Oldsmobile Super 88

 

The Oldsmobile 88 is a full-size car that was sold and produced by Oldsmobile from 1949 until 1999. From 1950 until 1974, the 88 was the division's most profitable line, particularly the entry level models such as the 88 and Dynamic 88. The 88 series was also an image leader for Oldsmobile, particularly in the early years (1949–51), when it was one of the best performing automobiles, thanks to its relatively small size, light weight, and advanced overhead-valve high-compression V8 engine. This is the fifth generation car made from 1961 to 1964.

The 1961 Oldsmobile Super 88 did sterling service for Corgi and why not - it stood for the essential early Sixties Yankee four door sedan very well indeed. The Sheriff car came first, the civilian saloon appeared later in 1962 with the military staff car and the Man from UNCLE Thrushbuster following in the next couple of years. This model also shows Corgi to have truly moved on. we expect and get windows, seats & suspension as a matter of course (except the Thrushbuster which had no suspension) even on basic products like this - and there is no half moon cut-out on the base for the Dinky caravan which had always been a feature - is this confidence on Corgi's part that they didn't need to be compatible with Dinky any more? I just remember it being a pain because I owned a Dinky caravan!

237 Sheriff Car

The Oldsmobile Sheriff car was released in June 1962 and remained in the range until 1966, there are no listed variations and it is not a particularly hard to find model with values being reasonable for a Corgi of this age

235 Civilian Version

This is the plain 'cooking' version of the Super 88. They came in shades of blue - but the paint is often blistered. Perhaps it was a bad batch of paint. I think there's a bit of fudging on the detail too. Look up pictures of the '61 Super 88 on the Internet and look at the way the front wings merge into the grille, doesn't look right to me. However it is a nice looking car and very characteristic of the early sixties US sedan. The Oldsmobile Super 88 was released in December 1962 and remained in the range until 1966. It is found in light blue or steel blue metallic with a white side-stripe. Ramsay lists a black and white version, but that may be confused with the Police model, and the Great Book of Corgi has it in dark blue, which is incorrect. They are not hard to find and values are reasonable, neither colour getting a premium over the other.

358 Military Staff Car

A good old Corgi staple - the Olds 88 from '61 reworked yet again into an Army Staff Car with four uniformed heads in the car. Its a good model, well made and well modelled. in January 1965 Corgi released a range of nine military vehicles, they were all re-coloured versions of models from the core range, some of them getting a bit long in the tooth by then. They were mostly British vehicles but were done up to look like the US Army. Sales were pretty low and they were all withdrawn the following year. Because of the low sales they are not that common and values can be pretty high, this Oldsmobile for instance is worth significantly more than the Police or civilian versions.

497 The Man From UNCLE Thrushbuster

I understood the Saint Volvo, he drove it in every episode, the James Bond Aston was in the movie (briefly), the Avengers cars, the Batmobile - we knew where they all came from - but Napoleon and Illya never made a feature of their cars and as I remember they always worked deep under cover - a car with UNCLE in two foot high letters across the bonnet was just so not their style. The Waverley ring that came with it was right out of the show - but where did this five-year old Oldsmobile come from? I was bought one by the old lady who lived next door for a Christmas present (I still have it - but it's very rough) and I remember being soundly disappointed it had no suspension. Having said all that the model has become a classic which always fetches high prices. The car was made from 1966 to 1969 and is available in metallic blue and in off-white, the off white one is really very valuable indeed.

         
Corgi Toys 237; Oldsmobile Sheriff Car Corgi Toys 235; Oldsmobile Super 88; Steel Blue Metallic & White Corgi Toys 235; Oldsmobile Super 88; Pale Blue, White Corgi Toys 358; Oldsmobile Super 88 H.Q.Staff Car Corgi Toys 497; The Man From UNCLE Thrushbuster; Dark Blue Metallic
Corgi Toys 237; Oldsmobile Sheriff Car Corgi Toys 235; Oldsmobile Super 88; Steel Blue Metallic & White Corgi Toys 235; Oldsmobile Super 88; Pale Blue, White Corgi Toys 358; Oldsmobile Super 88 H.Q.Staff Car Corgi Toys 497; The Man From UNCLE Thrushbuster; Dark Blue Metallic
Corgi Toys 497; The Man From UNCLE Thrushbuster; Cream        
Corgi Toys 497; The Man From UNCLE Thrushbuster; Cream        

 


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Last Edit: 12/06/2024 Page Added 27/05/2022