1971 Oldsmobile 98 LS

[electra225]

The LS or Luxury Sedan was the highest trim level on 98 for 1971. These things are scarce as hen's teeth. They didn't make many and even less have survived. The LS was a loaded Olds. Comfortron, positraction and dual exhaust was fairly common on LS models. This one has the nice hubcaps, seldom seen even when new. Grandpa had a new '71 LS. Triple black four door hardtop. The local funeral home ordered it, found it too "plain" for their use. They sold it to grandpa with less than a thousand miles on it and replaced it with a '71 Cadillac Fleetwood. The 455's in this year tended to burn valves. Grandpa's ran like a scalded dog. This example appears to have '72 bumpers on it. The '71 bumpers lacked the rubber rub strip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR4Ia0NKM_4

[walyfd]

Comparing the roofline to a comparable Imperial is interesting... GM hardtop coupes generally used a lower convertible windshield and lower roof than a sedan... a 98 sedan would have a higher roof than this coupe.

Remember that people still wore hats even in the early '70s... how Kojak got in and out of that brown Buick Century without knocking off his hat is amazing.

[Firedome]

The really rare/desirable 98 was the 1972 98 LS Regency:

"1972 Oldsmobile 75th AnniversaryThe Oldsmobile Division of General Motors Corporation celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 1972. To honor this occasion, Oldsmobile created a very special Limited Edition automobile called Regency. Limited to a production run of just 5,000 cars during the 1972 model year, reports indicate that only 2,650 may have actually been built. The RPO code Y79 Regency Package was based on Oldsmobile's top of the line Ninety-Eight series, and was quite a substantial car. The Regency was Oldsmobile's most luxurious car ever and took luxury to new heights with unique touches that made it a cut above. The elegant interior introduced a new pillowed-style, limousine-quality velour-upholstered seating that would become very popular on this as well as on other makes and models in the years to come. With this model, Oldsmobile would challenge even top luxury make Cadillac, and likely convinced a few Cadillac customers that they could step down to a Regency and give up virtually none of the luxuries to which they were accustomed.

The exterior of the Regency was finished in a special custom metallic paint finish named Tiffany Gold. This color was exclusive to the Regency, and the rich vibrant gold tone made an immediate impression that this was a very special motorcar. A matching vinyl roof in Covert Gold added additional distinction. The vinyl roof could also be ordered in Black or White, should the original purchaser prefer one of those colors instead. Shimmering Regency script was placed on the roof sail panels, just behind the rear door glass and above the vinyl roof trim molding.

Image: 1972 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency Tiffany clockThe Tiffany Gold color continued inside the Regency as well. The electric timepiece in the instrument panel (shown at left) was specially designed by Tiffany & Company, and bears the Tiffany name on its face. Tiffany Gold was used as the color for the face of the timepiece, which really made it stand out in the instrument panel, and it served as a reminder to occupants of the exclusive nature of this motorcar.

Image: 1972 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency embroideryThe interior of the Regency was spectacular, to say the least. Upholstered in limousine quality all-nylon velour which was treated for stain and dirt resistance, the pillowed effect of fine furniture was achieved in both seat backs and seat cushions to provide unparalleled seating comfort. The front seats were 60/40 divided to permit separate adjustments for the driver and front passenger. The driver's side featured a 2-way power adjustment. Center armrests were provided front and rear, and zippered pouch pockets were provided in the front seat backs for the convenience of rear passengers. Interior door pulls were specially designed to compliment the decor of the special edition Regency. A gold embroidered design (shown at right) was stitched into the facing of both center armrests. The Regency interior was available in just two colors, Black or Covert Gold.

Other interior luxuries included color-coordinated cut-pile nylon carpeting on the floor, cowls, and lower door panels. The warm look of French Walnut graces the instrument panel, steering wheel, door trim panels and seat side moldings."

I had as daily drivers a gold '74 98 LS Regency", then a silver '76 98 LS. What wonderful, comfortable cars!
I wouldn't have traded them for any other GM car...well... maybe a '74 Fleetwood Talisman in dark metallic navy blue!

[Firedome]

The interior, on my Colonial Gold '74 Regency same but in gold/beige. What a nice place to be!!

[William]

And now, Oldsmobile is gone for ever along with Pontiac. How very sad!

Bill

[Firedome]

Here's my '76 98 LS, it looked great in silver w/ a silver vinyl roof and maroon interior, but not quite as luxurious as a Regency! IMO these curvily sculptured bodies looked best in lighter colors, but they all looked great!

At the time (early to late '80s) I worked in my summers off from teaching for U of MD Extension Service as a biologist/consultant and sometimes had to go around to farms and ID what kind of bugs and pests were in their crops and recommend treatments. As such I had to go to some pretty dicey locations, and I'd drive the ol' 98 down dirt lanes and paths and sometimes into fields, and the the old 98 never let me down or got stuck, but it got pretty dirty!! But I took good care of it and washed it off right away. Doing that kind of stuff finally did-in the THM400, slipping, so sold it as-is to an old lady who got it fixed and loved it for years. I moved on to a low-mile '77 88 Brougham that was great for several years, until I hit the deer...that's another story!

[Firedome]

Dang looking at this makes me really miss these cars!
While early-mid '60s big GMs were at the top of their game in quality, driving and riding in them couldn't begin to match the '70s Broughamtastic beasts in the way they were meant for (cruising in total comfort... no drag racing or twisty-back roads). I miss them!

[Firedome]

Here's my '74 Regency in Colonial Gold. Without a doubt the most comfortable car I've ever driven.

[William]

No Oldsmobile dealer in Hart, but, we did have a Pontiac, Buick, and GMC truck dealer. There were other brands as well but my family drove Buicks, Pontiacs, and later added the GMC truck to that.

Bill

[TC Chris]

It's OK to rhapsodize over the luxo-barges since there aren't enough left (and almost none in regular service) to threaten our health and welfare. But let's remember why they don't make 'em any more: (a) fuel mileage, often on premium; (b) pollution; (c) efficiency; (d) competence. The last one comes to mind when you compare them with today's version of the big car: the SUV. SUVs carry people in comfort and also have lots of room for stuff, and in smaller and lighter packages than the old cars. And they get better gas mileage with much less junk emitted from the tailpipe and boiled out of the carburetor. My '69 4-4-2 and '60 Rambler American lived in the garage while the new car sat outside. After a drive, I'd go back into the garage and smell that "old car smell": the gas cooking out of the carb, which sat on top of a hot engine. It was a familiar smell, one that is rare now. Now when I pass a parked vehicle and smell gas, I know there's a fuel line leak. Then there's the stuff that came out of the tailpipe. I'll bet most young people today don't know what "smog"means. We old folks can remember what happened in L.A. when there was an inversion.

And mileage, oh my. Even my Chevy with its little 283 is pretty thirsty.

I like the classics as much as the next guy--still have 4 of 'em--but there's a reason we don't tool around in 98s these days.

Chris Campbell