Our own Scotty G found another fabulous land yacht for us: this 1975 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale convertible in triple white. Located in Bel Air, Maryland, this Olds has traveled just over 95,000 miles since new. An older repaint is holding up well, and as we’ll see, the interior, chrome, and other cosmetic details remain in terrific condition. The Olds 88 was conceived in the late 1940s and introduced in 1949. General Motors intended for the 88 to sleeve in between its low-end 78 and the luxury 98, but it gathered an accolade it didn’t expect: with a lightweight body and a big engine, the Olds 88 is considered by some to be the first muscle car. Known as the Rocket 88, the car won multiple NASCAR titles in its first few years of production. While this Olds is decades away from its NASCAR roots, its 350 cu. in. V8 still offers worthwhile performance in a last-year convertible with top-level trim.
Malaise Era performance was a confusing business. Not only was emissions equipment strangling horsepower, but gasoline formulations changed from leaded to unleaded, cars grew heavier thanks to new safety features, and the measurement of horsepower itself shifted from gross to net. Meanwhile, in 1975, the Olds received a catalytic converter and lost the “Rocket” moniker on the air cleaner. Sigh. Still, the Olds fared better than many, with 180 hp from its 350 V8. This Olds has a Turbo-HydraMatic automatic transmission, and it’s said to run well. A couple of weekends spent underhood could bring this engine bay up to snuff.
The Royale trim level offered plush seating, a well-appointed dash including a radio with an automatic antenna, and enhanced ventilation. The Olds offered what might be the largest accelerator pedal ever, and this example has air conditioning. Only about 7100 convertibles were made in 1975 and since car makers thought the US would soon outlaw drop-t0ps, it was several years before anyone ventured into that market again. The snazzy interior is in great condition here, including the rear seats.
Slight changes from ’74 to ’75 included redesigned tail lights and that wonderful stacked front grille. The upper portion, by the way, flexes in case of impact. The emblem is derivative of Lincoln’s four-pointed cross. This car still has round headlamps; by ’76, the headlamps were square. Listed here on eBay in a no-reserve auction, this 1975 Olds 88 convertible is bid to $8150. That is a bargain in today’s market, where nice Olds Delta 88 Royale convertibles can bring more than $15k, and big block cars will bring over $25k. Would this drop-top be welcome in your garage?
It would be welcome in my garage. Unfortunately, it just wouldn’t fit in my garage.
It wouldn’t fit in my garage! lol 😂
Maybe sideways? 😆
A magnificent beast. Not to nit pick, even if that’s what we all do here, why is the dash and carpet red when everything else is white? And more to the point, it looks like rodents had a feast on the under hood insulation. Hope they didn’t get into any of the wires. A good deal if everything is as they say it is.
Yeah I think after almost 100k on the clock the insulation gave up. I have seen plenty of rodentless cars with worn off insulation – I think the heat does it in.
I wondered about the red dash but I love it.
GM called it Compaticolor. White upholstery came with your choice of accent color for the dash and floor. Made sense as a white dash would be blinding and white carpet a disaster.
Bigger is better! The hood insulation could be caused by engine heat. These days it’s insulated. What frightens me are the giant teeth marks in the coolant bottle. Big block, big rodent!
I would have to knock down the wall between my dining room and the garage in order for this beast to fit. As desirable as it might be, ‘taint worth it!
All gm cars with white interior had a combination color interior. I have 75 442 it has white and red interior and a white with red stripe exterior. You could get black aswell.
These will fit in any standard 22 foot garage. This appears to be a nice example, even without the 455. As the author noted, these GM drop tops are still commanding good prices, regardless the marque. A Caprice of this era recently sold through Hemmings for over $30k.
Had one of these in the mid 80”s. Mine was fire engine red with a white top and interior. The dash and carpeting were black, and it had the 400 engine. Beautiful car. I wanted to swap the hubcaps for the wire caps, but at the time lived in an apartment and they were frequently stolen. Like a lot of other cars I’ve owned, wish I would have kept it. Seems like a nice example for the price, with a little bigger budget you can probably find one with fewer miles and cosmetic needs.
‘The emblem is derivative of Lincoln’s four-pointed cross.’
What? No. The Oldsmobile emblem is literally a rocket.
Nope, wrong. Get yourself to minute #8 and watch from there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xywHBSiHnhM
I had a similar white ‘74 Delta convertible…that front seat could seat 4 across. When driving you had to scooch over and pull yourself closer to the door to put your elbow out while driving. A decent car that sure was thirsty for that OPEC gasoline.
SOLD for $10,100.