Rare Rides: A Pristine 1996 Oldsmobile LSS Guarantees Sports Luxury Enjoyment

Corey Lewis
by Corey Lewis

An oft-overlooked offering in Oldsmobile’s product catalog, the LSS was available for a few short years as the Rocket brand headed toward closure. Comfort and sporty driving appeal awaited its customers then, and still awaits you today.

Come along as we learn about this very beige supercharged sedan.

The Oldsmobile Eighty Eight entered its 10th and final generation for the 1992 model year, and was the more affordable (and slightly smaller) full-size alternative to the Ninety Eight flagship. In 1992 Oldsmobile also offered one final year of a traditional large car, the rear-drive Custom Cruiser wagon.

Eighty Eight was one of the last Oldsmobile products to adopt a more aerodynamic corporate styling theme. Though it looked very different to the outgoing model, it remained on the H-body platform it used since 1986. In modern Nineties fashion, the only body style was a sedan; the coupe faded away in 1991. All Eighty Eights were powered by the potent Buick 3800 V6,with four different versions used throughout production. Two naturally aspirated engines, the L27 and L36, filled some engine bays, while others used the Series I and Series II supercharged L67 engine. Likewise, all transmissions were four-speed automatics, but three different versions of the 4T60 were used depending on specification.

A year of change occurred with Eighty Eight for 1996, as the model range expanded in trims. At introduction only the Royale was available, and LSS stood as an add-on package. In ’96 Royale vanished, replaced with the base Eighty Eight, the Eighty Eight LS, and the LSS, or Luxury Sports Sedan (brochure here).

With the introduction of the flagship Aurora in 1995, Oldsmobile had two “sporty” sedans on offer for 1996: Aurora and LSS. The gawky Ninety Eight Touring vanished after 1994, and the model itself was finished in 1996. Traditional Ninety Eight buyers were offered a carrot by Oldsmobile (more detail on that in a moment).

Because the Aurora already existed, it donated some of its parts and ideas to the LSS. The LSS had Aurora wheels, and its seat design was also inspired by Aurora. Fitting its upscale mission, the LSS had fog lamps, a console shifter, and offered electronic climate control. It also used the supercharged 3800, where prior to 1996 it was still an optional extra on the Royale with LSS package. GPS was also available in the vaporware Guidestar system.

1996 was the last year of the traditional Rocket logo for Oldsmobile products, as in ’97 all adopted the modern logo — except one. As a consolation offering to would-be Ninety Eight buyers in 1997, the Regency trim appeared on the Eighty Eight. With lots of standard power features and leather seats, it used the front fenders, traditional looking front clip, and Rocket logo from the old Ninety Eight. This trim was fazed out after the ’98 model year. The Eighty Eight and LSS continued on through 1999 alongside the Aurora. For 2000 Oldsmobile had no large sedans at all, as the second-gen Aurora did not arrive until model year 2001. And you know the rest.

Today’s Rare Ride is for sale at a small dealer in the casket town of Batesville, Indiana. In pristine condition, it’s priced at an optimistic $6,900.

[Images: seller]

Corey Lewis
Corey Lewis

Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.

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  • ToolGuy ToolGuy on Sep 04, 2020

    Engine bay picture: I like the accessibility of those coils, and the serpentine belt. I seem to be replacing (proactively) a lot of serpentine belts/tensioners/pulleys lately. [The 'kits' from Gates which include the belt and the tensioner and the idler pulley are excellent.] Clearance on some vehicles is... a lot worse than pictured here. Hop over to Amazon and get yourself a "Ratcheting Serpentine Belt Tool" (like the Lisle 59000) if you are even thinking about replacing a belt/tensioner/pulley where the clearance is tight.

  • Gearhead77 Gearhead77 on Sep 08, 2020

    I drove a number of these (non-LSS) 88's and their GM platform mates working for Enterprise in the day. The Olds had the cleanest styling inside and out and was between the Pontiac and the Buick for ride/handling. I didn't mind driving an Olds compared to the more floaty Lesabre.

  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
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