Cars that spend decades in storage typically come with massive problems, not only in terms of rust but also from a mechanical perspective.
This won’t be the case with this 1962 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Sport Sedan. The car spent 72 years in storage, with eBay seller smithfleetwood explaining that it was parked in a barn in 1979 and pulled in 2021.
The car has received only minor fixes in the three years since it’s been out, but the good news is happening under the hood. The engine starts, runs, and drives, albeit it shouldn’t be considered roadworthy. However, a working engine is fantastic news for someone planning a restoration, especially because everything else looks doable.
The 1962 Oldsmobile 98 could be had with a 394 engine producing 325 horsepower. It was the only engine option that was paired with a four-speed Hydra-Matic transmission, no matter if you picked a two- or four-door Holiday hardtop, a four-door Town Sedan, a convertible, or a four-door Sport Sedan.
The 1962 98 sold like hotcakes. Approximately 65,000 cars rolled off the assembly lines this year, up from 40,000 units in 1961.
The owner shared a detailed description of this Olds on eBay, and I advise you to read it before bidding, but I must highlight one more detail before wrapping up things. The car has no rust and still wears the original Wedgewood Mist metallic, albeit it shows its age. The paint is faded and oxidized, and the owner blames the West Texas sun for this problem. The right front has already been repainted, while the right rear fender has a small dent, so inspect them thoroughly if you want an all-original Oldsmobile restored to factory specifications.
Otherwise, everything on this Oldsmobile 98 suggests that bringing the car back to the road is possible with a ton of work. It’s not an easy project, and you’ll find parts like a disintegrated dashpad, but the owner says it can provide a replacement to help with the restoration.
The selling price makes sense for this project, and it’ll be interesting to see if the car remains available for long. The owner posted it on eBay with a $6,500 price tag, but they also enabled the Make Offer button button to leave the door open to further negotiations.
However, with only a few hours left until the bidding comes to an end, this Olds might fail to sell this time, so we’ll probably see it relisted in the coming days. You can find it in Darlington, South Carolina, if you want to see it in person.
