You knew that there would be some Oldsmobile love coming this week with my romp through the world of full size convertibles from the 1950s and 60s. You did not know it would be coming in the form of this slightly odd 1959 Olds 98 convertible which has six headlights and a continental kit hanging off the rear of it. This is a good example of what an early 1960s custom would have looked like and why we’re not really sure we can ever get into that look.
For starters we dig the headlights. It is done cleanly enough that lots of people will look at this car and wonder if it was actually sold with six headlights. Other than the jarring look of the sic lenses it does not seem like something someone added for fun, but they did. The Continental Kit at the rear of the car is another story. We know that these things were the hot ticket for years and perhaps with a fox tail on the antenna the look would be complete but we hate it. Adding all that length to the car, jutting the bumper out, and making what looks to be a fishing deck off the rear of the thing doesn’t do the rest of the car any favors.
The condition of this one is great. The same person has owned it for 30 years and they have taken great care of it. The paint, interior, and engine all look minty fresh and it would be a fun cruiser to hit the road with once you ditched that awful Continental Kit off the back, right?
Link: This 1959 Olds 98 convertible has six headlights and a continental kit
Now, if he’d copied Virgil Exner and mounted the tire to the deck lid instead of lengthening the car, I could probably approve. But as it is, the front end works out well and the tail doesn’t.