My Favorite Ride: I knew it wasn't an Impala. Thanks to readers, we now know what it is
"Turn your eye for beauty to a mighty satisfying sight."
Song lyrics? A line in a poem?
No, it's advertising copy from a fold-out magazine display in the Oct. 3, 1959, edition of The Saturday Evening Post introducing readers to Oldsmobile's selection of cars for 1960 "for the person who wants the finest the medium-priced class has to offer."
I discovered the ad a week ago among my collection of vintage automobile advertising.
To my surprise, it depicts the mystery car that's not a Chevrolet Impala featured here a few weeks ago. It was parked in weeds outside an old car repair shop in rural eastern Owen County. I wasn't sure of the make, model or year of manufacture.
And because I know not to trespass, I took a picture of the grille from the edge of the road.
A reader chastised me for not recognizing it as an Impala, and I have been defending my ability to ID cars ever since.
Because I knew it wasn't an Impala.
Previous My Favorite Ride column: I know Impalas, and this isn't one
About two dozen readers confirmed the car is a 1960 Oldsmobile, possibly a Ninety-Eight, maybe an Eighty-Eight. Checking my phone messages and email after being off work for awhile reminded me that people do read the paper, and appreciate my weekly stories about people and cars.
James Vankirk worked for General Motors' Oldsmobile Division from 1983 to 1997, and his dad retired from the company after 41 years. They are Oldsmobile experts.
The car "is definitely a 1960 Oldsmobile," Vankirk said after reviewing the column. "From this photo, it's difficult to determine the specific model and series, but it's most likely a Super 88 or a Dynamic 88. It could also be a 98 Series," the Georgia man said.
His in-laws save my columns for him to read when he visits. "I love your car stories. Please keep them coming," he said. I intend to.
From Virgil Hoover: "The car in the photo is an Oldsmobile. I believe a 1960, 88."
From Jeff Blair. "In case it hasn't been settled yet, It's a 1960 Oldsmobile 88. My dad had two, white and brown ones, when I was a kid. Nice story."
Alan Helgerson from Caledonia, Illinois, saw the column and provided an Oldsmobile history lesson.
"The red car is not an Impala, but a 1960 Oldsmobile, probably a Dynamic 88. My Dad had a white 2-door version and it was absolutely beautiful. The long trunk was flanked by flat fender wings, which were a popular style then," he wrote.
"It had a 371 V-8, 4-speed Hydramatic transmission and Posi-Traction rear axle. For a heavy car, she could really scoot." He recalled the speedometer, which had a color-changing bar that moved from from left to right as the car accelerated. "It was green up to about 30 mph, then the bar changed to yellow. When you hit around 70 mph, it went red.
"They sure don't make 'em like they used to. Thanks for the articles and memories."
Dan Ondrik recognized the grille. "I’m pretty sure that red ‘Impala’ is an Oldsmobile Delta 88 or similar. I had a 1960 convertible version of that car and it had a front end like that one. Cheers!"
Lonnie Young concurred. "A 1960 Oldsmobile. I had one," he said.
"As soon as I spotted your 'Ride' picture I recognized it as a 1960 Oldsmobile," Mark Wiedenmayer wrote. "That was my era as a kid, and I was good at identifying brands, but not models."
John Fossati, Jack Burch and Steve Keucher all said 1960 Olds, but were unsure of the model.
"Keep up the great work and your search for these old cars and trucks," Burch said. "They're a great, and very important part of our history."
Matt Henderson, Anthony Bradley and Ray Maber ID'd the car. "Laura, your unknown car is a 1960 Olds 98; some 88s also used that grille," Maber said.
Stephen Dolzall said the car is a 1960 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88. "If you notice it has '88' emblems between the headlights. If it were a Super 88 or 98, it would have had the Oldsmobile emblem in that location."
Bill Mingee called my house and left a message. "Laura, that car in the paper is a 1960 Oldsmobile if you don't already know it." Bill knows his cars.
Maryann Faudree's "wild guess" was a 1959 Oldsmobile. Elaine Thomsen concurred. "Not an Impala, for sure," she said.
Keith Joines liked the look of the "so-called Impala," and asked if I know who owns the car and if it's for sale. I don't know, Keith, and probably couldn't locate the car again.
I heard from Andy Minnick, who owns the two old Willys pickups that also appeared in that mystery vehicle column. "They're mine, a '51 and a '52. You've written about me before, a few times actually. Give me a call."
Back in January 2005, Minnick took me for a ride in his grandfather’s 1951 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe on a blustery cold day. A mile or so down Freeman Road, he let me know the car had no brakes, but he was pretty sure he could stop the Chrysler with the emergency lever.
When it did come time to slow down, the emergency brake combined with driving in a circular fashion in a farm field did the trick. We stopped. That ride resulted in one of my favorite columns ever.
Minnick has a lead on a father and son with two old semi trucks he wants me to check out. The story is at the top of my list for 2022.
I'll see you then. My Favorite Ride will reappear the first week of January after a short hiatus. In the meantime, I still am seeking IDs on a few other vehicles mentioned in the first Owen County relics column, so take a look.
Original ID challenge column: IDs sought for random and unknown vehicles in Owen County
Enjoy the holiday season. And thanks for reading.
Have a story to tell about a car or truck? Contact reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com, 812-331-4362 or 812-318-5967.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Chevy Impala? Nope. It's a 1960 Oldsmobile 88 or 98
