GTP Cool Wall: 1978-1984 Oldsmobile Delta Ninety-Eight Diesel

[Jahgee]

I think it's a Meh, but I voted Cool to counteract everyone hating it.

 

[White & Nerdy]

Also,

This car is perfect for that. Seriously Uncool.

 

[Slash]

 

[Vic Reign93]

Put it like this, if I had two hand grenades and another bad car to blow up, I would still throw both in the olds.

Seriously uncool

 

[Joey D]

In the picture, the car is the same color as hearing aids and old medical supplies, that ruined any chances of this car making it out of the seriously uncool category.

 

[Famine]

In the picture, the car is the same color as hearing aids and old medical supplies, that ruined any chances of this car making it out of the seriously uncool category.

That's an actual shade you know. It's called "Hearing Aid Beige" and was much beloved of British Leyland in the 1970s.

 

[Crash]

Bland American land yacht with no style or class from one of the most disappointing eras of US auto industry.

Seriously uncool.

 

[BKGlover]

I told myself I wasn't gonna get involved in these after I gave it up.......but I'm not gonna let this one live. Send it to hell.

Actually, let's make the damned thin useful by giving us a show. Like this did...

 

[Crumpet]

Looks like 🤬

Seriously uncool.

 

[Azure Flare]

Big boat of a car.
Very bad engine, heck my 3 year old nephew outputs more torque than this engine.
Owned by GM.
Color is horrid on that car, but I do like the same color on Eric The Car Guys Ford Fairmont.
Same boxy shape as other cars from the time.

'Merica.
'Merica.
Just GM things.
Paint it black!
'Merica.

Seriously Uncool.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Also,

This car is perfect for that. Seriously Uncool.

I already said that...don't wanna say the type of people that usually do that but we just had some pictures of this type of car on the questionable modification thread.

 

[White & Nerdy]

Combine the off-road helplessness of a lowrider or sports car with the on-road incompetence of a brotank, and you have a high-riser. ("Donk" is a term referring to one or two specific models and applies regardless of the style of modification used, if any are used at all.)

 

[Grayfox]

Paint it black!

Doesn't have to be black.

But discolored white plastic is horrid

 

[Azure Flare]

It might look alright if it was black.

 

[JAHHAJ]

Uncool.

 

[JMoney]

A V8 with 120 horsepower? Are you kidding me? And what was the pointing of making it diesel-powered?

Seriously Uncool.

 

[Slash]

A V8 with 120 horsepower? Are you kidding me? And what was the pointing of making it diesel-powered?

Seriously Uncool.

It was even less powerful than a gasoline powered 305 V8 haha.

 

[Adamgp]

A V8 with 120 horsepower? Are you kidding me? And what was the pointing of making it diesel-powered?

Seriously Uncool.

It had no guts, but it got great mpg for a large car of it's time. (25mpg+ on the highway)

 

[MrWednesday]

A V8 with 120 horsepower? Are you kidding me?

Around the same time (1980-81), Ford briefly offered a de-bored 302 engine displacing 4.2 L that only made 120 HP as the top engine option in the Mustang. In the mid-70's, even the 302 was only rated in the 120s for HP.

By the standards of even the mid-80's, 120 HP is absurdly low for a V8, but it's not so odd for the late '70s and early '80s.

 

[Wolfe]

GM also built a turbocharged 4.9L that just barely cracked 200hp in 1980-81.

 

[Sage Ages]

Pretty much everything in the 70s and 80s was underpowered because of emission regulations.

 

[CarBastard]

Pretty much everything in the 70s and 80s was underpowered because of emission regulations.

Well, that's a given. Most of us actually got to the point where we no longer point our fingers and laugh at the U.S auto industry of the late 70s and 80s...but we can't help but laugh at engines like the one in this old...err...Olds. It gets so little power from such a big engine that it belongs to the 19th century...

 

[Slash]

Around the same time (1980-81), Ford briefly offered a de-bored 302 engine displacing 4.2 L that only made 120 HP as the top engine option in the Mustang. In the mid-70's, even the 302 was only rated in the 120s for HP.

By the standards of even the mid-80's, 120 HP is absurdly low for a V8, but it's not so odd for the late '70s and early '80s.

The 302 was officially rated 135-140 horsepower starting in 1972.

The 255 you speak of was a garbage engine though. That's the worst engine Ford ever built. And I love Windsors.

Pretty much everything in the 70s and 80s was underpowered because of emission regulations.

It wasn't all because of that. It was a large part of it though.

It had no guts, but it got great mpg for a large car of it's time. (25mpg+ on the highway)

The Mustang II could muster up 35-40mpg with the I4 engine in 1974. The V6 could get low 30s or high 20s. The V8s could get mid 20s. I've also been told by a former owner of a Nova that they got 30mpg out of one of those in the 80s when they had it.

Other than power, how far have we really come as far as gas mileage?

 

[MrWednesday]

The 302 was officially rated 135-140 horsepower starting in 1972.

Sourced from paragraph four here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Windsor_engine#302

However, I'm not having any success finding anything linking that power rating to a vehicle.

 

[Slash]

If you look at the 72 Mustang or first gen page there is a list of available engines and their ratings and it shows the 302-2V at 140 and 240 torque IIRC.

This engine was not changed durig the IIs production run.

 

[MrWednesday]

Rated at 137 HP in the Gran Torino per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Torino_Engine_Specifications

Still not anywhere near 122 HP, though.

In the '80's, the 302 was making substantially more power in the Mustang than it was in other vehicles, which is why I didn't just go off of the Mustang numbers.

 

[Slash]

That's because the engine in the Mustang was getting more hop up parts than others in the 80s such as hotter cams, 4 barrel carb and other goodies. Plus the drivetrain was easier to turn for chassis dynos than say a 302 in a truck so I'm sure the contributed.

Regardless of what its rated, most of the people who get ahold of them these days don't leave them stock so stock figures are pointless anymore. An I mean really why would you when parts are so cheap and readily available.

 

[Mikeybc]

Missed this one, I drove an 84 4 door with the diesel once, not pleasant, very uncool.

 

[Tyger]

The Miata is a stupidly small car anyways.

 

[Azure Flare]

The Miata is a stupidly small car anyways always the answer.

FTFY.

Just remember, the Miata is a beloved sports car a million times over, and it even brought back that particular segment of the market.