1959 Oldsmobile 98 Convertible Coupe Custom, Continental spare tire kit in rear

1959 Oldsmobile 98 Convertible Coupe Custom

Just in time for end-of-the-summer cruising, MotoeXotica Classic Cars proudly offers this 1959 Oldsmobile 98 Convertible Coupe Custom. This was Oldsmobile’s flagship vehicle in ’59 and the only car that got more attention was a 1959 finned Cadillac.

The previous owner, a Mr. Duwel in Ohio, bought it from his best friend about 30 years ago and always pampered the car and kept it garaged. Everything works on this car as it should except for the factory radio and clock.

Assembled at its Lansing, Michigan facility, this Frost Blue beauty (paint code J-J), with a contrasting dark blue body stripe and matching Haartz power cloth top, is in great shape but is not completely stock. A custom builder completed modifications to the car about eight years ago. Up front, two additional headlight housings replace the stock parking/turn signal lights, giving the nose a unique appearance. Electric door poppers under the rear quarter panels near the door cutlines replace the exterior door handles. Out back are custom taillight bezels, dual retractable power antennas and an exaggerated rear bumper, which holds the spare tire, fuel filler door and reverse lights.

The paint is in great shape, with only minor blemishes visible upon close inspection. The glass panes are in good condition, with no cracks or hazing and the top’s rear window is transparent. The vehicle’s lights are in good shape, including the halogen headlights. The hood and trunk are in good condition and straight, as are the doors, fenders and roof. The metal flake bumpers are in similar good shape and much of the trim pieces have been painted. The car’s trunk has been customized with dark blue carpet all around, two full-size spare tires and even a small barrel to collect any water that gathers in the dual antenna wells.

The car rolls on Hankook Optimo H724 tires, 225/75R15, surround 15-inch steel wheels with custom hubcaps with starred center caps. Under the hood is a first-generation 394 CID Rocket V-8 engine with a Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor, making 315 horsepower. The engine has been overhauled with a new cam, lifters and bearing, with 2,000 miles on the car since the rebuild. The three-speed Jetaway Hydramatic automatic transmission has also been overhauled. The car’s suspension and brakes have been rebuilt, as has the entire power top system.

Inside, the newly upholstered tri-colored bench seats are part of a revamped interior that is only a year old and are in great shape, as is the carpet, seat belts and door skins. The car has the factory AM radio and original steering wheel and gearshift lever are in good condition. The car’s driver’s assist features include power steering, power brakes, power seat, power windows, power trunk lid and remote fuel filler door.

There is a control panel in the glovebox. The left-most toggle switch is the remote trunk release. The Continental tire holder needs to move outward about 3/8″ to clear the handle. Moving to the right, the next switch is for the fuel filler door and the third switch is for the electric fuel pump. They all work independently of the ignition.

In 1959, the Oldsmobile lineup was completely redesigned. However, unlike other GM makes (such as Chevrolet and Cadillac) Oldsmobile continued to use a full perimeter frame, instead of the GM X-frame. The 98 shared its appearance with the Oldsmobile 88. Oldsmobile stayed with its top series format by offering four body styles on an exclusive 126.3 in wheelbase. Standard equipment included oil filter, turn signals, air scoop brakes, Safety spectrum speedometer, rocker panel moldings, special emblems, parking brake light, sponge vinyl headliner, deep twist carpeting, electric clock, wheel trim moldings, power steering, power brakes and Jetaway Hydramatic Drive. Interiors were selected from leather, Moroccan or cloth in different colors. Standard tire size was 9.00 by 14 inches. The largest first-generation Rocket V-8, 394 CID, was used from 1959 until 1964.

The Oldsmobile 98 (sometimes spelled Ninety-Eight after 1958) was Oldsmobile’s full-size flagship model produced from 1940 until 1996. The name — reflecting a “Series 90” fitted with an eight-cylinder engine — first appeared in 1941 and used again after American consumer automobile production resumed post-World War II. It would remain the division’s top-of-the-line model into the 1990s as the bread and butter of the full-size Oldsmobile lineup until the Oldsmobile Regency replaced the 98 in 1997. The 98 shared its General Motors C-body platform with Buick Electra and Cadillac DeVille.

As it was the top-line Oldsmobile, the series had the most technologically advanced items available, such as the Hydramatic automatic transmission, the Autronic Eye, an automatic headlight dimmer, and Twilight Sentinel (a feature that automatically turned the headlights on and off via a timer, as controlled by the driver), and the highest-grade interior and exterior trim.

Competition to this Olds in 1959 included Chrysler’s Windsor Convertible Coupe, DeSoto’s Fireflite Convertible, Ford’s Edsel Corsair Convertible and Mercury’s Monterey Convertible and of course, Cadillac’s Fleetwood and Biarritz Convertibles!

This car is currently located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer shows 96,236 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and clear, mileage exempt title.

VIN: 599M16465

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