1965 Oldsmobile starfire 

Hey Jay, I'm going to guess Roy Orbison Anything You Want You Got It!!! This 65 Starfire is stunning!! I really enjoyed & was surprised when you opened the trunk & there was a body inside!!! Great job!! Thanks for sharing this exciting video!!! 👍👍🙂🦃

There was a time when each of the American car manufacturers had distinctive, special and unique features. In the 60's Oldsmobiles were elegant and still sporty. The brushed aluminum, interior lights and dash styling were classier than most competitors. Also, in the '60's the goal of most family sized American cars was a smooth, quiet ride with easy steering and brakes. GM (Frigidaire) and Chrysler (Airtemp) were great at freezing 🥶 you out.

GM was at the top of their game in the mid 60’s. Great looking, well made cars from each division.

I'm old enough to know that the glove box also has a light when the door is open to end shuts off when the door is closed. You can see the switch for it as you open the door to the glove box.

Also was first year for 400 transmission the 61 to 64 had the slim jim transmission was worst transmission Gm had at that time the 400 is great transmission big improvement

My parents had a 1965 Ninety Eight LS….my opinion.…one of the finest looking cars of its time. Very similar to this car, but more luxurious. Fast, clean lines. Powerful engine. Truly a great vehicle that epitomized the mid 60’s look. Great find….thanks for this video.

“Super” is correct. In owner’s manual.

The interior is incredible. The amount and quality of the trim work is 1st rate. Real chrome, brushed aluminum, and thick pile carpet everywhere. The dash is airplane cockpit inspired. The interior is so nice that the exterior seems a little bland which is made even a little worse by the color. A nice color would make it much nicer aesthetically. The lack of speed is most likely due to it being such an old car. Time will eat away at your 0-60 time

1965 was the year my family went new car shopping and I still remember visiting the local Oldsmobile dealership. I was 8 years old and was confused by two models that looked alike. There was the Starfire, like the car featured here, and there was another car called the Jetstar 1, which shared the same coupe roofline. They both looked the same to me, but dad said the Jetstar 1 was much less expensive because it was part of the Jetstar 88 lineup, the "value priced" full-sized Oldsmobiles. Thank you for another great old car review! 👍👍

The shift quadrant "S" was always "Super" which dates back to atleast the Jetaway 4-speed Hydramatic. It should call it "Super" in the owner's manual. If these cars are for sale, let us know how much the seller wants for them. I believe that "Ultra High Compression" usually meant 11:1. Anyway, it was a premium fuel engine.

S stood for super that was the kick ass gear for racing

Just imagine a time when there were car commercials on TV every 15 or 20 minutes and in the newspapers, which almost everyone subscribed to, and your parents decided it was time for a new car 🚗. So many brands and so many models. In the fall when new models were introduced it was so common to take a little trip to the dealers and “Ooohh and Aaaahh” at the new cars. Go to the Ford dealer and look at the Galaxie, the Sunliner and Starliner, go to Oldsmobile and look at the Jetfire or the Starfire. Go to the Mercury dealer and look at the Comet ☄️ . So many dealers; Chevrolet, Ford, Plymouth, American Motors, Pontiac, Mercury, Dodge, Oldsmobile, Buick, Chrysler, Cadillac & Lincoln. Every car had some feature that was unique or different. This Oldsmobile is a great example of what made Olds distinctive. Classic design, eye catching features and a Olds engine that was only in an Oldsmobile.

I drove a 66' White ext / Red int Delta 88' from the Panhandle of Texas to Colorado Springs in August 1976. I was 12. It was at night and we were in the middle of nowhere. My Grandma had cataracts and Grandpa got terrible leg cramps, so I had to drive. We were about 45 minutes south of Amarillo. It took 6 1/2 hours to get there. G and G slept while I drove. I was the King of All Creation behind that big steering wheel. So cool!

From the days when Oldsmobiles were truly something unique -- and this is at the top of that list for '65.

Another great episode! Good work.

I love driving this car. Not everything works, but I love this car.

I just sold my survivor 1968 Oldsmobile 98 LS w 48 k. It will be delivered to the new owner in Tampa Florida today. I then bot a 1993 F250 7.3 IDI w a Banks Turbo, 5 speed 4x4 ex cab long bed...

It was a fast car in it's day back than pontiac and olds had a fearful reputation

I owned the Delta 88 Version of this. Was the family car for years until I got in high school and I took mint care of it (it was always garaged and I was a wash and wax freak). Drove it in high school and after until the early 80s when I bought a new Pontiac. The car still had original paint and was in mint condition. The idiot I sold it to threw a rod in it racing it. I don't know what happened to it after that.. I actually raced a new Trans AM when I was in high school and beat it. I was an idiot back then too. The 425 was pretty fast even though mine had a 2 barrel carb. The drum brakes were horrible if you went fast so I didn't get in many races :). Thanks for the memories. The interior of my 65 Delta was all metal which from what I heard Olds got in trouble for because the sun would blind the driver (it really did) and they stopped doing that after 65.

I heard of one of these beauties when I was browsing a local dealership called Maple Motors for only 20,000$ it was a 1962 I think such a nice cruiser.

'65 was the last year for a Starfire convertible, with only 2200 made. Though the 98 was the top trim level, the Starfire ragtop was the most expensive '65 Olds due to all its standard equipment (automatic, leather upholstery, etc...).

As kids in the 60s we were told the "S" was for "Superspeed". Thanks for a very interesting and entertaining video.

The only one of these I have seen with any detail, is the 61, which was a mind changing experience. It really wowed me. I am so looking forward to your views and drive of this model. The 61 had a strip speedo which became interesting once you drove it. The speed indicator was a coloured strip, which changed from green, to orange, then red, depending on the speed. Real gee-whizz.

What a huge, beautiful car. Built on the Wildcat frame, no wonder it was huge and pretty. Too bad Oldsmobile went away, they had such wonderfuls cars and branding. Modern GM has really thrown Goodwill out the window!

One Look, Roy Orbison. I love Oldsmobiles, Starfires especially. The seat pleating repeated on the package shelf is just one of the interior details that put this model a cut above. Beautiful car, and unusual, in that it has A/C, which was a pricy option, and manual windows.

I absolutely love the dash of this beauty! Looks like a great road car. Also love that it has very integrated looking factory air. What a nice vintage unusual car. Thanks!

Roy Orbison, 'Anything you Want, you Got it. Thanks for everything, especially your honest personal descriptions. Oh! and the fun in the trunk. 😂 I see by the belated time stamp that I was not first with the " name that tune". It's okay 👍🏻

In 1971 my uncle gave me his 1967 Delmont 88. Had a real nice ride. I nicknamed it chapps. The irony of this, 4 years later I met an intern of Ted Kennedy.

Darn! Missed out being first again on the song trivia. The early to mid 60's GM cars had beautiful dashboards almost without exception in their full-size cars. Check out the dash of a 62 Olds, they had a 3D acrylic panel above the glovebox door stating the model name! It was very artful! It looked like it should have lit up at night but I don't think it did! GM dashes turned to crap aesthetically in 67 when everything went plastic and faux wood, but at this era, GM was at the top of their game as Greg Dunroe stated!

It wasn’t till 1968 but give me the Olds 455 Rocket and scoot over ! Those where some fast Grandpa cars !

Thank you for another excellent and thorough review. As for the steering, prior to the days of rack&pinion almost every car had some play in the steering. It was common and most people just accepted it as normal. One suggestion: I would add a brief walk all around outside the car so we can get a good look at it as you do with the interior. Thanks again. Your honest review style is very refreshing.

LOVE this Car!!!!!

Ps, The '65 Starfire ran on Super Premium unleaded fuel (which I believe was phased out in the early 1980s). The AC compressor is huge, and the AC is awesome! The brushed aluminum strips inside used to be outside, in the earlier Starfires. Missing from this car is the glass/bottle for the windshield viper fluid, and it just clipped into place. By the way, this car is very much a "muscle car," especially if the 1965 Oldsmobile 442 can be called a "muscle car." The Starfire has more horsepower and torque than the 442, a bigger engine with more compression, etc. (And the Starfire could be had with a 4-speed manual transmission, though those tend to be very rare.) As you pointed out, this car does its best in a straight-line, and it is not a car made for very curvy roads. You mentioned the discrepancy in 0-to-60 times, and this is likely due to a number of factors: 1) you are not using the original super-premium fuel, 2) status of tune-up (the wear on points and plugs,) 3) carburetor type/setting, etc. Trivia: My monthly insurance cost in 1977? $6.00 per month, on my father's insurance. I hope this information is helpful to you. As for the song, I believe it is "You Got It" by Roy Orbison. (I had an aftermarket 8-track player in my Starfire and had few Roy Orbison tapes.) :D

Hi from just out side Lansing, Michigan - The home for Olds. 😎

You made a comment regarding map pockets in a previous video on a blue Oldsmobile Starfire, I believe it was a 1964. You were surprised then, that it had map pockets on both sides. Also, just so you know...My extended family from a couple generations or so, were devoted Oldsmobile fans and always owned them. Oldsmobile's from the 1950's through part of the early 1980's, but especially from about 1959-1976, were known as excellent road cars. Meaning, they were the quintessential road trip cars! I've owned several myself, from that period and would agree.

Wow. What a cool car.

The "feeling" that 0 to 60 felt like about 8ish seconds is probably correct these days. I was around when these were new, but in those days our gasoline was not of such low octane and came without any kind of ethanol type of additives in it. In my location, (pacific northwest), stations I went to back in those days generally carried *leaded* regular (94 to 98 octane) and *leaded* premium or "ethyl" (98 to 104 octane). So 0 to 60 back in 1965 was very possible....but not so much today. And the ignition engine "timing"/ carburetor air to fuel mixture screws would have to be adjusted for optimum performance based on the higher, leaded gasoline. The gasoline we have nowdays, the engine/ carburetor settings have to be tuned back.....hence "feeling" slower. Just insight from experience. ((I'm old, been there, done that!!)) 👍🤣🤣👍

You got it, Roy Orbison

My family had a gold with burgundy 66 Starfire. It was my favorite car as a kid

Oldsmobile produced really nice looking designs , that looked super comfortable, practical and with touches of elegance. I love all the cool jet age names for the various models.

That's a beautiful cat that's when they made them

It’s Super. 2 would indicate second gear.

A work of art.

Really nice shape for an original 1965 model. I know from an experience in high school that these babies will do about 110 mph.

In the mid 70s I purchased a 1962 Olds 88. Don’t remember engine displacement but it was a Sky Rocket Ultra High Compression, Use Premium Fuel .

Great video. When I was a kid, my uncle had one of these in a beautiful red color. I was very young, but I remember riding in the back seat (without being in a car seat or having seat belts on) and playing with the power windows. When he brought a new Caddy Sedan de Ville in 1973, he passed the Starfire along to my cousin, who unfortunately ran the car into the ground and then totaled it.

Roy Orbison

I owned an identical configuration '65 Starfire coupe during my high school years, back in the mid-to-late 1970s, and the "S" in the shifter stands for "Second." As for the options, there was the "reverb" option for the radio, then there was the "Autronic Eye" which automatically dimmed the bright lights to oncoming traffic. The power trunk switch should be in the glove compartment, and the power antenna switch would be next to the reverb switch (if equipped) above the radio, and underneath the dash top. By far, the Starfire is one of my favorite cars, and I have owned many cars over the past decades. I received so many speeding tickets while in high school with my Starfire that I was given the nickname "The Bandit!" (As in "Smokey & the Bandit" movie with Burt Reynolds.) I would love to see this car, if possible. :)

Always interesting.

You got it roy orbison

Can I have a starfire for my birthday? That engine by the time you had it might be a little short on its power, but mostly I suspect it has a numerically low rear end combined with an early automatic is why your not getting 7.1,. Now back then you could have ordered it with a 4 speed and a 3.7(ish) rear end and 7.1 does not seem out of line (and it could probably boil the mid 60's tires off of it). But years ago I rode in one new and it was very very quiet inside (as quiet as my uncles caddy from the same period). We 3 kids played games in the back seat while mom and dad had a pleasant conversation in front. Years later I drove a slightly later 88 and for being a big car with numb steering it was relatively steady on its wheels. Oldsmobile made what it set out to make, it wasn't a car for 2023 but for a country with new interstates, cheap gas and lots of parking places it was a beauty.

What a gorgeous car. Interior and dash are spectacular! Taillights are some of the prettiest ever. Really enjoyed this video!

My dad referred to “S” on his ‘72 Delta 88 as “Super” as in “SuperDrive”. I’ve never heard anyone refer to it that way since.

Very nice car especially interior.

What he didn't do was show you it lights both tires and puts you back in the seat, but it still is heavy and the floating makes it feel like your not moving.

The 60s made doing mobster stuff so much easier. Days of 3 to 4 bodies fitting in the trunk, long gone.

Another great video. You put time and effort into the video and it shows. Thank you for doing another Oldsmobile as well. I recall the Starfire as well. It was a great name. It was great to see your review. The Starfire and Jetstar I were in the dealership at the same time. Jetstar I was cheaper. There was a Ninety Eight Custom Sports Coupe from the same era with bucket seats and floor shifter. The the Toronado arrived in 1966. That changed the game. You see how the Starfire was getting squeezed on many sides. I recall the later Starfires from the 1970's.

Thumbs up and Happy Thanksgiving.

EXELENT VIDEO!

I'm certain any Traveling Wilbury fan could tell you 'Anything You Want' about the band. Olds Starfire. What a car! I had a 65 Riviera with that 425 and "thirsty" doesn't come close. Oozing class though! Another nice video

Thanks !.. It never ceases to amaze me how... competent were most American cars made from 1960s onward. It seems that even today I could easily use this car as a daily driver. Although, I actually frequently do daily drive a box Caprice in summer, which isn't all that different, I guess. A very nice interior. Brushed aluminum on door panels looks very cool & classy, but probably could get hot or cold & uncomfortable to touch, so not a very practical choice of material. But the overall quality is just stunning. Not a lot of leg room in the backseat it seems, just adequate. But again - it is a mildly sporty hardtop, so that is to be expected.

"S" was Super, which dates back to the Dual Range Hydramatic of 1952, which Olds called the Super Hydramatic.

Super!

Very interesting video. My parents had a black 66 model. They used it to take road trips in went to Missouri a couple times in which is at least a 6 or 7 hour drive one way from us. I just subscribed to your channel. Couldn't help but notice the 56 Chevy BelAir in the background in the first part of the video, any plans to do a video on it? I always had a soft spot for tri five Chevys I own a 55 and 56 just no 57 yet.

BTW, only in 1966 did the Starfire attain 375hp...'65s had 370. As well, being an A/C car, it might've had less than the stock 3.23:1 rear axle. Had it been a 4-speed, a non-A/C Starfire was factory-equipped w/a 3.42:1. I had almost the duplicate to this, & they were the equivalent of what later became referred to as 'an executive hot rod!'....a moniker given to yet another Oldsmobile....the 1970 Toronado GT!

I believe the S on the shifter restricted the transmission to only shift into 2nd gear. Best for driving in ice snow.

Notice the Chrysler Pentastar key chain hanging from the ignition. 😊

Love learning about the off the beaten path, obscure cars.

Mine is white with a black interior and no AC. The engine was unique to Starfire--10.5:1 compression ratio (the next one down was 10.25) and it did have a special cam. Mine was fast when young. The last time I drove it I was disappointed. It was driven hard and is ready for an engine rebuild. I agree with the previous comment that age takes a toll. A high school friend's grandfather had a '61 Starfire convertible, a really elegant machine. Chris Campbell

Super

we had a 67 425 Olds Delmont .It was very quick.I beat a 383 super bee with it

Love your in-depth reviews...would be cool if you could review a '64 Starfire!

Our 63 Studebaker Hawk had map pockets

By the way, the rear shelf has been modified, and is not original to the car, though it is a nice touch, and looks very nice.

Olds parlance was S for "Super" . The 3spd automatic transmissions for all GM divions were the same (TH350/TH400 & TH425 for FWD), but each division called 2nd, 3rd, Drive gears something different.

Yes it was made for that. The one you're driving is simply either out of tune or somebody swapped the original engine with something weak. I had the '66 model and it would pin me to my seat. Blue is a lousy color for a Starfire's interior. White and red should have been the only choices

I like this car FAR better than the Toronado that replaced it. As beautiful as the Grand Prix was with the similar roofline, I just like the Oldsmobile better. Having said that, this is one car where I would only want the coupe, and not the convertible if given the choice. I'd certainly love the latter if not given the choice though!

The 1927 Renault 'Map,' was the first car with rear seat pockets.

Hiya Jay- I'm gonna take a guess and say that the timing might be off on that beast... Or it could have a carbeurator issue. Because it SHOULD set you back in the seat and scare the daylights outta you when ya punch it from a dead stop. Those things absolutely fly, or should. Of particular note with the Starfire model, was that they came with leather seat upholstery... The other Holiday models were standard with vinyl. And another really kool feature of the Starfire was the exhaust outlets in the lower rear quarters. Those were some of the most futuristic cars of the mid Sixties... And you're right - they rode GREAT 👍

It was called Super but in 1960 is it was third gear but later it was second gear starting in 61 but everyone liked to call it super

2nd is super.

62 Lincoln had map pockets

I love the detailed view you put into these videos. But it bothers me, the "wows" and the shock factor this generation has towards these old cars. I grew up in the 70s, and all this was/is normal to me. 70s cars were even larger, with most at 79+" wide. 80" wide was max, by law, so many went right up to within a fraction of an inch to that limit. A 1971 Pontiac Catalina Grand Safari Station Wagon was our family car. we were able to fit about 13 people in it, kids and adults included. It had 3 rows of seats and enough room left over in the cargo area for 2 to 4 teens. It was about 5,400 lbs. It had the power tailgate option. The rear tailgate window slid into the roof, and the rear tailgate slid inside the cargo area, leaving the entire rear portion completely open with no door or window to obstruct. In this manner the rear of the wagon was completely accessible, for free cargo loading, bikes and such, picnics, or for sitting on. You mentioned a Lincoln Mark V. My father's business partner had bought one new. There was nothing like it. It was like a palace inside. I have never experienced a car with that level of luxury since. It was leaps beyond this Oldsmobile in opulence. First off, absolutely no noise coming from the engine, even at 90mph (yes I'm a witness to that 😉) His car had EVERY option available, with a price to match. Over $15,000 original retail price, more than twice the cost of my father's station wagon. You want to be shocked at a large car? Try the 70s Caprice/Impala, or any one of competing Chrysler of that era. The word gigantic applies. Even a 70's Ford LTD, the back seat so large, it was actually uncomfortable. But I will say this, 60s cars were better built, had greater attention to detail, but enoughs models of basically the same car to dizzy anyone. Very inefficient business practices. And lastly, no dome light? That small detail is enough to turn me off the car. Why car makers did these things, is just angering. Save a few pennies on one thing which in the end is more important than all the other features combined. But then again, this is why some models had the "lighting package" as an option. As for the brushed aluminum, I question this. 🤔 Cars of this time rarely used aluminum as it was much more expensive than steel. Try sticking a refrigerator magnet to it. If it sticks, then it is brushed stainless steel and not aluminum. I absolutely hated concave rear windows, the Dodge Dart had this hideous feature. From what I've heard, this style prevents dirt from flowing onto the window, keeping it cleaner than in standard designs.

Have you ever done 1969 Cadillac Coupe DeVille.. They're awesome!

The 65 wildcat had less HP and torque but was quicker you needed that type of engine to move the weight of vehicle and a family in the car

The figure of 375 hp is the "gross" figure measurement which was used until about 1972. This is the measure taken with the engine not installed with air cleaner & so forth. The "net" horsepower reading used today (with engine fully installed) is the more realistic figure. Probably in this car it might be around 280-300 hp but that's just a guess. I once clocked our 1969 Oldsmobile 98 with the 455 Rocket V-8, 0-60 was about 11 seconds when the car was new. Oldsmobile "Super Drive" was introduced on the 1952 models with the S position standing for "Super" which was third gear in the Hydra-Matic. Even though the Turbo Hydra-Matic has 3 speed ranges, so S does give you second range in this transmission, it was still designated as "Super" by Oldsmobile. At the time, Oldsmobile owners might wince/groan at someone referring to the S gear as "second."

Compression was actually 10:5:1. Vinyl on the doors. S = 2nd gear. Drivers & passenger ash trays. Premium fuel only. Wouldn't be original, but a dual resevoir master cylinder would be better. Known for 'floating' down the road because of suspension. Could be made better by stiffer coil springs and coil over shocks and better sway bars. . Upgrade the front brakes to disc brakes. Gentlemans muscle cruiser. Comparable to the 65 Impala ss but maybe not as quick. Factory dual exhaust. Should do all of 120mph. Can improve with turbo mufflers.

Around this era, my school buddy's dad bought a new olds convertible. It had four bucket seats and a full length console. Like this olds, the exhaust exited the sides, just at the rear bumper. Anyone able to fill us in on what olds model this would have been? It seemed a mile long.

it was special or at least it was on my dads 1961 F85

I find the 65 & espially 66 Olds B bodies particularly attractive. If the Pontiacs were 'masculine', these were 'feminine' but both good design. GM designers sculpted, the others were hooked on simpler, straight lines (see Ford, Chrylslers of both years). The concave rear window was also used on the Grand Prix. Interesting to see a Starfire w/o power windows & seat. Unfortunately for Olds, it just never caught on as a personal luxury car - you needed a single purpose body for that (a la Riviera) and of course the Toro came along and killed it (indeed, the 66 swan song was somewhat decontented to make room).

If it feels slow, I'd be curious to know what the rear end gears are? My dad's 65 would show 3,000 rpm at only 60 mph. Quite low. The previous owner had blown the Starfire engine and replaced it with a low compression two barrel 425. Even so, it would smoke the back tires without power braking until it ran out of breath.

1914 PACKARD TWIN-SIX HAD MAP POCKETS......AS WELL AS CADILLACS OF THE LATE 1920'S

1st view!!! I know EVERYTHING about classic cars!!!

To me, the ‘65 and ‘66 Starfire looked like the arse end was 8-10 inches too long - very similar to those Ford and Dodge full-sized vans where they would take their normal van and just glue an extension onto the back. Olds rectified that awkward appearance with the ‘67 Starfire …

Of course it was "Second" (as in 2nd gear - more than low -- less than high!) No "super" for these transmissions - just Second! Olds nice car - often bought then by engineers. (My father engineer & bought Olds. Looked at Starfire but bought cheaper one. But (1966) he had the Delta 88 hardtop (!) with the 425 V-8. Pretty much nicest car he Ever owned!) (GM Designer in 1960s - Bill Mitchell - was the bomb. GMs from 62 thru 66 were (are0 best looking full sized cars Ever Made.)

Great 👍 review ! Is this is based on the full-sized B series Oldsmobile Delta 88 or the mid-sized Cutlass series ? I hope you do a series on the downsized B/C series of full-sized GM cars .

It stands for second gear. No super gears! Starting in second gear helps when it is icy out or snow is on the street. "L" is for low gear.

This car was really fast. Maybe when you drive wasn’t fine tune up.

S is second, L is first gear

That s would stand for second there should be head room by today's standards that would be a huge car