1964 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Holiday Sedan

"Meet the sit-up-and-notice car of the year! Big! Beautiful! Packed with power and loaded with value from its 280-h.p. Rocket Engine to its 17-cubic-foot trunk storage area. Everywhere you'll find that extra measure of Oldsmobile quality: handsomely appointed interiors with deep-cushioned seats; Magic-Mirror Finishes; four-coil spring suspension on a road-leveling 123-inch wheelbase. Drive a '64 Dynamic 88 soon. You'll love it! It's that kind of car!"

This Oldsmobile from Havana's lovely Miramar district is one of those American automobiles that seem out of place in Cuba, as they are from a time when the U.S. trade embargo against the island was already in full effect. The words of owner Olvidio make the provenance of his car all the more interesting: "Fidel, el comandante en jefe, bought twelve of these Oldsmobiles for the bodyguards of his guardia de espalda. Mine is the only hardtop of the bunch, while the others were regular sedans." It needs to be taken with a grain of salt, but Fidel Castro's affinity to Oldsmobiles is well documented, and makes this scenario imaginable. The potent yet understated looking Oldsmobiles would be a perfect choice for service in Castro's escort.

The Oldsmobile for 1964 was a typical design of the Bill Mitchell era at General Motors. Mitchell preferred a look that he called „London Tailoring“: clean, simple volumes, juxtaposed with crisp edges and an emphasis on horizontal lines to stretch the car optically. Yet, their rather understated styling didn't show that the Oldsmobiles were among the most potent cars in the GM portfolio. When new, the pictured 1964 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 came standard with a 280hp "Rocket V-8" engine, which years ago had to make way for the Ssangyong Diesel that powers it today.