Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight 1971

[Timothy (in VA)]

Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight 1971-1976

General Motors redesigned their entire full-size range for 1971, from the lowly Chevrolet Impala up to the top-of-the-line Cadillac Fleetwood. When it was introduced, the 1971 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight was the biggest Oldsmobile ever built, with a 127 inch (3.23 meter) wheelbase and a weight topping 4400 pounds.

To distinguish it from the less exclusive and slightly smaller, but still full-size, Delta 88, the Ninety-Eight's styling was embellished with a pair of subtle tailfins and rear fender skirts. Only two body styles were offered: a two-door coupe and a pillarless four-door hardtop sedan. Both came standard with Oldsmobile's famed 455 cubic inch (7.5 liter) "Rocket" V-8, now equipped to handle low lead or unleaded gasoline and putting out 320 horsepower, although this was down from the 365 horsepower produced in 1970, and had decreased to 190 horsepower by 1975. Two trim levels were offered: the base model and the more expensive, yet also more popular, Luxury trim (called either Luxury Sedan or Luxury Coupe depending on model). A third trim line, the Ninety-Eight Regency, was added above the Luxury trim midway through 1972. At more than $4500, the Ninety-Eight wasn't cheap (the Toronado was Oldsmobile's most expensive model), but buyers got a lot of car for their money, in more ways than one. Standard equipment on all models included an automatic transmission, power steering, power front disc brakes, and power ventilation system, while power seats, power windows, and cigarette lighters for both the front and rear seats (how's that for a sign of the times?) were standard on the roughly $5000 Luxury Sedan.

Changes were gradual over the next few years. New federally mandated 5 MPH bumpers were added in 1974, adding several inches to its already substantial length, and square headlights were new in 1976. The Ninety-Eight became one of the first American cars to offer airbags in 1974, although the $700 price of the option and the still unproven technology meant few buyers opted for them. The entire range was downsized by several inches and a few hundred pounds for 1977, ensuring that the 1971-1976 Ninety-Eight's title as the biggest Oldsmobile ever has remained unchallenged until the present day.

I photographed this beautiful (Oldsmobile used this adjective to describe the Ninety-Eight in contemporary ads, and I rather agree with them) 1971 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight hardtop sedan with the Luxury Sedan trim (note the "LS" badge on the C-pillar) parked outside a mechanic's garage in Charlottesville. This model should have rear fender skirts, but on this example they've either been lost or temporarily removed. When they say full-size, they aren't kidding. I had to go across the street to get the entire profile in a single frame (I probably could have done it from the middle of the street, but I didn't want the shot that badly).