1960 Oldsmobile Model Guide
About the ’60 Olds Lineup…
Oldsmobile had 3 series of cars available for 1960: the Dynamic 88, Super 88, and the 98. They represented three different levels of trim, options, and luxury, at three different price points, or a “Rocket for Every Pocket” as Oldsmobile put it. Oldsmobile was an upscale brand, the prices reflected that. Compare the least expensive ’60 Olds, the base Dynamic 88 2 door Celebrity Sedan at $2835.00 (MSRP) with the base Chevrolet Biscayne 6 cylinder 2 door sedan at $2262.00. A difference of almost $500, which was not insignificant in 1960. At the upper end, the price difference was even more dramatic. The V8 Powered Chevy Impala convertible was $2954.00, while the top of the line Olds 98 convertible was $4362.00. The 1960 Corvette was only $3872! Cadillac was really in it’s own league…the base model 62 was $4892, with the Eldardo Brougham topping out at $13,075.
NOTE:
The names Oldsmobile regularly used for it’s different body styles has caused some confusion, so I’ll decipher them here. All the sales and advertising literature used this naming system:
Celebrity Sedan = 2 or 4 door sedan
Holiday Sport Sedan = 4 door hardtop
Holiday Scenicoup = 2 door hardtop
The Factory Service Manual uses the terms “sedan” and “coup” to describe these, so technically both are probably correct, although I prefer to use the terms used above as they were what Olds used in all their factory literature except for the service manual (at least from my own observations…if you know of any other examples feel free to let me know).
Dynamic 88
The Dynamic 88 represented the “value” series for Oldsmobile. It gave car buyers a chance to get into an upscale brand that was still reasonably priced. Today most people don’t think of car buyers in the 1960s being worried about the cost of fuel, but they really were. A gallon of regular gas ran around $.31, which is almost unbelievable by todays prices. Even at that price though, people were interested in cars that were cheaper to drive, and GM made the “thrift” of the Dynamic 88 a major point in it’s advertising.
The 371 V8 engine used in them was widely advertised as being designed to run on lower cost regular gas (vs. premium grade fuel) and was supplied with an “Econo-Way” 2 barrel carburetor. A three speed synchro-mesh transmission was standard equipment, but the Hydra-Matic was an option, as were power brakes, power steering, power windows and seats, AC, etc.
Total production for all Dynamic 88 models was 189,864.
2 Door Celebrity Sedan
The least expensive 1960 Oldsmobile was the 2 door Celebrity Sedan.
Base Price: $2835.00
Total Production Run: 13,545
Compare to:
Chevrolet Biscayne V8 $2369.00
Pontiac Catalina $2631.00
Buick Le Sabre $2756.00
4 Door Celebrity Sedan
Base Price: $2900.00
Total Production Run: 76,377
Compare to:
Chevrolet Biscayne V8: $2423.00
Pontiac Catalina: $2702.00
Buick Le Sabre: $2870.00
Holiday SceniCoup
Base Price: $2956.00
Total Production Run: 29,367
Compare to:
Pontiac Catalina: $2766
Buick Le Sabre: $2915.00
Holiday Sport Sedan
Base Price: $3034.00
Total Production Run: 43,761
Compare to:
Pontiac Catalina: $2842.00
Buick Le Sabre: $2991.00
Convertible
Base Price: $3284.00
Total Production Run: 12,271
Compare to:
Pontiac Catalina: $3078.00
Buick Le Sabre: $3145.00
Fiesta Station Wagon
Base Price: $3363.00 (two seat) $3471.00 (three seat)
*NOTE: The Fiesta Wagon is the most expensive Dynamic 88 model.
Total Production Run: (Two Seat) 8,834 (Three Seat) 5,708
Compare to:
Pontiac Catalina: $3099.00, $3207.00
Chevrolet Biscayne V8: $2693.00, $2760.00
Buick Le Sabre: $3386.00, $3493.00
Super 88
The Super 88 represented the mid-level of the 1960 Oldsmobile line. The primary differences between the Dynamic and Super 88s are the engine and trim levels. The Super 88 came standard with the 394 V8 “Premium Rocket” and a more luxurious level of trim than the Dynamic 88. They share the same wheelbase, and over-all length. The three speed manual transmission was standard, although rarely seen. The vast majority of customers paid an extra $231.34 for the automatic transmission. Prices on all Super 88 models were over $3000.00. The Super 88 offered a nice combination of price and features, and was very popular for it. The Super 88 beat the 98 in all production figures except convertibles, and they remain very popular today.
4 Door Celebrity Sedan
NOTE: There was no 2 door Super 88 Celebrity Sedan available. It was only available as a Dynamic 88.
Base Price: $3176.00
Total Production run: 35,094
Compare to:
Pontiac Star Chief: $3003.00
Chevrolet Bel Air V8: $2545.00
Buick Invicta: $3357.00
Buick Electra: $3856.00
Holiday SceniCoup
Base Price: $3325.00
Total Production Run: 16,464
Compare to:
Pontiac Ventura: $2971.00
Chevrolet Bel Air V8: $2596.00
Buick Invicta: $3447.00
Buick Electra: $3818.00
Holiday Sport Sedan
Base Price: $3402.00
Total Production Run: 33,285
Compare to:
Pontiac Ventura: $3047.00
Pontiac Star Chief: $3136.00
Chevrolet Bel Air V8: $2661.00
Buick Invicta: $3515.00
Buick Electra: $3963.00
(ILLUSTRATION NOT AVAILABLE)
Convertible
Base Price: $3592.00
Total Production Run: 5,830
Compare to:
Buick Invicta: $3620.00
Fiesta Station Wagon
Base Price: $3665.00 (two seat) $3773.00 (three seat)
Total Production Run: (two seat) 3,765 (three seat) 3,475
NOTE: At only 3,475 units, the three seat Super 88 Fiesta Wagon had the smallest production run of all 1960 Oldsmobiles.
Compare to:
Chevrolet Bel Air V8: $2854.00 (two seat) $2957.00 (three seat)
Buick Invicta: $3841.00 (two seat) $3948.00 (three seat)
Ninety Eight
The Ninety Eight (or 98…Oldsmobile liked to spell out the model name for most purposes) was the top of the line in 1960. It was slightly longer than the other two lines (wheel base is 126.3″ vs. 123″) and it’s over-all length was 220.9″ vs. 217.6″. The added length gave the passengers in the rear seat of a Ninety Eight about 4″ more leg room than the other models. It also came with more standard equipment than the other two lines–power steering, power brakes, power windows, and the Hydra-Matic transmission were all standard. Air conditioning, push-button radio, and De Luxe heater were all still optional.
4 Door Celebrity Sedan
Base Price: $3887.00
Total Production Run: 17,188
Compare to:
Chevrolet Impala V8: $2697.00
Buick Electra: $3856.00
Holiday SceniCoup
Base Price: $4083.00
Total Production Run: 7,635
Compare to:
Pontiac Bonneville: $3255.00
Chevrolet Impala V8: $2704.00
Buick Electra: $3818.00
Holiday Sport Sedan
Base Price: $4159.00
Total Production Run: 27,257
Compare To:
Pontiac Bonneville: $3331.00
Chevrolet Impala V8: $2769.00
Buick Electra 225: $4300.00
Convertible
Base Price: $4362.00
Total Production Run: 7,284
Compare To:
Pontiac Bonneville: $3476.00
Chevrolet Impala V8: $2954.00
Chevrolet Corvette: $3872.00
Buick Electra 225: $4192.00
Cadillac Sixty-Two: $5455.00
Are there any 1960 Super 88 Fiesta 2 or 3 seat wagons left in the US for sale in any kind of restorable condition?
I just baught a 60 Olds 98 Celebrity sedan, but it does not have power windows.
In the description of the 98 here, it says the 98 cam standard with power windows.
The car is all original with 49k miles.