1942 Oldsmobile Custom Eight Cruiser Convertible Coupe

Chassis No. 98-28403

Oldsmobile marked its 44th year of automobile production in 1942 with the B-44 emblem worn across the range, a piece of showroom optimism in what proved one of the shortest model years in the division's history. Civilian assembly at Lansing halted on 5 February 1942, after which the plant produced only aero components, machine guns, and ammunition for the duration of WWII. What left the line before that date was arguably the handsomest Oldsmobile yet built. The new bodies wore so-called ''Fuselage Fenders,'' pontoon forms drawn rearward into the front doors and tapered at the rear, while a layered two-tier grille lent real width and presence to the front.

The Series 98 Custom Eight Cruiser topped the range on the longest wheelbase of the three chassis at 127 inches, its 257-cu-in L-head straight-eight rated at 110 horsepower and paired with the smooth, clutchless four-speed Hydra-Matic. Convertible Coupes were the most expensive and scarcest body style of all, with just 216 finding buyers at $1,561.

This example, chassis number 98-28403, was among that final civilian run and has since been given a thorough restoration, subsequently earning AACA National First Prize honors in 2006 as recorded by the badge on its grille. It is presented in period-correct Sea Foam Green over a green leather interior beneath a tan folding top. The cabin is trimmed as befits the top of the Oldsmobile line, with a wood-grain dashboard carrying full Art Deco instrumentation, a glovebox clock, a pushbutton radio set behind an Oldsmobile-lettered grille, and an ivory steering wheel with a chrome horn ring. Wide whitewall tires, full wheel covers with bright trim rings, and generous exterior brightwork complete the presentation.

Any clean 1942 American car is uncommon today, as these were the cars pressed hardest through the war years for want of replacements. A Custom Cruiser Convertible is scarcer still, and its styling was seen for a single, truncated model year, the 1946 models returning with a revised face. Handsome and comfortably sized for six, this is an Oldsmobile suited equally to touring and to the show field, where it would be among the very few of its kind present.