The owner of this 1958 Oldsmobile Super 88 Convertible claims that it is 1-of-16 that remain in existence from that model year. It appears that he has documentary evidence to back this claim. It presents well as an original survivor that has never received any restoration work. Its engine bay is occupied by its numbers-matching 371ci Tri-Power V8, making this a potent package. It seems that Barn Finder Larry D has a well-developed radar, so thank you for referring this gem to us, Larry. It is located in Winter Haven, Florida, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set a BIN of $85,000 for this classic, but it appears that he will entertain offers.
This Oldsmobile presents nicely in dazzling Alaskan White. The owner claims that the paint is original and that the vehicle has never undergone any restoration work. If this is accurate, its overall condition is pretty impressive. The paint holds a nice shine, with no evidence of significant flaws or problems. The panels are straight as an arrow, but the best news is that this classic appears to be rust-free. There are no issues visible in the supplied photos, and the owner mentions none in his listing. The White power top and back window are new and present perfectly. This classic rolled off the production line in an era when chrome was king. Therefore, it’s no surprise to find lashings of it across every aspect of this car’s exterior. The owner has replaced the bumpers and some exterior trim, but the rest is original and in excellent order. The Coker wide whitewall tires add the perfect finishing touch to this exterior.
The first piece of good news when we start to consider this Convertible’s drivetrain is that it is numbers-matching. The second slice of good news is that the original owner ordered this Olds with the J2 version of the 371ci V8. That saw the motor equipped with three two-barrel carburetors, allowing the V8 to produce 312hp. The original owner also ordered this classic with a four-speed Hydramatic transmission and power steering. At 4,400lbs, this Convertible could never be considered light. That makes the ¼ mile ET of 17.1 seconds look pretty impressive. The owner has recently gone through the electrical system and rebuilt everything, while the entire braking system has also been replaced. Throw in new ball joints, new tie rod ends, new shocks, and various other suspension parts, and it should be no surprise to learn that this classic runs and drives perfectly. It is ready to hit the road with its next owner behind the wheel.
If this Convertible’s exterior features plenty of chrome, the trend continues when we open the doors and look at the dash. I can’t imagine any manufacturer producing a dash like this today, but companies like Oldsmobile went out of their way to make occupants feel pretty special during the 1950s. The dash presents superbly, with no significant flaws or aftermarket additions. The original pushbutton radio remains intact, while the pad and wheel are excellent. The upholstered surfaces present well for an original survivor, with no evidence of significant wear or other issues. The carpet is new, and this classic comes equipped with power windows and a power front seat.
There’s no doubt that this 1958 Oldsmobile Super 88 Convertible is a stunning survivor, and if the owner’s claim that there are only sixteen in existence today is accurate, it also makes it a rare beast. It presents exceptionally well for its age and appears to need nothing. The BIN price is not cheap, but it is not unprecedented. It is a classic that somebody can buy safe in the knowledge that they are unlikely to park it next to an identical vehicle at a local Cars & Coffee. It is a rare survivor that deserves a closer look.
An amazing original car. Have a history with the engine/transmission package as that is what I put into my ’53 Studebaker coupe. My dad’s ’60 had the same engine package less the tripower and it really moved that big car down the road.
Beautiful styling, drop the top and enjoy the ride. Quite the car and has had some wonderful caretakers to keep it looking great and operating.
Just great.
Nothing exceeds like excess…
Nice that the owner included an E.T., cuz this is exactly what I was looking for in a drag car.
Adam (not the seller) often includes E.T. estimates for listings regardless of the vehicle type. That said, I think 0-60 times might be a more appropriate data point for determining overall driveability in the modern world. Some 6-cylinder ’50s cars (and underpowered imports) had 0-60 times approaching 20 seconds or more. That’s a bit dangerous in my book.
Poppy, back in the day I had several cars like that. One was a 1959 4-door Chevrolet with a straight 6 handed down by an aunt. She was deaf so her brothers had bought it radio delete. Going down the road it wandered left to right. I didn’t care about 0-60 times, just getting there and back.
Hmmm!!!
From the eBay ad – “1958 Oldsmobile Super 88 convertible, in good original condition not restored. In very good mechanical condition, new brake system, rebuilt electric system, supension (sic) system gone through including new tie rod ends, ball joints, bushings, bearings, and shock absorbers. New convertible top, rear window, pads, and hydraulic lines, rebuilt power top pistons and pump motor. New carpeting, and Coker wide whitewall tires, new chrome bumpers and stainless steel trim accents where needed, electrical system gone through everything is working.”
A vehicle cannot be claimed to be original and not restored with all of the listed work done to it. Either the seller does not understand the term, or, he is practising to deceive. Either way he needs to correct his ad, IMHO. Still an amazing looker though. It would look great under my tree on the 25th.
Not sure about the ribbed valve covers/air cleaner; I know they aren’t factory, so there has been some tweaking on this 371 J-2 at some point. I wonder if the owner has the original air cleaner?
The original breather was stolen while the car was in storage, so I had a custom finned aluminum breather built to replace it with. I added the Offenhauser valve covers to match but still have the originals.
The seller doesn’t understand the term, but even worse neither does the author. This is usual on this site though.
What a bunch of nitpickers, good Lord, lighten up . Furthermore, in which way could the seller be trying to deceive? The work done on this beauty is far from a restauration, give the seller some slack here. To read malicious intent into what the seller said is just being pure nasty.
I like this site, and hope you can find a site that fits your high standards! I think the car is great just as it is !
@ RKS,
If replacing the roof, rear glass, etc. is not a restoration, what would constitute a restoration?
Mike I’m with you on this. They replaced the carpet and bumpers and a whole bunch of other stuff. This car is halfway restored in my book.
Are repairs, maintenance, and replacement of worn parts now considered to be “restoration”???
Did you ever think that replacing certain parts with replacement parts was for safety and maintenance? If the person did nothing people who comment on it being car needing all kinds or work.
To keep it as original as possible I rebuilt rather than replaced as much as I could. As for the top, I replaced it and I would think that is part of normal maintenance on a convertible because the tops deteriorate with age??? Sorry I upset so many people but my intention was not to deceive anyone I was only describing the vehicle as I see it to the best if my knowledge……
No kiddin’. Any ragtop over ten years old probably needs to be replaced. By these lines of thinking, cars that don’t have original oil and filter are not “original”.
Never was a fan of the GM models for ‘58. That said, and with all the excess, it really is a beautiful car. Love the matching finned air cleaner & valve cover setup. The interior presents beautifully and I love the steering wheel. It almost looks as if it is floating. I bet it really moves down the highway like gliding on air. I would definitely give it the love and attention it needed should it reside in my garage.
Same, this is the first ’58 Fisher body that I’ve found attractive. Looks more like the previous year 57 bodies across Buick, Olds, and Pontiac marques.
I’m the owner and would love to see it residing in your garage too… frankhd52@yahoo.com I’m sorry I upset so many people with stating it’s unrestored and mostly original. I only did what was needed to get it running after almost 40 years of being in storage. I rebuilt the original parts as much as I could rather than replacing them. The bumpers are the originals that I removed and had chromed, the convertible top, rear window and pads are new because the originals had shrunk and were tired looking. The ball joints, tierod ends and shocks are new because I don’t know how of if you could rebuild such an item? The J2 tri-power carburetors are the originals that I rebuilt, the original air cleaner came up missing when I retrieved it from the long storage? and I had a friend custom make the finned aluminum breather to replace the original, I added the finned valve covers to match the breather but still have the original valve covers. The leather interior and door planes are original and shows signs of wear. This was my second”58″ Oldsmobile Super 88 convertible I purchased in 1990 from the original owners estate, I was searching for one to replace my first ride that my brother sent to the crusher due to mechanical issues, while I was away in the military in 1970 and when I returned home I was missing the “58” so much that I decided to find another and this was her replacement. I never thought I could part with her but my life has changed and I’m moving to Russia and they have crazy restrictions taxes on importing vehicles making it impossible for me to take with me so I made the decision to pass her onto someone else.
I would like to see it residing in your garage also! As it needs a new home do to personal reasons I had to make the decision to part ways with her… Frankhd52@yahoo.com
I am older than this car and I have never seen a 58 olds convertible. Would be the only one at any gathering. I like all 58 GM cars and 58 Lincolns/Continentals. Glad that some are being saved.
Impitimy of chrome. Beautiful car! But at these prices all I can do is dream, or sell the house the cars the wife and possibly the kids. Wonder if he would finance the rest ? Lol.
Everyone can say what they want, but I would be so proud to put my name on the title of this magnificent car.
I would love to see your name on the title also… Maybe that can happen, I look forward to hearing from you, Frankhd52@yahoo.com
I remember when these cars were introduced ..the bragging was that it had 33 lbs of chrome!
Silly-looking thing. As though the people who designed the front part had never met up with the people who designed the back part in order to discuss a common theme. This land barge is an unwilling tribute to Bloated Excess.
GM: How much chrome should we use?
OLDS: ALL OF IT!
Jeez—‘58 was a terrible year for American cars.
Did a ’57 Super88 convert a few years ago. Customer sold it $140k! The original air cleaner is difficult to find. This car’s interior is nowhere near what the ’57 we did would have had originaĺly. Still…very kool ride in my view!
If you wanted to redo the chrome on this it would take a HUGE POWEBALL jackpot to pay the bill. That’s just the bumpers.
The chroming was a little expensive…
Got my drivers license with a ’58 Olds and had to parallel park that land yacht. Loved driving that car. Mother bought it new and kept it for 12 years. I started collecting cars in 2002 and buying relatively inexpensive items as my funds would allow. Long before I was able to buy old cars a friend had a ’58 Olds but wouldn’t sell it and later sold it for a reasonable price long before I was able to start collecting, Now I can’t find one even in restorable condition at a price I can afford. I’m 79 years old now on fixed income and running out of time, I really wish I could afford this beautiful car but I would be happy with a Dynamic 88 sedan with the small V8.
I’d put Gregorian-chant notes on the back-fender four-bar staffs.
Perfect! What a grand idea! 😄
I have a couple spare tripower setups for this car if anyone is interested. I love to tease Corvette owners who seem to be the most picky about being “original”. Their claim seems to be, if you get your service parts from the GM dealer – it’s original.
Most the side molding is stainless steel.
I can’t imagine why 58 Chevys are so popular when this girls is absolutely gorgeous!
I didn’t mean to upset or deceive anyone with the way I described my 1958 Oldsmobile, I’m not an expert by any means and was only trying to describe my Olds as I see her. She’s a beautiful ride however you want to look at her and it’s very hard for me to part ways with her but for personal reasons it needs to find a new home. If you want to discuss this further I can be reached at frankhd52@yahoo.com I thank everyone for all their comments, especially Larry for referring my Olds to Barnfinds… Sincerely, Frank Ciliberto
I think you described it properly. I replaced the ORIGINAL convertible top on my 61 Lincoln because the 60 year old plastic rear window was too yellowed to see through. If I also rechromed the bumpers it is not a restoration. You have a very rare car and best of luck on the sale.
Thank you Jeff for your comment and support, Merry Christmas to you and your family BTW, your “61” Lincoln is also a nice ride, enjoy… Frank