8/12/2023 0 Comments 1961 t birdwheelbase like the 88, but grille and rear trim were more like the Ninety-Eight.Įxterior styling touches exclusive to the Starfire included two slim parallel hood moldings and a 4-in.-wide band of brushed aluminum on the sides. The front grille and rear design treatment, however, were more akin to the Ninety-Eight. Unlike the Starfires of the Fifties, the new Olds convertible shared its 123-in.-wheelbase chassis with the 88 models. ![]() The first Starfires began arriving at selected Oldsmobile dealerships in January 1961. Wolfram, Oldsmobile general manager, told a New York auto show press conference that the Starfire was scheduled for a limited-production run "at a later date." 3, 1960, at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, to show off the new one-model series. Taking a page from its 1953 Fiesta program, Oldsmobile chose the General Motors 1961 Motorama, which opened on Nov. The delay was used so as not to upstage the debut of Oldsmobile's long-awaited compact, the F-85. The Oldsmobile Starfire featured a lot of chrome on the dashboard.Īlthough Oldsmobile officials had already decided to produce the new 1961 Starfire, they deliberately held it back for a mid-year introduction. The product catalog that year proclaimed: "Inspired by Oldsmobile's fabulous STARFIRE, the new Ninety-Eight Starfire for 1954 represents the ultimate in motor car sophistication and glamour." Because the public reacted favorably, the Starfire badge found its way to the front fender of a production Olds - the Ninety-Eight convertible. The special one-of-a-kind Starfire appeared at the major automobile shows in 19. ![]() ![]() Powerplant for the experimental model was the Rocket V-8, which had been tweaked to over 200 horsepower. The design of the grille can be seen on production 1956 Oldsmobiles, for example. The Starfire show car, which was finished in a striking turquoise hue with a turquoise and white leather interior, sported advanced styling that tipped several trends of the future. It debuted as a sporty four-passenger luxury car, fitting right into the personal-luxury market niche that the four-passenger Thunderbird would blow wide open in 1958.
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