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Oldsmobile Starfire
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The Starfire name was first used by Oldsmobile on a one-of-a-kind dream car that was shown at the 1953 Motorama auto show. Named after a Lockheed jet fighter plane, namely the F-94, the original Starfire was a 5-passenger convertible that had a fiberglass body, a Rocket V8 engine, and a wraparound windshield like that used on the top-of-the-line and limited-production 1953 Fiesta 98 convertible.
The Starfire name was first used on a production car to designate the convertible models of the 98 line for the 1954 through 1956 model years in much the same way that the Holiday name was used to designate hardtop body-styles.
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Encyclopedia
The Starfire name was first used by Oldsmobile on a one-of-a-kind dream car that was shown at the 1953 Motorama auto show. Named after a Lockheed jet fighter plane, namely the F-94, the original Starfire was a 5-passenger convertible that had a fiberglass body, a Rocket V8 engine, and a wraparound windshield like that used on the top-of-the-line and limited-production 1953 Fiesta 98 convertible.
The Starfire name was first used on a production car to designate the convertible models of the 98 line for the 1954 through 1956 model years in much the same way that the Holiday name was used to designate hardtop body-styles. The 1954 through 1956 Oldsmobile 98 Starfire convertibles were the most expensive Oldsmobiles offered during those years. During the 1957 model year, all 98 models were referred to as being "Starfire 98s". The name was dropped from the 98 series beginning with the 1958 model year.
1961-66
The first time the Starfire name was used to designate a full-fledged model all by itself was for 1961. With the new car, Oldsmobile was attempting to capture part of the growing personal-luxury car market as was typified by the 4-passenger Ford Thunderbird first introduced for the 1958 model year. However, the Starfire was based on other existing Oldsmobile models, shared most of its sheet metal with other models, and was considered part of the full-sized Oldsmobile line, unlike the Thunderbird which had unique body panels and was a model in its own right.
Introduced in January 1961 as a convertible, the first Starfire shared its body and wheelbase with the Super 88 and the lower-priced Dynamic 88. It was loaded with standard equipment including leather bucket seats, center console with tachometer and floor shifter for the Hydra-matic transmission (incidentally the first U.S. full-sized production car to feature an automatic transmission with a console-mounted floor shifter), brushed aluminum side panels and power steering, brakes, windows and driver's seat. With a base price of $4,647, in 1961 it was the most expensive of all Oldsmobiles, even more than the larger Ninety-Eight models. The standard 394 cubic inch V-8 Skyrocket V8 engine - Oldsmobile's most powerful in 1961 - used a 4-barrel Rochester carburetor and generated at 4600 rpm. Sales of the 1961 model were 7,800.
For the 1962 model year, the convertible was joined by a two-door hardtop, which featured a new convertible roofline shared with other Olds 88 coupes. Horsepower was up to 345. 1962 was the best sales year for the first generation Starfire with sales of the hardtop coupe being 34,839 and sales of the convertible being 7,149.
Styling changes for the 1963 model year included a move away from the sculpted sides of the previous years model, to a flatter, more conventional look with an exclusive squared off roofline that included a concave rear window. Sales of the coupe were down to 21,489 and the convertible was down to 4,401, probably due to intense competition from Buick's all-new Riviera, which was in the same price range as the Starfire but had its own unique bodyshell.
The 1964 model appeared very similar to the 1963 model. Curb weight was down, but overall length was up to . Sales dropped further with coupe sales being 13,753 and convertible sales being 2,410. The Starfire now shared its basic bodyshell with the new and lower-priced Jetstar I hardtop coupe which competed directly against the Pontiac Grand Prix. The Jetstar I also used the Starfire's 345 horsepower 394 cubic-inch "Ultra High Compression" Rocket V8, but had a pricetag that was over $1,000 lower than the Starfire due to the use of a vinyl bucket seat interior and the fact that many Starfire standard features were optional on the Jetstar including Hydra-Matic transmission, power steering and brakes.
For the 1965 model year, all Oldsmobiles would receive new styling, and the Starfire Hardtop Sports Coupe would receive a modified version of the 1963-64 unique roofline with an inversely curved rear window. The Hardtop Sports Coupe body-style was again shared with the Jetstar I. Other 88 models adopted a Holiday Hardtop Coupe body-style that featured more of a fastback roof design, while the Ninety-Eight featured a more squared-off formal roof-line.
A new version of the Rocket V8 engine was offered for the 1965 model year, this one measuring 425 cubic inches in displacement, still using a Rochester 4-barrel carburetor and generating at 4800 rpm. This was still the most powerful engine in the Oldsmobile lineup and used only in the Starfire and the Jetstar I. Also new for 1965 was the three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission which replaced the previous fluid-coupling Hydra-Matic used by Oldsmobile since 1940. Added to the option list for the first time on Starfires and other B-body cars was a four-speed manual transmission with Hurst shifter that was rarely ordered.
1965 sales were 13,024 for the coupe and 2,236 for the convertible.
Only the Starfire coupe was offered for 1966 as the convertible was discontinued for this final year for that nameplate as a full-sized sporty/luxury coupe. The Starfire price and equipment level both dropped considerably from previous years and was now at the same level as the former Jetstar I series with a less plush interior thanks to the leather seats being replaced by Morroceen vinyl for both the Strato bucket seats or no-cost optional notchback bench seat, and the movement of power windows and seats from standard equipment to the option list. Also downgraded from standard to optional equipment were the Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission, power steering and power brakes. Horsepower was up to 375, but the Starfire no longer had the most powerful engine offered for sale in an Oldsmobile. The new Toronado had a similar engine offering . Sales of the 1966 Starfire coupe were 13,019.
For 1967, the Starfire was replaced by a new Delta 88 Custom Holiday coupe which had interior trimmings similar to the '66 Starfire and was complemented by a four-door Holiday sedan with the notchback bench seat. Later full-sized Oldsmobile coupes to carry on the Starfire tradition included the 1969-70 Delta 88 Royale and then the 1978-81 Delta Holiday 88 coupe introduced a year after the Olds 88 and other full-sized GM cars were considerably downsized in 1977.
1975-80
The 1970s Starfire was a rear-wheel drive subcompact sporty hatchback coupe introduced in the fall of 1974 as a 1975 model, along with its corporate clones, the Chevrolet Monza 2+2 and the Buick Skyhawk.
Based on the same chassis as the Chevrolet Vega (and the Pontiac Astre), the Starfire was built on General Motors’ H-platform. It would be the smallest car bearing the Oldsmobile name since before World War II.
It used the Buick-designed 231 cid V6 engine using a 2-barrel carburetor that generated at 4000 rpm and was available in base and SX trims. The Starfire GT option, introduced in the middle of 1975, included a variety of appearance options.
The 1975 Starfire, Monza, and Skyhawk, along with several General Motors full-size models, were the first cars to adopt the newly approved quad rectangular headlamps and had a strong resemblance to the Ferrari 365 GTC/4. This was the first GM product to incorporate a torque arm rear suspension (rear coil springs with 2 links) - its design was later incorporated into GM's third and fourth generation F-bodies.
The 1976 model added the option of a 5-speed manual transmission, while a 4-speed manual transmission remained standard and a 3-speed automatic was also an option.
For the 1977 model year, the 140 cid (2.3 liter) aluminum inline 4-cylinder engine with 2-barrel carburetor became standard, while the Buick 231 cid (3.8 liter) V-6 became an option on base models but was still standard with the GT package. The Chevrolet 305 (5.0 liter) V-8 was added as an option later in the year.
For 1978 Pontiac's 151 cid (2.5 liter) Iron Duke inline 4-cylinder engine with a 2-barrel carburetor, generating at 4400 rpm replaced the 140 as the base engine. Late in the year, Oldsmobile added the Starfire Firenza package which included special rallye suspension, a front air dam, rear spoiler, flared wheel openings, sport wheels and special paint and trim.
The 1979 model year saw a face lift, with twin rectangular headlamps replacing the previous quad rectangular headlamp design.
The 1980 model year was the last one for the Starfire and its derivatives. The V-8 engine option was dropped, as was the 5-speed manual transmission. Production ceased December 21, 1979, as Oldsmobile traded H-body production to Chevrolet and Pontiac in exchange for a higher allotment of new FWD X-bodies.
The H-body cars were replaced in the spring of 1981 with the new front-wheel drive J-cars. Designated as early 1982 models they included the Chevrolet Cavalier, Oldsmobile Firenza, Buick Skyhawk, and the Pontiac J2000.
The 1982 Oldsmobile Firenza was a very different car from the 1975 through 1980 subcompacts. While the Starfire was a small sporty car, the Firenza was a complete line of compact cars that included 2 and 4-door sedans, a 2-door hatchback coupe, and a 4-door station wagon.
Sources
- Flammang, James M. & Kowlake, Ron, Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1976-199, 3rd Edition (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1999)
- Gunnell, John, Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1946-1975, Revised 4th Edition (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2002)
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