Vintage Oldsmobile dealer promo models

[human]

I've been helping my parents clean out their house in preparation for a move to a retirement community in a couple of months. I was working in the basement this past weekend and came across a box of Oldsmobile dealer promo models that I hadn't seen in many years. Dad used to have them displayed in the den at our old house when I was a kid but if the dates on the newspaper pages they were wrapped in are any indicator, they haven't seen the light of day in close to 40 years. They are each about eight inches long and are nicely detailed. The collection includes at least one car for each year (total of 15 models), beginning with a 1959 Ninety-Eight hard top coupe (the first year he worked for Oldsmobile) and ending with a 1971 Toronado, which was the first year of the second generation body style that ran through about 1977 or '78. The classic first generation of the Toronado is also well represented in the collection with 1966, '67, '69 and '70 models. Others include a 1960 Ninety-Eight coupe, 1961 F-85 station wagon, 1962 Super 88 four door hard top, '62 F-85 convertible with top down, 1963 Starfire coupe, a 1964 Cutlass convertible with the top down (odd that it isn't a 442), a '65 Dynamic 88 coupe, '68 Cutlass 442, '69 Cutlass 442, A couple of the oldest ones are slightly warped but Dad said that was common. He encouraged me to put them up on eBay along with the vintage Lionel and American Flyer electric trains I brought home to sell but I'm thinking I'll hold onto the Olds models for awhile, maybe even display them. They're pretty cool.

Daily Driver: 2011 Impala LT
Weekend Toy: 1995 Aurora

[skizo]

Kewl! Where da pix??

[Oldsnut]

Pics or it never happened

[tigger]

^Haha, c'mon Nut! Those things were everywhere late 70's. I believe him...

I would like to see 'em though, lol!

[human]

I didn't have time to pull each one out and photograph it separately, but here's a couple of shots of them in the box as proof of their existence. If you look closely you can see all but one of them. The one that's completely obscured is the '70 Toronado.

Daily Driver: 2011 Impala LT
Weekend Toy: 1995 Aurora

[skizo]

Ya know ... I got a nice shelving unit if you decide you don't want them ... <G>

[Paulaurora]

Me too

[rorafan]

Those are awesome, esp. given the personal history with your family and seeing them as a kid! That's quite a collection too. Definitely hold on to those.

FWIW, there were promo Aurora models made too. They show up on eBay from time to time.

[human]

I came up with some more dealer models at Mom and Dad's this weekend, mostly Ford products from the late '50s and early '60s, but there was a mid-'70s Mustang II in the box. There was also one GM in the lot, a mid-'60s Chevy El Camino. I'll probably be putting these up on eBay when I start selling some of this stuff I'm hauling home from there.

Daily Driver: 2011 Impala LT
Weekend Toy: 1995 Aurora

[human]

Dad gave me an odd variation on the dealer models this weekend. it's a mounted collection of five halves of 1965 Chevrolet dealer models. Somebody sawed models of a Corvair, Nova, Impala, Malibu and Corvette in half lengthwise and mounted them in a frame, presumably making two sets. Mine is the passenger sides of the models, so no steering wheels. He said one of his dealers gave it to him a long time ago. I remember seeing it before, but had forgotten about it. I think I need to find a piece of wall to put it on. It's very dusty so I'm going to have to clean it up before hanging it.

Daily Driver: 2011 Impala LT
Weekend Toy: 1995 Aurora

[Hurricane87]

In the 80s and 90's, you could buy these from GM parts departments. I had the clones of my 88 Beretta (well, almost--it was an 89 so the nameplates were in the wrong place) and my 93 Camaro.

After that, parenthood decreased my frivolous car spending, and AFAIK, GM stopped selling them.