1958 was the year that General Motors went crazy with chrome. Cars across all marques were bigger too – longer and wider than ever before. Since body designs were changed again completely in 1959, some people refer to the ’58 cars as “one year wonders.” They’ve never been as popular as the ’55-57 model year cars it seems, maybe because of their one-off styling, maybe because they are big and heavy, garish in style, and don’t handle so well either.

Since 1958 was a down year compared to the monster sales year of 1957, these cars are much rarer today as well.

This amazingly original 1958 Olds Super 88 Holiday Coupe, with only 33,446 miles and featuring the optional J-2 tri-carb option, is one of only 18,653 of this particular model sold by Oldsmobile that year (compared to 31,155 sold in 1957).

It’s located in Broadview Heights, Ohio and is for sale on eBay. This beautiful Olds comes with a pretty great story too. Apparently the original owner purchased this well equipped Olds in Cleveland, and used it sparingly, after which it was put away.

The original owner’s nephew apparently inherited the car and sold it in 2006 to a member of the Olds Club of America (OCA – full disclosure, I’ve been a member of OCA since 1977 – it’s a great club.)

The current owner went through the car and has done a considerable amount of mechanical work to make it a solid, reliable driver.

The list of work is extensive and the car is said to drive perfectly. Some of the work done includes reconditioning the fuel system, rebuilding the carburetors, adding a new water pump, thermostat, hoses, heater hoses and belts, and recoring the radiator. In addition, the brakes were redone, the master cylinder rebuilt, and a new stainless steel exhaust system was added as well.

The body displays its original Victorian White and Champagne Mist Metallic colors and is described as 90-91 out of 100. The chrome is excellent and there is no rust, nor any body damage visible.

The beige interior is said to be near perfect except for a fragile headliner.

The trunk is a fantastic example of originality.

The engine compartment is extremely original, down to the hose clamps. This is the 371 cubic inch Golden Rocket engine, and with these optional carbs makes 312 horsepower, which is plenty of power for any possible use.

The underside of the car is an area of the car that admittedly not original. The first owner treated it with some form of rustproofing, and then the current owner redid the underside in black paint. Tires are new Cokers and are larger than original spec.

As the seller’s agent says, there is no substitute for originality, and I have to agree that this car is pretty amazing. Then again, the price for this car is rather amazing also. Bidding reached an impressive $41,100 and reserve was not met. According to Hagerty, top value for this Olds is about $33,000. I’ve seen other 88 Super Holiday Coupes of this vintage in survivor condition that changed hands for less than what this car will evidently sell for. But there is no arguing that this is a very beautiful and special example of a fifties excess era Oldsmobile. It’s almost too nice to drive, but it is great to look at and admire, and for those of us who grew up in the fifties and sixties, this Oldsmobile is a fantastic memory machine. We will have to keep an eye out to see if the seller relists it with a reserve closer to what the final bid was this go around.