Classic Ads: 1961 Oldsmobile F-85

I must confess I have a bit of a soft spot for the 1961 Olds F-85. It was the baby Oldsmobile, but it was named like a jet fighter plane and bore a close family resemblance to the larger Dynamic 88. Perhaps my favorite part about it though, is that where the 88 has the 394 cubic-inch "Rocket" V8, the F-85 could be had with a little 215 cubic-inch aluminum V8 dubbed the "Rockette". That's just cute. And the little car puts on such a serious face as it goes about its business, riding on its perimeter frame with "Twin-Triangle Stability" on the rear axle.
When's the last time you saw a '61 F-85 wagon? Probably not that many of them around these days. The F-85 would later become the Cutlass, which went on to be America's best selling car a number of times in the following decade.

This ad appeared in the February 3, 1961 issue of Life magazine.

Dealership Shoot: 1966 Oldsmobile Starfire

Photos taken at the former Kassabian Motors in Dublin, CA (now MyHotCars, Inc. in Livermore).

Abandoned: 1961 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88

This classic Olds belongs to my friend's dad in Canada. These pictures were taken in early 2010, and the car's still languishing in the same spot in a field as I write this. It was purchased in 2005, probably for very little money. It never ran, but the body looked solid and the interior was still in good shape. I don't expect it to go anywhere for a while and wish someone would save it.

Dealership Photo Shoot: 1970 Oldsmobile Toronado

All pictures taken at Specialty Sales Classics in Pleasanton, CA. Photos taken in 2008. This car had just 19,000 miles on it at the time.

Classic Ads: 1961 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88

The right tag line means everything. In the early 1960s, Oldsmobile played it up to the hilt. The full-size model wasn't just an 88, it was a Dynamic 88. It wasn't just a V8 engine, it was a Rocket V8. The pair of steel bracing members on the rear axle were a Twin Triangle. And as with many General Motors ads in that era, regular photography wouldn't do. Artists were hired to paint a photorealistic illustration of the vehicle, but with the people and surroundings a bit more impressionistic to call more attention to the car. This method produced some of my favorite advertisements of all time, and the GM illustrators were true masters of their trade.
This ad features a Dynamic 88 four-door hardtop sedan in front of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, built in 1959. I suppose it was chosen as a very distinctive modern structure of the time that represented a place successful, cultured people - just like you, the prospective Olds buyer! - would go.

 This ad appeared in the March 3, 1961 issue of Life magazine.

Parking Lot Photo Shoot: 1957 Oldsmobile Super 88 Convertible

Northern Neon: The Lost Facade of Don Wheaton Chevrolet

In early 2010 I was in Alberta, Canada visiting a friend. While we were in the capital city of Edmonton he showed me Don Wheaton Chevrolet-Buick-Cadillac-GMC Ltd., a dealership which has been in business in the same location on Whyte Ave since 1963. The building had undergone few changes in its 40-plus years and had been considered a fixture of the neighborhood. Even in 2010 it had retained its Oldsmobile and Camaro signage. Despite the vintage exterior, Wheaton's dealership was the largest GM distributor in Western Canada and one of the biggest sellers of Corvettes in Canada.

Photos by Jay Wollenweber

In 2011, though, progress came calling. General Motors in their infinite wisdom demanded that Wheaton modernize to the bland new corporate dealership look or risk losing the new car franchise. People complained, but GM prevailed. Wheaton renovated, removing all of the old neon signage and refacing the building. They included some neon on the corner of 82 Ave and Whyte, comprising the corporate logo, and the old signs on the roof remain because the building is a city landmark. It's not all bad - the service department is finally modernized and enlarged, the rooftop inventory lot is improved and the showroom is all new inside. Allegedly the corner sign is a replica of the original 1963 dealer sign (albeit a rather ugly one in my opinion), and plans included restoring the rotating "CHEV" sign on the roof which had been stationary for years. Renovations were completed in September 2012. But otherwise the dealership has lost much of the retro flavor made it unique among GM dealers. It's just as well. Don Wheaton passed away shortly after Christmas in 2011.


Photo courtesy Don Wheaton Chevrolet