Description: Want to own the nicest 1956 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday Coupe in the world? If so, read on, because we have it!
While Tri-fives might be at every cruise in by the dozen, how frequently do you see their higher priced siblings? Take this gorgeous, award winning '56 Super 88 Holiday Coupe—the extra trim, the high output 324 inch engine, the chassis shared with Buick—the attraction is undeniable and the rarity of seeing one today makes this an unusual treat. And wait ‘till you see the paperwork!
Let's start with the mileage—the odometer's showing 27,930 miles, and that's 100% accurate. Check out the interior: Those are the ORIGINAL seats, door panels, dash pad, package tray and more! Sure, that's reproduction carpet on the floor, but most of what you'll touch has been in place since the Eisenhower administration! The dash chrome has been expertly restored, and everything down to the cigar lighter still works. The ivory tone steering wheel and melamine knobs are the originals, as are the chrome headliner bows and trim. Options run rampant in here from the E-Z-Eye tinted windshield, electric windshield washers, deluxe AM radio with rear seat speaker, courtesy lights, an electric clock, the parking brake warning light and the shifter for the Jetaway automatic transmission. The driver door armrest shows slight cracking, but that's about the only flaw in the car, and it's an original part! This is the kind of time capsule you want!
Slide underneath for a moment to find a detailed, correct chassis. The original thick undercoating (with a slight touch up accounting for wear) covers the 100% rust free panels as it should, the frame is clean and the suspension is tight. The transmission was rebuilt a decade ago and shifts as new, the axle makes no undue noises and the exhaust is solid and correct. Universal 7.60x15 whitewalls surround the original 5.5" wheels with restored original hubcaps while the original front and rear sway bars do what they can to hold the chassis flat in turns.
Under hood, the original T-350 4bbl engine still purrs away. New gaskets and new cosmetics have the mill up to show specs, but no rebuild was necessary at such a low mileage. With 240hp and 350lbs/ft of torque, the Olds mill was as powerful as it was smooth. You'll find the original air cleaner atop the original carburetor and fresh paint and decals on the engine. A detailed, correct generator and power steering pump are driven by the belts up front while the power brake booster is hidden the back corner. The original glass washer fluid reservoir is in its original bracket, a proper Delco battery is up front and the original radiator still does the cooling.
Original owner Myrtle Forward (you simply can’t make that up) bought the car new from her local dealer, Pendleton Olds of Racine, WI on June 21, 1956. We have THE ORIGINAL owner's manual filled out as it should be complete with her name, the dealer and the car and engine numbers…it's like a 50's P-O-P! Myrtle held the car until a nursing home called in 1977 when her nephew sold the car for her to Henry Koenig, who restored it to its current condition. He sold the car again in 1991 to Harold Badger, keeping the car in Wisconsin. He held and showed the car until 1998 when he sold it to a GMC-Olds dealer principal in Illinois in 1998. He liquidated his collection soon afterward and the car found its way here. We have a photocopy of Myrtle’s 1964-issue title (most likely issued after her loan agreement was finished,) Harry’s title from 1977 cancelled by the state of Wisconsin and handed back. That title shows when Harold bought the car, and that the mileage really was just over 25,000! We even have a 1966 registration from Myrtle!
The paperwork doesn’t stop there, though—we have a TON more. Not just we’ve-got-some-documents stuff, either—imagine taking a time machine back to 1956 and gather just about EVERY piece of dealer or manufacturer literature you could get your hands on! We have an original shop manual, full and half size brochures and a pair of mailers complete with their original envelopes! For the salesmen, we have pocket comparison guides, trim selectors, accessory guides, facts and specifications and a half dozen more. There are cold-call phone sheets broken down by what the potential customer’s current car with approaches for each. There are half-size booklets on the Rocket engines, Jet-A-Way transmissions and Harrison air conditioning. We have just about every sales promotion flyer and gimmick book issued in ’56. There’s a complete dealer life insurance program mailer complete with the envelope. Also in its envelope is the mailer with all of the specialty tools available to the service department. There’s a nearly-new copy of GMAC news, too. The 1956 color and trim selector, complete with color plates and clear slides to help visualize the car of your dreams, is in outstanding shape with NO missing pages. Technical service bulletins were issued by the factory as problems got reported and we have the complete collection of them. The final mind-blowing piece is a window poster which measures around 4’x5’ meant for a storefront window—it’s ALL authentic from 1956!
The restoration you see here is amazing, with some SERIOUS dedication to preservation! NOS and original parts are abound, although not much needed to be replaced: The right front fender (Myrtle had a run in with the garage door,) both bumpers, the hood rocket, both taillights and the front and rear "globe" emblems were all that were needed. All trim pieces were removed and refinished, and the hood, front end, doors and deck lid and the motor and transmission were pulled for the high quality repaint. All of the original glass is still with the car, 60+ years later. Reassembly went easily with all of the original components, and the hard work was rewarded with the Ransom. E. Olds award at the National Oldsmobile Club meet. It was also one of only two '56 models chosen for the 100th anniversary parade in Lansing, MI—that's a huge honor!
The 1956 Oldsmobiles were great cars -- by mid-Fifties standards, in fact, milestone cars. They were powerful, readable, comfortable and stylish. Oldsmobile Division had every right to be proud of them then; collectors still can be today! You may never see another one like this for sale in your lifetime: 27,000 original miles, national show winning pedigree, and ready for another 50 years of showing and enjoyment. Don’t wait long on this one!
While Tri-fives might be at every cruise in by the dozen, how frequently do you see their higher priced siblings? Take this gorgeous, award winning '56 Super 88 Holiday Coupe—the extra trim, the high output 324 inch engine, the chassis shared with Buick—the attraction is undeniable and the rarity of seeing one today makes this an unusual treat. And wait ‘till you see the paperwork!
Let's start with the mileage—the odometer's showing 27,930 miles, and that's 100% accurate. Check out the interior: Those are the ORIGINAL seats, door panels, dash pad, package tray and more! Sure, that's reproduction carpet on the floor, but most of what you'll touch has been in place since the Eisenhower administration! The dash chrome has been expertly restored, and everything down to the cigar lighter still works. The ivory tone steering wheel and melamine knobs are the originals, as are the chrome headliner bows and trim. Options run rampant in here from the E-Z-Eye tinted windshield, electric windshield washers, deluxe AM radio with rear seat speaker, courtesy lights, an electric clock, the parking brake warning light and the shifter for the Jetaway automatic transmission. The driver door armrest shows slight cracking, but that's about the only flaw in the car, and it's an original part! This is the kind of time capsule you want!
Slide underneath for a moment to find a detailed, correct chassis. The original thick undercoating (with a slight touch up accounting for wear) covers the 100% rust free panels as it should, the frame is clean and the suspension is tight. The transmission was rebuilt a decade ago and shifts as new, the axle makes no undue noises and the exhaust is solid and correct. Universal 7.60x15 whitewalls surround the original 5.5" wheels with restored original hubcaps while the original front and rear sway bars do what they can to hold the chassis flat in turns.
Under hood, the original T-350 4bbl engine still purrs away. New gaskets and new cosmetics have the mill up to show specs, but no rebuild was necessary at such a low mileage. With 240hp and 350lbs/ft of torque, the Olds mill was as powerful as it was smooth. You'll find the original air cleaner atop the original carburetor and fresh paint and decals on the engine. A detailed, correct generator and power steering pump are driven by the belts up front while the power brake booster is hidden the back corner. The original glass washer fluid reservoir is in its original bracket, a proper Delco battery is up front and the original radiator still does the cooling.
Original owner Myrtle Forward (you simply can’t make that up) bought the car new from her local dealer, Pendleton Olds of Racine, WI on June 21, 1956. We have THE ORIGINAL owner's manual filled out as it should be complete with her name, the dealer and the car and engine numbers…it's like a 50's P-O-P! Myrtle held the car until a nursing home called in 1977 when her nephew sold the car for her to Henry Koenig, who restored it to its current condition. He sold the car again in 1991 to Harold Badger, keeping the car in Wisconsin. He held and showed the car until 1998 when he sold it to a GMC-Olds dealer principal in Illinois in 1998. He liquidated his collection soon afterward and the car found its way here. We have a photocopy of Myrtle’s 1964-issue title (most likely issued after her loan agreement was finished,) Harry’s title from 1977 cancelled by the state of Wisconsin and handed back. That title shows when Harold bought the car, and that the mileage really was just over 25,000! We even have a 1966 registration from Myrtle!
The paperwork doesn’t stop there, though—we have a TON more. Not just we’ve-got-some-documents stuff, either—imagine taking a time machine back to 1956 and gather just about EVERY piece of dealer or manufacturer literature you could get your hands on! We have an original shop manual, full and half size brochures and a pair of mailers complete with their original envelopes! For the salesmen, we have pocket comparison guides, trim selectors, accessory guides, facts and specifications and a half dozen more. There are cold-call phone sheets broken down by what the potential customer’s current car with approaches for each. There are half-size booklets on the Rocket engines, Jet-A-Way transmissions and Harrison air conditioning. We have just about every sales promotion flyer and gimmick book issued in ’56. There’s a complete dealer life insurance program mailer complete with the envelope. Also in its envelope is the mailer with all of the specialty tools available to the service department. There’s a nearly-new copy of GMAC news, too. The 1956 color and trim selector, complete with color plates and clear slides to help visualize the car of your dreams, is in outstanding shape with NO missing pages. Technical service bulletins were issued by the factory as problems got reported and we have the complete collection of them. The final mind-blowing piece is a window poster which measures around 4’x5’ meant for a storefront window—it’s ALL authentic from 1956!
The restoration you see here is amazing, with some SERIOUS dedication to preservation! NOS and original parts are abound, although not much needed to be replaced: The right front fender (Myrtle had a run in with the garage door,) both bumpers, the hood rocket, both taillights and the front and rear "globe" emblems were all that were needed. All trim pieces were removed and refinished, and the hood, front end, doors and deck lid and the motor and transmission were pulled for the high quality repaint. All of the original glass is still with the car, 60+ years later. Reassembly went easily with all of the original components, and the hard work was rewarded with the Ransom. E. Olds award at the National Oldsmobile Club meet. It was also one of only two '56 models chosen for the 100th anniversary parade in Lansing, MI—that's a huge honor!
The 1956 Oldsmobiles were great cars -- by mid-Fifties standards, in fact, milestone cars. They were powerful, readable, comfortable and stylish. Oldsmobile Division had every right to be proud of them then; collectors still can be today! You may never see another one like this for sale in your lifetime: 27,000 original miles, national show winning pedigree, and ready for another 50 years of showing and enjoyment. Don’t wait long on this one!
I know this was written quite a few years back but I totally like everything that is written her. More updates please! Thanks!
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