Oldsmobile wins the 1959 Daytona 500 . . . four days later! In the final lap of this historic race held for the first time on America’s first superspeedway, Lee Petty in the #42 Olds vies for the lead with Johnny Beauchamp in a Ford Thunderbird. After a photo finish, Beauchamp heads to Victory Lane. Four days later, NASCAR officials change their mind and declare Petty the winner.

For the third year running, Oldsmobiles received a bumper-to-bumper styling change. Company ad writers dubbed it the “linear look” as lengths grew ten inches from the previous model year! Interiors were also redone with the most notable change being the Safety Spectrum Speedometer. Speed was indicated by a moving band of color – green from 0- to 35-mph, orange from 35- to 65-mph, and red for speeds over 65-mph. Visibility was improved, too, via a new Vista-Panoramic windshield. Riding a 126.3-inch wheelbase, Olds built 7,514 of the big 98 convertibles with a base price of $4,366; making it the most expensive model in its lineup by far.

This top-of-the-line 98 is a rare survivor example and befitting its luxury status, is loaded with factory options. Painted Golden Mist over a tri-tone fawn, beige and dark brown Moroceen and leather interior, it is equipped with the 394-cid, 315-hp Rocket V-8 with four-barrel carburetor and Hydra-Matic automatic transmission. Power steering and brakes, power top, power windows, six-way power seat, factory clock and AM radio with rear seat speaker are among the many extras on this rare example of Oldsmobile’s best.