One defining event of 1950s American car culture was General Motors’ traveling Motorama. It was a truly extraordinary, no-expense-spared display of dazzling technology, stunning styling, and modern American ingenuity. The series of dramatic styling exercises by the legendary Harley Earl captivated the public, but most of the designs were never made for sale. For 1953, though, GM made an exception. The company offered three of the previous year’s “dream cars” in limited production numbers to the lucky few who could afford the staggering price tags and had the personal influence required to secure one from “the General.” The three models available were the Cadillac Series 62 Eldorado, the Buick Roadmaster Skylark, and the car offered here, the Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Fiesta.

Though all three were produced in very limited numbers, the scarcest of all was the Oldsmobile “98” Fiesta, which cost an astonishing $5,715. It was, and remains to this day, a stunning design that pioneered several features at Oldsmobile, including the cut-down, wraparound windshield, “spinner” wheel covers soon to be popular in the Kustoms crowd, and attractive two-tone paint schemes in exclusive colors. Each Fiesta came well equipped with leather upholstery, power steering, power brakes, power windows, and a power seat. It was the rarest of the 1953 GM Trifecta of dream cars, with a total production run of just 458 examples. Today, surviving examples rarely become available for sale.

The 1953 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Fiesta offered here is finished in Alpine White over Turquoise two-tone with a white convertible top. The car rides on wide whitewall tires mounted on steel wheels featuring factory wheel covers. The exterior is accented by a two-tone turquoise-and-white interior featuring a clock and a Super De Luxe radio. Furthermore, the car is equipped with power antenna, seat, windows, and steering. This Fiesta was a participant in the Glenmoor Gathering on two occasions, cementing its status as one of the finer examples of this incredibly rare luxury convertible.

Presented in particularly beautiful colors, this Fiesta is a wonderful example of the car that, in their 1953 advertising, AC Spark Plug referred to as a “sportster,” establishing it as the most stylish car produced in Lansing during the Rocket Age.