1955 Oldsmobile Stafire Convertible

Less-well-equipped ’55 Chevys sell for more, and don’t provide nearly the visual excitement or driving pleasure

Oldsmobile’s revolutionary Rocket engine debuted in 1949 and immediately became the favorite of racers. Designed from inception to take advantage of “Boss” Kettering’s research into high compression ratios, it evolved steadily with the availability of high-octane gasoline and was a consistent winner in stock car racing. By 1955, Olds engineers were getting 202 horsepower and an impressive 332 lb-ft of torque from the Rocket.

Oldsmobile’s performance engine injected new life into the brand, which became a styling leader and leaped to fourth place in Detroit’s sales race in 1955, selling 583,179 cars in only two series. That wasn’t bettered until a decade later, and Oldsmobile had to offer four distinct models to do it. 1955’s image-maker for Oldsmobile was the Starfire convertible, a luxurious trendsetter that offered a host of options in addition to the full complement of deluxe-level standard features, which included turn signals, dual horns,...