270 bhp, 371 cu. in. OHV V-8 engine, four-speed Hydra-Matic transmission, coil spring independent front suspension, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 123.0 in.

In the late summer of 1956, a young General Motors designer named Chuck Jordan managed to get a peek at the Chrysler line for 1957. What he saw blew him away. The tall fins and low roofs made the “Forward Look” from 1955–1956 look stodgy, and the new corporate slogan, “Suddenly it’s 1960,” was all too true. GM had mild makeovers ready for the 1957 model year and all-new designs on tap for 1958. However, Chrysler’s bold step made the ’58 GMs pale in comparison, so a crash program for 1959 was begun.

As a result, the 1958 cars made a brief, one-year appearance, while all eyes in the design studios focused on 1959. Jordan’s Cadillac cars went one better than Chrysler, with the tallest fins in the industry. Buick grew fins, too, on a slant, while Chevy’s looked like a sea gull in flight. Pontiac concentrated on widening the track, and so it was left to Oldsmobile to become the most conservative car in the GM catalogue.

Olds’s fins were mostly vestigial, pod-like, and level with the beltline. The front had a harmonica-style grille, punctuated by four bold headlamps. Whereas the 1958 models had merely looked larger, the ’59s truly were larger, the wheelbases only marginally so, but the overall length was up a full 10 inches on the Dynamic and Super 88s. The engine on entry-level Dynamic 88s carried over, but a four-barrel carburetor was available, boosting horsepower by 10 percent. The J-2 triple-carburetor option, however, had been discontinued.

Series names were carried over from 1958. Dynamic 88 and Super 88 cars had a 123-inch wheelbase, while 98s were built on a 126.3-inch chassis. Super 88s and 98s had a new bored-out 394-cubic inch powerplant, available only with four-barrel carburetion. Olds was still offering convertibles in all series, the most popular this year being the Dynamic 88, selling for $3,286; nearly 8,500 were built.

This striking Dynamic 88 Convertible Coupe has been the recipient of a body-off restoration. Attractive in red over white, it has red-and-white Moroccan leather-like original “OEM style” vinyl upholstery and a white vinyl top with a matching boot cover. Body contours, paint, and chrome are all excellent, as is the windshield.

The undercarriage is exceptional and well detained. The black paint on the chassis has correct chalk inspection marks, and the underbody is in a contrasting red oxide primer. The engine compartment is sanitary and well detailed; the Rocket engine is in appropriate gold paint. The trunk has correct plaid vinyl lining, and the B.F. Goodrich 8.50-14 whitewall spare appears new.

Equipped with power steering, power brakes, power windows, a power seat, a power top, a rear seat speaker, a Wonderbar signal-seeking AM radio, windshield washers, an electric clock, and fender skirts, this car easily demonstrates why the entry-level series deserves the title “Dynamic 88.”