1970 Oldsmobile 98 and Delta 88 Commercials

[Leyland1964]

The GM hierarchy was a bit ambiguous back then...overall, Olds was priced just below Buick, but the Toronado always cost more than the Riviera, and the Delta Royale cost more than the LeSabre Limited. Olds and Buick were the most closely related GM divisions.

[ncmountaingal1960]

My mom gave her gold 1970 Delta 88 Custom to her mother when Grammy's 1963 Buick took a dump (in 1974). 6 months later Grammy died and I "inherited" the car. It had a 455 4BBL that guzzled the gas (but gas was only 50c/gallon then) and would really haul. Unfortunately, the a/c went only a few month's after I got it and would have cost $500 to fix (a fortune then) so I traded in on a used 1974 Dodge Hang 10 with a 318 engine. Loved the Dodge but missed the big boat '70 Delta...

[dmine45]

My parents had a 1970 Delta 88 with a 350 motor. Passed everything but a gas station (8 MPG). Great car if it wasn't such a gas guzzler. My dad replaced it with a 1977 Cutlass S. The S stood for s**t :)

[kb8urr]

Ha, I had a 1970 Delta 88, bought it in 1978 right after I turned 18. Should have taken better care of it, that car was a beauty. Lots of room, great ride and a 455-2bbl. They will never make a car like that again.

[RabidKoala]

I guess that even as late as the 70's Olds was the experimental division of GM. Olds usually got the technology first, then it spread to other divisions. Olds was the first to get Chevy engines, too, in 1977, but GM didn't bother to tell anyone until they got caught. I had a 78 Olds with a Chevy 305, it was okay but I bet the Olds engine would have been a lot better.

Valve rotators - I wonder if they caused more guide and /or stem wear with the twisting motion?

[vistacruiser67]

@RabidKoala No the valve rotators worked well. They keep the head of the valves polished to keep deposits from forming. Ive have about 3 of these motors currently that have never been rebuilt and they run fine. A 71 455 Olds and two 70 350 Olds. Olds introduced valve rotators in 70 and in 71 all GM had them. By 73 both intake and exhaust manifolds had them. Yes an Olds V8 would always been preferred over a Chevy.  But now Chevy is the only one left.

[UnusualTastes]

They need to start making car commercials like this again.

[GEMINITREKKER]

I had a Gold 1970 Olds 98 LS,man that was cool ! It was my first car! I may look to buy another someday.

[PeterDavis963]

Olds were wonderful cars! My grandfather owned a 1970 Delta Royale with a 455. He owned the car 'till he traded it in for a 1980 Cutlass Supreme. The 1970 had 456,000 km on it and it never burnt oil. My GF has a '78 Olds with 398,000 km on it and the drivetrain is still like new. THEY DON'T MAKE CARS LIKE THEY USED TO!! Bring back the Olds!! Thanks for the video!

[misterb0071]

the ads were not racist as idiot 2001vs8244 below suggests. The fact is that the colored guy-and boy is he colored is lucky he isn't out there with a broom. Why they portray a colored guy in an office job is beyond me. You know he can't read or write.

[RoundenBrown]

Power windows... In 1970!

[2001v8244]

The last ad in the series stuck me as having racist undertones. Out of the three skits only the Asian and African American architects were critiqued directly by Caucasian superiors, yet the Caucasian architect's superior was not visible. Coincidence or subtle racism?

[Trendyrapslut]

@2001v8244 say you suck a big black cock?

[Simon5005]

So much style and class...........unlike the eggs-on-wheels of today. And these cars were so much fun to drive. They said they couldn't build big cars anymore............so how is it they can build these behemoth SUVs'??? Never made sense to me.

[rever65]

@tjfreak Punch in 1970 Olds Delta 88 road test in CAR & DRIVER (Mar. 70), on your computer, and you will see that the 390 horse version of the 455 was definitely NOT underpowered. Most of these models had the 310 horse version, but I'd take either. They were handsome ,well built cars. Shame they are no more.

[juanwernicke]

Great it would take some extra money to buy a real car: Mercedes-Benz

Europeans can build cars!

[vistacruiser67]

Oldsmobile used to provided the car was equipped with an Olds V-8.

[coldplays179]

@juanwernicke american cars were pretty decent back in the day compared to imports, in terms of power, a/c and heat, stereos, comfort, and reliability (for the time period)

[aviator2k9]

@juanwernicke I'm European and my favourite car is the 1970's Oldsmobile Delta 88 (2 door) :)

[kevinkpk1]

@juanwernicke Europeans can build cars, bout all they can do...

[kronitz52]

My Dad bought a brand new 1969 Olds Delta Custom for 4200.00 loaded with am radio vinyl top and whitewalls and A/c. Aztec Gold and Gold Vinyl Interior. lasted about 2 years before it fell apart but it was a great looker

[halpern6]

I used to drive a '70 88, they really were great cars....IMO.

[mahoot81]

Who needs a hotel to make out in when there's beautiful cars like that? LOL

[craig1974]

Yeah i wish also, but the companies are thinking green.

[03protegeES]

i love it "the look of a car costing $100's more"

[Doobie1975]

I miss the old Oldsmobiles of the 1960s/1970s, wasn't Oldsmobile the second highest end vehicle after Cadillac?

[Cris43130]

Oldsmobile was actually priced between Pontiac and Buick, although I agree that the later Oldsmobile styling resembled Cadillac more closely than any other GM brand.

[pipeguy1958]

Yes, it was...loved them all!!!

[ncmountaingal1960]

@Doobie1975  No I believe Buick was after Caddy, then followed by Olds, then by Pontiac with Chevy in the "bottom" of the lineup!

[auaiao9]

I miss Oldsmobile, gonna miss Pontiac too.

[Mrtriumphchopper]

Ain't that the truth? Chevy survives because it is GM's cash cow, and as such it got everything other GM cars had first. The REAL engineers were at Olds, with more firsts in it's 107 year history than any other car. Practically every modern day advancement can be traced to Olds.

[tjfreak]

my brother had a 70 D88 in the early 80's,Blue (not light or dark, a nice blue) White top,White bucket seats Console shift,Air,455ci grossly underpowered, absolutely a fuel (IN) efficient pig,Just a Boat in every way..too heavy ! too long ! Man ! what I wouldn't Give to have one now.

[retrojoet]

I know how that barber felt at 1:35 - what a pity they don't make "escape machines" today! The two nicest 1970 98's I remember as a kid in my neighborhood were a 4-dr hardtop in dark green paint & interior with black vinyl roof and a 2-dr hardtop in sky blue paint with white interior/vinyl roof/pinstripes. Talk about nice rides! Beautiful, roomy, quiet and FAST! Truth be told, the 1972 88's & 98's will always be my favs - they just got it all right with them that year!

[Zaisdaman]

I have a 1970 Delta 88. Mint green, with Dark green seats,and a 350 Rocket V8. Man, what luxurious cruising. I really love my Delta 88. It's too bad GM stopped making decent cars like the Delta 88. I agree that one of their greatest mistakes was killing off Oldsmobile.

[hokman1]

what's a positive valve rotator? how does it work? Do new cars have it? Why not?

[vistacruiser67]

Olda introduced them in 1970 on all Olds V8 engines and they became standard on all other GM engines in 71. They rotate the valves and keep them polished to keep power robbing carbon deposits from forming thus giving longer engine life. By 72 they were made for both intake and exhaust valves instead of just the intake valves for 70. They were still around in 73 -74 and I dont see a reason why they would have ceased. They might have been limited to GM as it was an Olds innovation.

[vistacruiser67]

I remember reading an article in a car magazine during a GM engine build complaining about them and wondering what their purpose was saying they had no purpose in a perfomance engine. The magazine was just too dumb to realize they are designed for longevity and smoother performance. There was nothing in valve rotators that took away from high performance. Olds V8s had an non adjustable valvetrain where Chevy has an adjustable valvetrain and I dont know if this was a concern with the article.

[ornumjc]

My grandfather had a 1970 Delta 88. I was fascinated with buttons as a kid. I specifically remember playing with that ashtray (the one they show at 2:49) every time I got in that car. What a surprise to see it in one of their commercials. Thanks Vistacruiser67!

[81oldsdiesel]

I love these old commercials! My first car was a '69 Delta 88, so these '70s bring back many memories. I really miss the good old days of true full-sized American-made luxury...

[MikeyL]

These cars were beauties. That 98 was a charm and you could walk around in the back seat! haha. Elegant and crisp! The ads are a riot - innocence. Yes RIP Oldsmobile. Thanks to shitty GM management, engineering, competition/imports etc. the good die young and look what we have now - a pile of clones. Well nice nice car it was!

[JET997u]

GM made a huge marketing error in abandoning this nameplate and its history of design, power and ingenuity. Prime examples: the 4-4-2 of the late 60s and the first few years of the Toronado. Those were great cars.

[OLDS98]

Thank you again for these ads as well.