Bucket seats weren’t really a thing until the early 1960s. Sure, sports cars had them, and then the four-seater Thunderbird started to simmer something in Detroit, but it wasn’t until the advent of the Corvair Monza in mid-year 1960 that buckets began to trickle into the mainstream. One of those early progenitors of the trend is our Pick of the Day, a 1961 Oldsmobile Starfire. It is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Joliet, Illinois. (Click the link to view the listing)
Though there were several vehicles with bucket seats as an available option prior to 1960, it was the barrage of compact cars and their sporty variants that led the trend, influencing what would end up being a new segment called the Pony Car. But that influence also trickled into more luxurious vehicles like this Oldsmobile Starfire. That’s not to say a Corvair was a direct influence, as the Starfire clearly was Oldsmobile’s bid to compete against the Ford Thunderbird. When the Starfire first appeared in mid-year 1961, a new, fabulous Thunderbird was already in the market. In comparison, the Starfire didn’t have a unique design like the Thunderbird, but that didn’t mean the Starfire wasn’t without its charms.
Though the 98 was Oldsmobile’s top-of-the-line model, it rode on a long 126-inch wheelbase. Oldsmobile thoughtfully used the 123-inch wheelbase from the Dynamic 88 and Super 88 series as the basis for the Starfire (a lead that Pontiac would follow with the Grand Prix). Additionally, Oldsmobile engineers took the four-barrel Skyrocket 394 with 325 horsepower and bumped it up to 330 horses plus added an engine dress-up kit. Other standard equipment included leather bucket seats with center console and floor shifter (a first for a big American car), console-mounted tachometer and power window switches, power seat, power steering and brakes, aluminum-accented carpet inserts, and brushed aluminum longitudinal trim. Priced a hair more than the Thunderbird convertible, the Starfire was popular enough at 7,604 for Oldsmobile to expand the series for 1962.
For 1964-65, the Starfire was joined by the Jetstar I, a more affordable personal-luxury companion, but sales had already begun to slide. Though 1966 was the final model year for the Starfire, it was already being replaced by the engineering tour de force, the Toronado.
This “absolutely stunning” 1961 Oldsmobile Starfire is claimed to be “all numbers-matching [and] rust-free.” The white with metallic red interior is sharp, with the front seats being reupholstered with original factory material. Odometer reads 61,238 miles. “Everything works, and current owner went through the entire car and made sure all fluids were changed and anything the car needed was replaced,” adds the seller. Class and distinction don’t come cheap but, in today’s market, $56,900 is quite reasonable for a chariots among chariots. The country club valet is waiting for you!
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
Source: www.classiccars.com