Coolest Cars of the 70s: 1976 Olds 98 Regency vs. 1975 Olds Delta 88 Royale - Hardtop Style & 455s
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- Опубликовано: 1 дек 2024
- Enjoy this description of the last of GM's full-size Oldsmobile hardtops and also hear two Olds 455s fire up at the same time. This is Part 3 of the series. For Parts 1 and 2, see below:
Part 1:
• Coolest Cars of the 70...
Part 2:
• Coolest Cars of the 70...
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In my youth I often rode in my uncles 72 and later 74 Olds 98's when both were only a couple years old and I SO miss gliding down the highway on a long trip in those big comfortable and quiet cars. Nothing quite like it today and certainly no Regency type interiors to be had in ANYTHING. Im 63 now and really wish I could take those rides again, I was just happy to be there.
Marc is interesting, insightful and very funny. Great to hear in-depth discussion of these vehicles from passionate owners, and I hope you can both have some future videos together on this channel.
"A man's worth is not determined by the size of his rocket!" 😆
I grew up car obsessed in the mid 70’s. I even worked in a Chevy Dealership while in High School. The insight about these cars is fascinating.
I graduated from high school in 1975. The good thing about the '75 Chevys is that it was the final year you could still get an Impala coupe with the REAL side windows that went down, and get a Caprice convertible. I really did NOT like the Impala 'custom' introduced in '74. It looked bad (to me). The 2 door Caprices of '75 and 6 ONLY came with the custom roof line, right? At least with Adam's 75 88 coupe it still had the rear side windows, albeit less than before. His is definitely a 'hybrid' of both that and the colonnade.
Me too on both counts=!!!
The cathedral style taillights ,slight tail fins & that lower body sculpturing made the 1976 Olds 98 Regency one sharp car.
LOL Marc is quite witty and funny,🤣 but extremely knowledgeable ! The Royale still wins hands down I think, just an extremely sharp looking car! 😎 Nice glimpse of the '75 Regency, which is an absolutely beautiful car!🤩
The loss of the rounded edges goes all the way back to the post war changes from art deco. The angelular rear fenders and wheel wells of the 76' are quite stylish to my eye. The 'Bicentennial,' plate is a nice touch.
Nice presentation and comparison. As a kid my friends dad who was a banker, came home one day with a brand new 76 Buick Park Avenue, which was the same size as your 76 Olds. Growing up, not the son of a banker, we had smaller Fords so I was simply amazed at how big and luxurious the Buick was. It rode absolutely silently, other than the low rumble of the 455. Another friends dad did have a white Oldsmobile 98, like the one in your video but I dont remember it being quite as luxurious as the Buick. Awesome cars and the end of an era for sure. That level of pampering, solitude and road isolation is very much missed in today's cars.
What a wonderful and fun presentation/series. Marc is not only very knowledgeable but has a great fun personality. Both are beautiful specimens of a great era of GM and our country. They tell quite a story of what was going on in the country. I had a '76 Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupe finished in a beautiful light tan and matching vinyl 1/2 top. It had a gorgeous velour interior that included a very "lively" checker patterned "pillow" style seating. It also had a 350 V8 and was fully loaded with power everything, factory floor mats, AC and also the color keyed matching rally type wheels. I bought it from the original owner in 1986 and it had 40K miles, stored inside and absolutely immaculate. I should have never sold that car. love your channel and look forward to the next episode!
At age 15 I worked at a small town gas station/grocery store. My boss bought a '76 Olds 98 silver with blue velour interior. His was a 2 door. Stunning car. His daughter drove a '78 Diamond Jubilee blue Thunderbird. Great time to be alive!
This whole series has been a treat and I've enjoyed every nanosecond of it! I know it's a lot of work to film and edit these, so mega thanks for going through the effort for all of us. I wonder how long Marc has been saving up that Rocket joke :D
😂😂😂 I’m still laughing, Ilove these guys, but they’re soooo serious and deadpan. ❤
Both Oldsmobiles are true time capsules of a by gone era & both are in excellent condition!!! Thanks for sharing this fun video!!! 👍👍🙂
We saw in previous videos how the '76 98's header panel was a prelude to the all-new '77, and in this video, I'm noticing the '76's rear bumper is a prelude to the '77 98's rear bumper, with those protrusions at the ends which 'blend' to the tail lights.
I think the 88's 'fan shroud' is technically more of a finger guard. I also noticed a vacuum actuated flapper valve on the 98's driver side exhaust manifold, which I wasn't able to spot on the 88. Those valves close off or attenuate exhaust flow from the driver side manifold, pressurizing the crossover from head to head, through the intake, and thereby promoting a faster warmup. Love that subtle "whir" from an idling older GM V8!
Thank you both for sharing and comparing these fine American automobiles! Really appreciate the opportunity to see the practical differences in these cars, and some of the background as to why they are the way they are.
While the front of the 75 is definitely more in keeping with the overall design, I think the 76's front end makes the car look even lower and wider and helps contribute to that comically large presence these cars already had. I like the 75's rear more though. Both of the hardtop rooflines are amazing! How could anyone not appreciate the "modernization" of the traditional hardtop look, while paying some care for safety and then current styling trends.
Just loved this model comparison especially the detail specifics on the door panels per model and how they differed and used like moldings.
My Grandmother bought a '76 Nova Concours new, red velour interior and grey exterior. 305 motor. The upmarket trim level cars were so elegant and comfortable back then.
I’ve really been enjoying these videos with Marc. His insight into GM design history is extremely interesting, and he’s a great presenter on the styling details of these cars. Looking forward to part 2 and future collaborations.
Wow ! That's the first time I see such a detailed review on ANY car.
Thanks for this amazing 3-part review !
I always enjoy a walk down automotive memory lane. Thanks fellas. Very nicely done!
Great videos, Adam! It’s also interesting to note that the Oldsmobile script changed from cursive to printed letters starting in 1977.
Having lived through the 1970's, I have great admiration for the American cars that were built during that era (before and after). I loved them then and I love them now and miss them terribly. Watching these video of the great Oldsmobile is heart wrenching and saddening because I miss them so much and hate the car choices today, especially all the foreign name plates that look like bugs and have horrible uncomfortable interiors and seats. I weep for the American car.
I concur wholeheartedly.
'75 Regency pic shows the biggest '76 design flaw: too wide between grille halves. Btw this Canuck loves your best of American beside touch of German. Classy. And "too cheap to buy a plate" plus rocket talk! Love it🤣
Had a 73 Olds Luxury sedan, great car ran perfect always, never one problem, even one morning when the temp in 1978 was negative 42 degrees Fahrenheit. Started right up, ran a little rough, and I didn't have power steering or heat for 10 miles. LOL
Geez, when it’s that cold, you’ve got to let that baby warm-up!
Thank you for this series. I really enjoyed this. I enjoyed your guest too as he shared what he knows and his knowledge of GM.
I really enjoyed this trio of videos. I’m an Olds lover and this pushed lots of buttons! I enjoyed Mark as well, he’s also very knowledgeable and full of interesting tidbits of history. Well-done! Super-thanks!
Cool! It always amazed me that the downsized 77 models actually had some large interior space specs.
I always enjoy the starter window off "wurring noise" on Olds starters also
"wind off"
These are great videos, top notch content! I really enjoyed Marc's humor combined with all of the technical and design knowledge from both of you. These are two cars I would normally never give a second thought, although today if I saw one as clean as either of these it would definitely turn my head. However getting all the background of the design and engineering really gives me an appreciation how much work (and compromise) went into even the more "common" cars of the '70's.
Enjoyed this very much, Thanks! I drove a light blue with white top 76 98 in high school in the 80's and currently own a 25K mile Mahogany 76 98.
I'll echo the thanks that others have given to you and to Mark for featuring, comparing and contrasting the features of these two full-sized Oldsmobiles. What a treat!
great vlog and 2 beautiful cars. My parents always drove Caddy's when I was growing up in the 1960's / 1970's. My dad had a 73 Sedan de Ville (gold with black vinyl roof and maize color leather) while he brought my mom a 74 Coupe de Ville (Andes Copper with a white Cabriolet roof and a terra cotta leather interior). Both these cars were beautiful, but my dad always thought the Coupe de Ville had a smoother ride and felt sturdier due to the b pillar. My dad then traded his 73 for a 77 Fleetwood Brougham (white with white vinyl roof and light blue leather interior) which he felt was a big improvement over the previous generations. Then he got mom a 79 Coupe de Ville d'elegance (white with a white cabriolet and red velour with every option including a CB and true spoke wheels). That car became the favorite of the family!
The '77 Fleetwood was the only year and model to have a reading light strip between the door pull and armrest of every door. If I had the room, I'd buy one. My '74 had circular, aimable ones on the front passenger door and rear sail panels.
As far as the body flex goes, though I’ve always preferred Oldsmobiles the Buicks had thicker crossbars where the idler arm attacked to the steering and there was much less flex and wobble in the steering in this series.
I just like the 75 styling better. I like the taillights better as well as the front end. These are nice highway cruisers
Round headlights are key, too.
The stylists were always quite ingenious in their ability to make the 98s distinguishable from the 88s.
3-inch longer wheelbase and 5-inch longer overall length due to longer rear fenders.
@@SpockvsMcCoy That is interesting. I didn't know they had a longer wheelbase. I guess the 98s used the Cadillac chassis. In some years there seemed to be no difference at all between the two as far as length goes. Big 98 fan here since boyhood.
@@kirbywaite1586 They were the "C-body" cars ... but the Deville/Calais had the longer 130-inch wheelbase. The extra 3 inches of wheelbase in the Olds 98 was in the longer rear doors and increased rear seat room. Our family has a 1976 Olds 98 when I was in high school.
@@SpockvsMcCoy I see. Basically added interior room.
@@kirbywaite1586 More rear seat leg room, nicer upholstery...plus a molding that ran across the back of the front bench seat on the Olds 98.
The 98 was actually 2" longer than the Deville but with a 3" shorter wheelbase.
When my grandmother's '72 Calais was new, the window glass made a weird honking noise against the neoprene seals on her bumpy street. I believe we first tried Vaseline, but the dealer recommended WD40, which stopped it for good with less mess.
They flattened the windshields on the '77s to make the hoods look longer. Likewise, the backlight.
I read somewhere they deliberately made the frames less stiff on these (and the Colonnades) to absorb bumps, but it often led to cowl shudder.
I put off looking at this series and really should not have; these may not be my favorite of your cars, but the conversation covers a lot of ground, much of it completely fascinating. I completely enjoyed learning about Blaine Jenkins, as well Marc's complete comfort rattling off styling jargon -- he really can articulate the nuances and subtleties of car styling. Totally enjoyed these. PS, in our neck of the woods, in coastal Virginia, we use the term "skeg" in reference to the trailing under-fin on a surfboard. The word has a nautical architecture history -- and you'll see it used in reference to kayak, jetski, snowmobile, ship and essentially HULL design of any kind. Very cool to hear it used to describe the underbelly of these "boaty" big guys.
Welcome back Marc, a great complement to your knowledge and communication of cars of this era. After you introducing your fleet, the Bob Lutz interviews, you now are developing a third string to your bow, and I like it
Nice cars. The handling was pretty good for their size back in the day. A curiosity of mine back when these were new was the back a pillar window. Somehow the tops of the glass just did not line up with anything on the Regency 4 door. Not quite matching the roof nor the door windows. But still gorgeous cars which I would be proud to own.
Well...a very nicely planned & executed 3 part series. With all your talent & experience, the discussion was top-shelf but accessible to armchair enthusiasts like me. I enjoyed the Part 2 door panel discussion & how expensive the tooling equipment is.
I feel so sorry that Oldsmobile is gone especially after seeing these beauties (flaws and all). I am more a Delta 88 guy (look at that swooping colonnade window) but I would embrace that button-upholstery of the Regency...I am and will remain very jealous of your cars.
good series. My 77 98 had a very nice red emblem in the middle of the grill which became a full chrome face
Stereo 455s. Full Dimension Fidelity!
I can't image having to change the door glass in the 1976 "98" and then having to adjust it to align up properly. As the 70's went on to the 80's is seems the designers lost their "French Curves" and just had a straight edge. Another fine watch with two great GM cars.....
They called it "downsizing" so body lines had to be straighter.
Adam, I just stumbled across an ad from Unique Classic Cars in Mankato Mn, and they have a '79 88 Royale four door with 43,000 miles, in the Dark Carmine Red, identical to the one my Dad bought new. Ours didn't have a power seat though.
It ended up being the first car I ever drove, and it was actually worked on, or at least had work on it overseen, by Walter Adams who died in the Who concert tragedy. I remember when we picked it up, and whoever we were dealing with pointed him out to us and said that he'd made our car right, which he did.
I had a, 76 Delta 88 ,4, door,and a ,2 door. The 4, door had the, 350 and the ,2 door had a ,455. Smoothest and most comfortable cars I can remember ever driving. I was talking to a local doctor years earlier about how I really liked his cars,I always maintained them for him. Years later after he passed away I got a phone from his wife asking me if I would like to buy them. I bought both cars . She even let me make payments on them. I sold the 2, door and drove the ,4 door for several years after.
In early 1979, my father bought a used 1976 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight sedan like this one...except it was the plainer LS model with the light blue metallic paint and blue cloth interior. By 1980, the factory paint was flaking off the rear decklid and a small crack in the front armrest had grown larger. That car was quite a step up from our previous 1971 Impala with it's incredible smooth ride and more comfortable seats. In retrospect, he should have bought a used 1976 Mercury Grand Marquis which was a better overall car.
I learned to drive in a Oldsmobile From '76. It was a coupe, it belonged to my older brother, they brought it back Idaho. It's here in Culiacán Sinaloa. Mexico We beat them at drag races. Hello Ford. LTD. and the Grand Marquis. Those cars were already a little newer, they were from 86 - 88. What good memories 😁😁
Really enjoyed this series. 👍🏼
Very nice series,, never realized all the problems engineers had to solve for a 4 dr HT...Fantastic Cars....
50 parts in this series you say. ? We can only hope.
MGTOW life is the way to go now days Brother! And this channel is great.
Way cool Royale!
Waiting to speak is the greatest part of conversation but with a rocket sized Mr. Roboto...🤣
Just razing you, love the videos.
I remember the 98's being very angular, but from the side, those fender skirts look like you serve drinks on them... the look a bit more subtle from the sideline than from the 3/4 view... Wow.. they're both beautiful..
For me, exceptional glass can be the face of a car. The windshield shape and flush side glass on these cars is as good as it gets. The admittedly brilliant downsized models which followed seemed regressive in that regard. It wasn't until the flush-glass Audis (which I'm thrilled to learn were inspired by these cars) arrived on the scene that automotive glass felt modern again.
Had a 76 Buick LeSabre with the 455. Ice cold air. These GM vehicles were the last of the full size cruisers.
And again a great video👍
I miss these cars. I remember them when they were new. My father liked Buick Electra 225's, in those days. He had a new one every year from 1969 - 1975. The Chevy back window went down on the 2-door as well as the Pontiac Catalina, for the 1974-1976 model years. I believe only the Impala models, not the Caprice. The Buick LeSabre & the Pontiac Catalina are closer in styling to the Olds 88, than its Chevy sibling.
Don't know how these 2 managed to keep it so interesting for almost an hour, but they did! Both are nice cars, but I'll have the Delta 88 for its relative (to the 98) simplicity.
Really interesting Adam. I live in London (UK) and we simply don’t see cars like yours. As you’ve gone into such detail about the exterior and interior details, (and also the engines), something about the suspension would be of genuine interest too.
They're not often seen in the US either since the high gas prices of the early 80s (they also rusted in the snowbelt). The suspensions were pretty boring (unequal A arms front, live axle rear), but in its first video several months ago, I believe Adam said his coupe has the firm ride package. Standard big car suspensions were soft and floaty in the 70s, so "firm" was relative. GM power steering wasn't quite as numb and over-assisted as Ford's.
Thanks that’s interesting/helpful
I've always wanted a big block car. There's just something about them
Very entertaining series. Especially the slightly competitive sequences really make me laugh. Wish you'd both have more cars to compare - do you?
Oh yes
@@RareClassicCars I like that reply. Not just yes, yup, etc., but Ooohhhhhhh yes! LOL
Fun series. Marc is fantastic!
You have such unique models and trim levels
The odd thing about those rear door windows sticking up like that is I believe that was only on the C body 4 door hardtops.
The B body 4 door hardtops such as the chevy caprice, olds delta 88, or pontiac Catalina had windows that rolled down completely.
I posted a link to a photo of a 72 caprice confirming its windows were fully retracted into the doors but apparently RUclips deleted it.
Adam, very interesting study on both of these cars. I like yours better because I liked the 88 series better from 1971-'76. I took the liberty of checking out the '76 Delta 88 coupe. I noticed the front end was more like the 98 here, but more importantly it still had the rear side windows that went down, like your '75 which was really nice. The sad thing from '77 on in all the full size GM's is that they were strictly "name, rank and serial number" cars. 2 and 4 door pillared sedans, and station wagons only. That was it. I really hated the Caprice 'custom' coupe starting around '74. I noticed the '76 98 had that 'no side window' reality also. Now I want to check out the Pontiac and Buick in this regard!
i forgot to ask....did you listen the unmistakeable purr if the Olds V8 engines? the 350 and 455 have Olds purrr....put the car in gear...hold the break tight and give the car a little gas pedal and listen to the engine....i can pick out the sound of an Olds V8 over ANY other V8....including all GM V8s as well.....the sound is hypnotic...beautiful...i have a friend whom i have known since 1974...and he also knows the unique sound of an Olds V8
The “rocket” joke is hilarious! I do prefer the more curvaceous front end of the ‘75, I do see the ‘77 redesign coming through on the ‘76.
Growing up with these I'd say they were nice old boats but don't think I'd describe either one as cool. The Olds Cutlass, The Chevy Malibu and Monte Carlo and the Laguna were cool.
Mark's voice reminds me of Orson Welles' voice.... It's very distinct.
6:50 - Interesting insight into these original full-sized cars!
My impression is that, over the decades, as cars were downsized, and you can see a foreshadowing of this trend even in 1976 with the new for '77 downsized GM B- and C-class large cars.
Door thickness was reduced by eliminating some of the tumble-home curve, preserving interior hip room even in the smaller '77 fullsize. Overall height went up at least 1-2 inches, allowing a slightly more upright seating position for everyone, and at least a foot was chopped off the front and rear overhangs, not to mention wheelbases reduced by up to 5 inches.
A smaller, no doubt stiffer chassis and body, taller greenhouse gave the impression of more interior space, and about the same size trunk.
A 2015 Honda Accord, for instance, is three feet shorter than these two Olds, a foot narrower, with three feet total less overhang, yet almost FOUR INCHES taller!
No doubt increases in average adult heights over the last fifty years perpetuated the changes in vehicle proportions.
That same Accord feels as big as these GMs do, perhaps because of the trend toward much higher belt lines in cars(tops of the doors).
Nice! Intellitronix makes direct fit LED gauge clusters for the '75
My father insisted on a B pillar with the Pontiac and Plymouths we owned. He felt you didn't get sufficient rollover protection without it, plus he felt without B pillars the car would have noise leaks, rattles, and also be too easily broken into. Your guest alludes to some of this. We had a few 2-door used cars without the pillars, and they weren't too bad. The four-doors? Can't say. They sure look better, though.
We were all ready for you to take us out for a ride in both of them to explain the differences in the rides. You didn't though. :(
A part 4???
@@DanEBoyd Yes! :)
Stay classy Oldsmobile!!! ;-)
Just magnificent cars.
Hatte einen delta 88 74er schön zu fahren👍🙋
Awesome
2 smooth engines! Miss the 455.
76 took a step into the 80’s for sure
I had a 1975 Olds Regency 98 ~ gray with maroon vinyl top and interior ✌️
The AC compressor in the 98 is larger than the entire engine of at least one car I've had in my life. :)
For some reason the 71-76 Olds, particularly the early years, just never appealed to me. Not a fan of that much tumblehome. But a lot of people were. I remember reading in Collectible Automobile years ago that Virgil Exner's last personal car was an early 'Seventies Olds 88. His son said he really loved the styling. Praise from Caesar!
10:45 I guess that finance guys don't joke like that. LOL. 16:35 The decision to get rid of the diagonal bracing may have been unique to Lansing because I have seen 1976 LeSabres with the brackets in place. Overall, thanks for another fun one.
Hello Adam…I believe I recognize Marc…30 years ago was I his transportation design professor in Vevey?I have lost his track maybe you can help!My initials AZ..A stands for Andreas should be enough to ignite his memory!Take care and a big hello to Marc..if he is who,I think he is.
Sure Andreas. You may well have been. I have passed your note along. If you want to email me at rareclassiccars@yahoo.com with your contact info, I’ll give it to him.
It’s funny how much faster the electric windows work vs newer pwr windows. The regulators are not as likely to break as my 94 Continental in which 1 out of 4 work.
speaking of full size gm cars id love to see a video on the design and history of the 1991-1996 gm b-body caprice/roadmaster
@10:43 ok guys let’s keep it clean as this is a family program after all lol. JK 😁👌
cool cars
Great review! Would love to see an in depth analysis of the full-size GM clamshell wagons (do you have one?) from this era - now those are cool! Unfortunately, you don't see many wagons available. I wonder if their rate of survival was less than the sedans?
Adam has a Mercury Colony Park and one other mystery wagon which has not yet been revealed.
Unfortunately the wagons are a favorite of the demolition derby people.
The clamshells tended to not close completely after a few years, so water ruined many and they were difficult to repair. My mother decided the Buick version was just too big for her, so we had a rattily '73 Century wagon for 4 years.
@@dstrau7987 Indeed, other than full-framed Imperials those 71-76 full-size wagons are the top car. Not only did demo derbies burn up most of them, early dirt track modified classes used them up for thier frames. The classes were started as an "affordable" class, and required being built on a stock frame. Leaf springs were preferred back then, and where do you find a modernish full-frame leaf spring car? 71-76 full-size wagons. Besides them, 57 was last year for Chevys, 59 for Fords, and I believe 59 for Chryslers. Yes 66-down Imperials had full frames but they weren't practical for dirt track. Plus they were getting burned up by the derby guys too
Nice job with the multiple mics btw
A triple black 76 Oldsmobile 98 by me just sold for 28,000 dollars 💸
I think your '75 Delta 88 is far more elegant and stylish than Marc's Regency although I can appreciate his love of the car that ended the whole American gigantic 4 door hardtop battleship genre. Most likely forever, right? Any effort to compare the majesty of these two end o' the line big block cruise mobiles to the likes of Chevrolet Celebrity and it's ilk shows just how quickly came the fall of beauty and quality in the GM product line. It would be hard to believe if I didn't already know.
A man’s worth is not determined by the size of his rocket…best line in Rare Classic Cars…so far.
Can you ask him about the C body Buick and Olds deleting the support bars under the hood?
That must have been quite an engineering conundrum to make those windows open and close on the Regency.
The 98 was top of Olds line along with the Toronado. Both were ostentatious automobiles. The 88 was an Olds and full size upscale car for the family.
Unlike Buick, Pontiac, and Cadillac, before '75, Olds (and Chevrolet) cut the bottom of their vinyl roofs a little higher so there wasn't that awkward strip of molding on the back door. The C pillar window forced them to move it down like the others.
Those cars were the best, God I miss em 😢
Thanks!
" parallax ". Ok. I learned something.
I searched all over for the video of the German crash test by the TUV of the 1975 Cadillac coupe de ville. I wonder if Marc could direct us?
Would love To see a 1972 dodge Polara on the show👍🏻
Lack of b pillars must be a safety nightmare in a crash especially a side impact or a rollover.
Hi Adam Mario from St. Louis. Can you interview Tim Allen. From Michigan. I think he has a huge American car collection.
my late maternal grandmother had a couple different Delta 88 4 door sedans in the 70s early 80s one was a 1972 Delta 88 Rocket 455 and a later 70s model of the same car with the 350 CI V8 engine no longer called Rocket after the end of the Apollo Missions at the beginning of the 1973 model year the base engine in the 8th gen of the car was a Buick sourced 3.8 l V6