1955 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Deluxe 2 Door Hardtop

　　The mid fifties were an amazing time for General Motors. Each of

　　their brands had a distinctive identity and business was booming.

　　While almost everyone recognizes Chevrolet's tri-five collection,

　　Oldsmobile's offerings of the day were equally impressive. In 1955

　　sales were way up for Oldsmobile, and it was due in part to this

　　division of GM offerings to compliment, not rival the tri-fives.

　　From upmarket to experimental to performance leader, Oldsmobile

　　played a number of roles over the years and this '55 Olds Ninety

　　Eight Holiday manages to showcase nearly all of them at once.

　　This 1955 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday has a look that will stop traffic

　　with a two tone paint and chrome to remind you of the mid 50's and

　　a pre-finned swoop spear design to die for. Oh, and with its Rocket

　　V8 power and luxurious options, you are definitely in your father's

　　Oldsmobile! With just 93,691 title verified miles, this car has

　　many holidays in its future.

　　Exterior

　　Upfront an "open maw" toothy grille, complete with a central bumper

　　bar and parking lighting inset, is surrounded on top by the hood

　　trimming and below by the massive bumper, which completes the

　　bottom of the smile. A large screened open Oldsmobile globe is in

　　front of the hood, and it's topped by the winged futuristic looking

　　rocket plane hood ornament. The hood, top of the front quarters and

　　lower front portion to the bumper is bathed in Polar White. A

　　midline chrome spear delineates the two-tone Polar White from the

　　Cherry Red lowers below. It runs through the doors and to the rear

　　quarter, where it takes on a knife shape, and rises upward

　　corralling the white, and allowing the red top flow and fill in the

　　rear quarters completely, as well as the trunk lid. Fender skirts

　　pour over the rear wheels and on the back, simple lighting with

　　chrome bezels adorns the wide expanse of red steel complete with

　　Ninety-Eight futuristic badging, and another Olds globe. Below is a

　　large shiny rear bumper. 15-inch wheels with vintage hubcaps are

　　wrapped by thin whitewall radial tires on all 4 corners, with the

　　rim of the red-painted wheels showing through. The trunk is

　　huuuuuge and covered in protective mats showing a bit of dirt. No

　　harm there and the red rimmed spare tire and jack are present and

　　accounted for. A few minor blemishes on exterior paint were noted

　　but not significant enough to detract from this show piece.

　　Interior

　　Spectacular door panels greet you with plush uppers and smooth

　　white vinyl lowers, mirroring the curvature of the exterior

　　pattern. Electric window controls are on the door and the driver

　　has access to all four. The materials are copied onto the split

　　bench front seat with white vinyl outers and bright red plush cloth

　　inserts crowned by a horizontal tuck and roll stitch. The metal

　　seattubis also striking white and contains a toggle to electrically

　　move the seat. Some scuffs on this part are undoubtedly the result

　　of heels entering the car and can likely be removed with ease. The

　　back bench is flawless and wears the same pattern and the red rear

　　shelf holds a center speaker. The dash continues the theme with its

　　deep red padded upper and mid and lower white full metal jacket

　　dash, and the instruments and knobs polished top the nines all

　　neatly within the confines. The chrome trimming runs the length of

　　the mid dash, completes dueling circular inserts for the driver's

　　speedo and passenger's ribbed speaker insert and central clock. An

　　updated AM/FM/Cassette radio and middle mounted glovebox just below

　　make up the center of this beautiful dash. A more modern A/C unit

　　has been added to the bottom of the dash and the original steering

　　wheel in white bakelite and another Olds globe badge in the horn

　　ring center draw your eyes instantly. Red carpeting spills over the

　　floors with old school clear floor mats there to protect things. A

　　custom center console piece adds cupholders to the car along with a

　　small storage bin, and a requisite map pocket for your extras. The

　　white perforated headliner with exposed polished braces is

　　essentially, like so much of this car, a work of

　　art.DrivetrainUnder the hood in the very clean and totally restored

　　engine bay sits a mean green valve covered machine with its 324ci

　　Rocket V8 configuration. This is topped with a generous 4-barrel

　　carburetor and backed by a Hydramatic 4-speed automatic

　　transmission. 3.23 gears are reserved for this rear axle and power

　　drum brakes bring this big car to a stop. Near mirror polished

　　black paint finishes off the underside of the hood.

　　Undercarriage

　　Very clean and rust free matte black rustproofing sprayed

　　undercarriage in X frame form shows underneath. This frame provides

　　the structure for the independent coil spring suspension up front,

　　and leaf sprung suspension on back. True dual exhaust runs from the

　　engine and right into the glasspack style mufflers, then keep going

　　to polished tops exiting the back. Shiny black rust-proofingcovers

　　the floors and frame and proves the mounting points for the coil

　　springs found on the independent suspension up front with leaf

　　springs out back. We note power drum brakes on all 4 corners along

　　with power steering.

　　Drive-Ability

　　Turn the key and go! It's that simple, and this car runs like a

　　champ. Smoooooth limitless acceleration, snappy ride considering

　　it's a large and in charge car, and the top down drive is certainly

　　a plus. A great cruiser, and even better head turner. People just

　　love old Oldsmobiles!

　　This is truly a spectacular piece of rolling art. When people talk

　　about the bygone days of automotive design when chrome was king and

　　form was a little better than function, this is the kind of car

　　they're referring to. For the discerning Oldsmobile collector, for

　　someone who wants to jump into the hobby with a top notch vehicle,

　　this one should not be passed up!

　　55-1955

　　9-Ninety Eight

　　A-Atlanta, GA Assy Plant

　　9604-Sequential Unit Number

　　TRIM TAG

　　STYLE NO 55 3037DX 98 Deluxe Holiday Hardtop

　　BODY NO BA2799-Atlanta Body #

　　TRIM NO 338-Unknown

　　PAINT NO S40 60-Twilight Blue, Polar White

　　Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and

　　collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate

　　controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8

　　acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic

　　and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,

　　Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the

　　I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit

　　or call us at (888) . Contact us

　　anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in

　　person.

　　With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and

　　we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host

　　Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends

　　in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and

　　automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune

　　in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy

　　listening. You can also watch on YouTube!