in a commercial chassis Cadillac, I had a 63 S & S Victoria coach, same 390 as your dad’s, the fuel economy was perfectly acceptable in a 6500 lb car!
Funeral home necessity. Perfect.
It would look better with whitewall tires….
It would look better with whitewall tires.
The Anaconda connection got my interest – the funeral home (Longfellows -Finnegan) handled several of my relatives funerals over the years, as many of my family lived there going back to 1921, when my grandfather moved there with the family from St. Louis. I was my aunt’s executor when she passed in 2007, and I was in contact with them for the arrangements. I had been in Anaconda several times from the mid-’80’s up to my last trip there in 2019. I vaguely recall the limo at their place, and that was the first Oldsmobile limo I had seen in person. It is a big car, and because of my loose connection, although bittersweet, I’d give it a thought.
Aluminum radiator is NOT a upgraðe