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1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza – One of GMs Epic Fails in Adapting to the Malaise Crisis

The ’70s were rough times for the American motoring industry, and cars got uglier, underperforming, and low on quality as the fatidical decade was drawing to a close. The largest car manufacturer on Planet Piston at that – General Motors – somehow managed to shoot itself in the kneecaps on several occasions with some controversial strategic decisions.
1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza 21 photos
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza
One would be introducing the H-body platform in 1971, and another – to keep using it until 1980. A corporation once quoted among gearhead circles as pledging its crankshaft allegiance to the phrase “small cars, small profits” was now flooding the market with subcompact- and compact-bodied contraptions.

By 1976 – when nigh all American automotive pride and exuberance were connected to artificial life-supporting machines – GM went all in and put its four-of-a-kind hand on the table. Chevrolet Monza, Pontiac Sunbird, Buick Skyhawk, and Oldsmobile Starfire were rolling out like there was no tomorrow.

Three of the four models were introduced in 1975, and the Sunbird was a '76 late bloomer, but it made no difference. The cars were almost identical visually – small branding details were the main differentiators – and shared many underpinnings and mechanicals.

1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
The rarest of the quartet was the Starfire – the “oddmobile” from Oldsmobile, as some car enthusiasts called it. By some cynical twist of fate and ill-humored destiny, the Starfire name was revived on the badge-engineered model. Once the division’s flagship name in the '60s, the Starfire moniker had been demoted to the subcompact two-door hatchback with sporty pomp.

Needless to point out, by the time the unlikely quadruplets rolled off the assembly lines, the “performance” trait of the American car was but a distant, fading memory. GM was pulling the reins big time in the chronic need to adhere to strangling emissions regulations (and mercilessly kicked in the… pride by the oil embargo and the subsequent crisis).

Not just on the size of its cars, but on build and material quality, performance, history, and everything. The Starfire – and its siblings – were no exceptions. The Olds offered two inline-four engine options – a 140-CID and a 151-CID (a 2.3-liter and a 2.5-liter). The last year an Oldsmobile that small had come with a four-banger was 1922 – some 50 years earlier and following a cataclysmic event – the Great War.

1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
Another option was a V6 – 231 cubic inches (3.8 liters) and worthless to mention performance. In 1977, GM realized that something was missing – the American heart powerplant. A V8 engine (305 CI / 5.0 liters) was introduced; a year after, a “performance package” was added.

It was called the “Firenza” (an Italian-resounding name loosely hinting at the city of Firenze/Florence). It wasn’t bringing any significant changes to the game. Rallye suspensions, a front air dam, a rear spoiler, flared wheel arches, sport wheels, and dedicated paint and trim.

In 1978, just 2,529 Oldsmobile Starfire received the upgraded option. The majority of those rare automobiles have succumbed long ago, mainly due to lousy craftsmanship and erroneous mechanical design. Rust was particularly fond of the Starfire’s metal, and the drive train was an auto-immune disease (pun misfortunately intended).

1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
Quite a few owners from the day complained about the transmission – which was appropriate for the small inline-fours, but the meager V8 proved too much to handle. Not because it was an outstanding performer – 145 hp / 147 ps and 245 lb-ft / 332 Nm from an 8.4:1 compression ratio – but because the clutches were unable to cope with even those lowly numbers.

Refer to the Hot Rod magazine tests conducted at the time – a quarter mile time of 17.8 seconds at 79 mph (127 kph) with the two-barrel V8. At least Oldsmobile got this top speed part right – the dashboard speedometers read 80 mph (129 kph). Advertising, too, was afraid to boast with three-digit specs…

Dropping a V8 nostalgia in a subcompact body looked like the end-of-the-tunnel bright ray of sunshine when American manufacturers were competing to eliminate large engines. Radial tires, lower axle ratios, and mpg-friendly tuning gave the impression of progress and modernity. The pony cars were still available, and hard-core enthusiasts preferred the Mustangs, Camaros, or Firebirds/TransAms.

1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
With that in mind, a 305 V8 Starfire was quite a big deal – on paper, primarily due to its low price. Mainly bought by first-car teens, young families, or moms (as grocery-getters), the cars were generally appalling. They rusted out early and copiously, the hatchbacks leaked “like sieves,” as some former owners confess, and engines were dull and dreary for the most part.

Many drivers have reported door issues on the Starfire – the left side one would either open while cruising or fall off altogether because of the bad hinges. Others found it particularly annoying that they had to hoist the V8s out of its bay to replace the no. 3-sparkplug on the driver’s side. The in-tank-installed fuel pump was notoriously unreliable and infamously challenging to replace. And the plastic finishing on the inside was the ideal terrain for cracks and squeaks.

Still, Oldsmobile’s attempt to build floor traffic in its showrooms gave summer job savings a purpose, as high-school teenagers could buy one for less than four grand. Even the highly optioned Firenza package was well within reach – at around $5,500, with the V8 in it. The engine alone was a $340 add-on, while the performance package would burn a $465 hole in a buyer’s pocket.

1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza
Photo: YouTube/Lou Costabile
The figures are shown on an original windows sticker of a remarkable 1978 Oldsmobile Starfire Firenza – probably one of very few left and quite possibly the best-looking. Sporting the 305 CID V8 and a four-speed manual gearbox, the classic is a rare find by the car vlogger Lou Costabile. Filmed last November, it looks like it left the factory a day before the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals event it was videoed at.

This Starfire had a similar fate with its other 2,528 Firenza brothers of that year – soon after being sold new, it succumbed to the elements. It was later purchased as a restoration project. That refurbishment never happened, and the car ended up with its current owner, who rebuilt it to its current state.

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About the author: Razvan Calin
Razvan Calin profile photo

After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads.
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