Oldsmobile Starfire

This article's introduction section may not adequately summarize its contents. To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (December 2009)

Oldsmobile Starfire

1957 Oldsmobile Starfire 98-Olds artwork
Manufacturer	General Motors Corporation Oldsmobile Division
Production	1960–1966 1974–1979
Class	Full-size 1961–1966 Subcompact 1975–1980

Starfire was an automobile nameplate used by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors for the 1954–1956 '98' series convertibles, all 1957 '98' series models and two generations of automobiles as a separate model for 1961–1966 and 1975–1980.

History

1953 Oldsmobile Starfire show car at the
Motorama auto show, Waldorf Astoria-1953

The Starfire name was first used by Oldsmobile on a one-of-a-kind dream car that was shown at the 1953 Motorama auto show. Named after a Lockheed jet fighter plane, namely the F-94, the original Starfire was a 5-passenger convertible that had a fiberglass body, a 200 hp (150 kW) Rocket V8 engine, and a wraparound windshield like that used on the top-of-the-line and limited-production 1953 Fiesta 98 convertible.

The name was then used for the 1954–1956 model years to designate the convertible models of the 98 line in much the same way that the Holiday name was used to designate hardtop body-styles. The 1954–1956 Oldsmobile 98 Starfire convertibles were the most expensive Oldsmobiles offered during those years. During the 1957 model year, all 98 models were referred to as being Starfire 98s. The name was dropped from the 98 series beginning with the 1958 model year.

1961–1966

First Generation

1961 Oldsmobile Starfire
Production	1960–1966
Model year(s)	1961–1966
Assembly	Lansing, Michigan, United States
Predecessor	Oldsmobile Super 88
Successor	Oldsmobile Toronado Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Oldsmobile Delta 88 Custom
Body style(s)	2-door convertible 2-door hardtop
Layout	FR layout
Engine(s)	394 in³ V8 425 in³ V8
Transmission(s)	3-speed automatic
Wheelbase	123.0 in (3124 mm)
Length	212 in (5385 mm) – 217 in (5512 mm)
Curb weight	4,305 lb (1,953 kg) – 4,492 lb (2,038 kg)
Related	Oldsmobile 98 Oldsmobile Jetstar I Oldsmobile Delta 88 Oldsmobile Super 88 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Oldsmobile Jetstar 88

1961 was the first full-fledged model Starfire . With the new car, Oldsmobile was attempting to capture part of the growing personal-luxury car market as was typified by the 4-passenger Ford Thunderbird first introduced for the 1958 model year. However, the Starfire was based on other existing Oldsmobile models, shared most of its sheet metal with other models, and was considered part of the full-sized Oldsmobile line, unlike the Thunderbird which had unique body panels.

Introduced in January 1961 as a convertible, the first Starfire shared its body and wheelbase with the Super 88 and the lower-priced Dynamic 88. It was loaded with standard equipment including leather bucket seats, center console with tachometer and floor shifter for the Hydra-matic transmission, and was the first U.S. full-sized production car to feature an automatic transmission with a console-mounted floor shifter, brushed aluminum side panels and power steering, brakes, windows and driver's seat. With a base price of $4,647, in 1961 it was the most expensive of all Oldsmobiles, even more than the larger Ninety-Eight models. The standard 394 cubic inch V-8 Skyrocket V8 engine - Oldsmobile's most powerful in 1961 - used a 4-barrel Rochester carburetor and generated 330 hp (246 kW) at 4600 rpm. Sales of the 1961 model were 7,800^{[citation needed]}.

1962 Oldsmobile Starfire

For the 1962 model year, the convertible was joined by a two-door hardtop, which featured a new convertible roofline shared with other Olds 88 coupes. Horsepower was up to 345. 1962 was the best sales year for the first generation Starfire with sales of the hardtop coupe being 34,839 and sales of the convertible being 7,149^{[citation needed]}.

Styling changes for the 1963 model year included a move away from the sculpted sides of the previous years model, to a flatter, more conventional look with an exclusive squared off roofline that included a concave rear window. Sales of the coupe were down to 21,489 and the convertible was down to 4,401, probably due to intense competition from Buick's all-new Riviera, which was in the same price range as the Starfire but had its own unique bodyshell.

The 1964 model appeared very similar to the 1963 model. Curb weight was down, but overall length was up to 215.3 inches (5,468.6 mm). Sales dropped further with coupe sales being 13,753 and convertible sales being 2,410. The Starfire now shared its basic bodyshell with the new and lower-priced Jetstar I hardtop coupe which competed directly against the Pontiac Grand Prix. The Jetstar I also used the Starfire's 345 horsepower 394 cubic-inch "Ultra High Compression" Rocket V8, but had a pricetag that was over $1,000 lower than the Starfire due to the use of a vinyl bucket seat interior and the fact that many Starfire standard features were optional on the Jetstar including Hydra-Matic transmission, power steering and brakes.

1963 Oldsmobile Starfire Holiday Coupe

For the 1965 model year, all Oldsmobiles would receive new styling, and the Starfire Hardtop Sports Coupe would receive a modified version of the 1963-64 unique roofline with an inversely curved rear window. The Hardtop Sports Coupe body-style was again shared with the Jetstar I. Other 88 models adopted a Holiday Hardtop Coupe body-style that featured more of a fastback roof design, while the Ninety-Eight featured a more squared-off formal roof-line. A new version of the Rocket V8 engine was offered for the 1965 model year, this one measuring 425 cubic inches in displacement, still using a Rochester 4-barrel carburetor and generating 375 hp (280 kW) at 4800 rpm. This was still the most powerful engine in the Oldsmobile lineup and used only in the Starfire and the Jetstar I. Also new for 1965 was the three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission which replaced the previous fluid-coupling Hydra-Matic used by Oldsmobile since 1940. Added to the option list for the first time on Starfires and other B-body cars was a four-speed manual transmission with Hurst shifter that was rarely ordered. 1965 sales were 13,024 for the coupe and 2,236 for the convertible.

Only the Starfire coupe was offered for 1966 as the convertible was discontinued for this final year for that nameplate as a full-sized sporty/luxury coupe. The Starfire price and equipment level both dropped considerably from previous years and was now at the same level as the former Jetstar I series with a less plush interior thanks to the leather seats being replaced by Morroceen vinyl for both the Strato bucket seats or no-cost optional notchback bench seat, and the movement of power windows and seats from standard equipment to the option list. Also downgraded from standard to optional equipment were the Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission, power steering and power brakes. Horsepower was up to 375, but the Starfire no longer had the most powerful engine offered for sale in an Oldsmobile. The new Toronado had a similar engine offering 385 hp (287 kW). Sales of the 1966 Starfire coupe were 13,019.

For 1967, the Starfire was replaced by a new Delta 88 Custom Holiday coupe which had interior trimmings similar to the '66 Starfire and was complemented by a four-door Holiday sedan with the notchback bench seat. Later full-sized Oldsmobile coupes to carry on the Starfire tradition included the 1969-70 Delta 88 Royale and then the 1978-81 Delta Holiday 88 coupe introduced a year after the Olds 88 and other full-sized GM cars were considerably downsized in 1977.

1975–1980

Second generation

1975 Oldsmobile Starfire
Manufacturer	General Motors Corporation Oldsmobile division
Production	1974–1979
Model year(s)	1975–1980
Assembly	Sainte-Thérèse Assembly- Quebec, Canada Lordstown Assembly- Lordstown, Ohio, USA
Class	Subcompact
Body style(s)	2-door Hatchback
Layout	FR layout
Engine(s)	140 in³ L11 I4 151 in³ Iron Duke I4 231 in³ Buick V6 305 in³ Chevrolet V8
Transmission(s)	4-speed manual 5-speed T-50 manual 3-speed THM-200 automatic 3-speed THM-250 automatic
Wheelbase	97.0 in (2,464 mm)
Length	179.3 in (4,554 mm)
Width	65.4 in (1,661 mm)
Height	50.2 in (1,275 mm)
Curb weight	2,800 lb (1,300 kg)
Related	Buick Skyhawk, Pontiac Sunbird, Chevrolet Monza, Pontiac Astre, Chevrolet Vega

The Starfire nameplate returned for Oldsmobile's first subcompact car.

The Oldsmobile Starfire is a four-passenger coupe automobile introduced in September 1974, and produced for the 1975 through 1980 model years. Starfire is based on the Chevrolet Vega and shares Vega's wheelbase and width.^[1] It would be the smallest car bearing the Oldsmobile name since before World War II. An upgraded SX model was available. The GT was introduced in mid-75.^[2]

1977 Oldsmobile Starfire SX

Starfire's standard engine for 1975-76 model years was the Buick 231 cid V6 engine using a 2-barrel carburetor that generates 110 hp (82 kW) at 4000. The Starfire, Buick Skyhawk, Chevrolet Monza and several General Motors full-size models were the first cars to adopt the newly approved quad rectangular headlamps and had a strong resemblance to the Ferrari 365 GTC/4. This was the first GM product to incorporate a torque arm rear suspension (rear coil springs with 2 links) - its design was later incorporated into GM's third and fourth generation F-bodies.

1976 changes included a new optional Borg-Warner 5-speed manual with overdrive transmission.^[3]

For the 1977 model year, the 140 CID (2.3 liter) aluminum-block inline 4-cylinder engine with 2-barrel carburetor became standard, while the Buick 231 cid (3.8 liter) V-6 became optional on the base model. The GT package included the V6 engine. The Chevrolet 305 (5.0 liter) V-8 engine option was added later in the year. The Vega 140 CID aluminum-block L4 was discontinued at the end of the 1977 model year^[4]

The 1978 standard engine was Pontiac's 151 CID (2.5 liter) Iron Duke inline 4-cylinder engine with a 2-barrel carburetor, generating 85 hp (63 kW) at 4400 rpm. Late in the year, Oldsmobile added the Starfire Firenza package which included special rallye suspension, a front air dam, rear spoiler, flared wheel openings, sport wheels and special paint and trim.^[5]

1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza

The 1979 model year saw a face lift, with twin rectangular headlamps replacing the previous quad rectangular headlamp design. The V8 engine option was dropped at the end of the 1979 model year, as was the 5-speed manual transmission.^[6]

The 1980 model year was the last one for the Starfire and its derivatives. Production ceased December 21, 1979, as Oldsmobile traded H-body production to Chevrolet and Pontiac in exchange for a higher allotment of new FWD X-bodies.^[7]

The rear-wheel-drive H-body cars including the Starfire were replaced in the spring of 1981 with the new front-wheel drive J-cars designated as early 1982 models, including the Oldsmobile Firenza.

A total 125,188 H-body Starfires were produced in six model years.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• GM H platform (RWD)
• GM 2300 engine
• Chevrolet Vega

References

Sources

• Flammang, James M. & Kowlake, Ron, Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1976-199, 3rd Edition (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1999)
• Gunnell, John, Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1946-1975, Revised 4th Edition (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2002)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oldsmobile Starfire

• The H-Body Organization-Monza, Vega, Astre, Sunbird, Starfire, Skylark
• Car Domain: 1954-1957 Oldsmobile Starfire
• Car Domain: 1961-1966 Oldsmobile Starfire
• Car Domain: 1975-1980 Oldsmobile Starfire