1974 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Convertible

The General Motors full size B-bodies were stretched even larger for the 1971 model year, although they still rode on a 124" wheelbase. Trunks were enormous, big enough to hold several dead mobsters if packed carefully.

This, the seventh generation of Oldsmobile's 88 nameplate, saw the onset of the Malaise Era. In 1971, the only engine offered in the Delta 88 convertible was the 455 Rocket V-8, in two states of tune: There was the basic 280hp version and the more potent 320hp with dual exhausts. Ominous foreshadowing was that alongside those SAE gross horsepower measurements, the brochure also listed the new SAE net horsepower ratings, which more accurately reflected the output as installed in the car. Using the new measuring system the outputs were 185hp and 250hp.

For 1972, only the net horsepower ratings were given. Further, a more thrifty 350 Rocket V-8 was now the base motor for the convertible. Also, compression ratios were reduced to prepare the cars for an unleaded, low-octane future. The 350 Rocket came in 160 and 180 horsepower flavors, while the 455 Rocket came in single-exhaust 225hp or dual-exhaust 250hp tunes.

1973 added the newly-mandatory bumper up front that was capable of withstanding a 5mph impact, and the 1974 model, like the Colonial Cream convertible in the photo, added the 5mph rear bumper as well.

For 1974 only two powertrains were available in the Delta 88 Royale convertible: The base motor was the 350 Rocket V-8 making 180 SAE net horsepower, or the buyer could opt for the 455 Rocket V-8, which was now rated at a mere 210 horsepower, about the same as the fuel-injected small blocks that would power Mustangs and Camaros in the middle of the next decade.

To add insult to injury, these neutered 455 V-8 models hit dealer lots about the same time as OPEC turned off the nation's imported fuel supply, and they sold terribly. 1975 was the final year for the Delta 88 convertible and 1976 saw the last 455 Rocket V-8s, by which time output had been strangled to a mere 190 SAE net horses. The 1977 model year would see an all new downsized Delta 88 riding on a wheelbase a full eight inches shorter.

The car in the photo was snapped with a Nikon D5000 and an 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR II zoom lens.