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The Oldsmobile Firenza was a
compact car Compact car is a vehicle size class — predominantly used in North America — that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars. "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However, pr ...
which was produced by
Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it prod ...
from 1982 to 1988. It was based on the
front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitu ...
GM J platform The General Motors J platform, or J-body, is an automobile platform that was used by General Motors for compact cars from the 1982 to 2005 model years. The third generation of compact cars designed by GM, the J-body marked the introduction of fro ...
, which was shared with the
Buick Skyhawk The Buick Skyhawk is an automobile produced by Buick in two generations for the 1975 through 1989 model years. The first generation (1975-1980) were two-door hatchbacks using the subcompact, rear-wheel drive H-body platform, a badge engineered ...
,
Cadillac Cimarron The Cadillac Cimarron is an entry-level luxury car manufactured and marketed by the Cadillac division of General Motors for model years 1982–1988 over a single generation, with a mild facelift in 1985. The first post-war compact car offered ...
,
Chevrolet Cavalier The Chevrolet Cavalier is a line of compact cars produced by Chevrolet. Serving as the replacement of the Chevrolet Monza, the Cavalier was the second Chevrolet model line to adopt front-wheel drive. Three versions of the Cavalier have been so ...
and
Pontiac Sunbird The Pontiac Sunbird (also known as the Pontiac J2000 and Pontiac 2000) is a model line that was manufactured and marketed by Pontiac from the 1976 to the 1994 model years. Loosely deriving its name from the Pontiac Firebird, the Sunbird was int ...
. It was not based on the European market
Vauxhall Firenza The Firenza is a model of car offered by Vauxhall Motors, Vauxhall from May 1971 until 1975. It was a development of the Vauxhall Viva (1963–1979), Viva, but had a distinctive coupe, coupé body style (fastback) and only two doors. In South A ...
, but on the same platform as the
Vauxhall Cavalier The Vauxhall Cavalier was a large family car that was sold primarily in the UK by Vauxhall from 1975 to 1995. It was based on a succession of Opel designs throughout its production life, during which it was built in three incarnations. The firs ...
Mk 2 /
Opel Ascona The Opel Ascona is a large family car (D-segment in Europe) that was produced by the German automaker Opel from 1970 to 1988. It was produced in three separate generations, beginning with rear-wheel-drive and ending up as a front-wheel drive J-ca ...
C. The Firenza name was previously used as a performance package on the previous generation
Oldsmobile Starfire The Oldsmobile Starfire is an automobile nameplate used by Oldsmobile, produced in three non-contiguous generations beginning in 1954. The Starfire nameplate made its debut as a convertible concept car in 1953 followed with the 1954–1956 Nine ...
hatchback.


Overview

The all-new Firenza was introduced in March 1982, as a replacement for the departed
rear-wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-wheel ...
Starfire. Initially available as a two-door
hatchback A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
and four-door sedan, the lineup was expanded to include a 4-door "Cruiser" wagon in 1983, and a two-door
notchback A notchback is a design of a car with the rearmost section that is distinct from the passenger compartment and where the back of the passenger compartment is at an angle to the top of what is typically the rear baggage compartment. Notchback cars ...
coupe A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
in 1986.Auto Editors of Consumer Guide. 2006. ''Encyclopedia of American Cars'' (pp 642-43) . Lincolnwood, Il: Publications International. The name "Cruiser" was applied to all Oldsmobile
station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...
s at the time; this included the
mid-size Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in t ...
d Cutlass Cruiser and
full-size Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment. Af ...
Custom Cruiser. The Firenza was positioned as Oldsmobile's entry-level compact car, priced below the slightly larger
Omega Omega (; capital letter, capital: Ω, lower case, lowercase: ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and final letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numerals, Greek numeric system/isopsephy ...
and later Calais/Cutlass Calais. Despite this, the Firenza could be equipped with premium options such as power windows, power locks, and 14-inch alloy wheels.Oldsmobile Factory Sales Brochure "1988 Oldsmobile Lineup, Vol. II" The 1982 Firenza LX sedan was listed for $8,080 ($ in dollars ). It is named for the Italian translation of the city of
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico a ...
. Although closely related to its J-body siblings, the Oldsmobile Firenza was
badge engineered In the automotive industry, rebadging is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. To allow for product differentiation without designing or engineering a new model or brand (at high cost or risk), a man ...
with distinctively Oldsmobile front and rear-end styling found on larger Oldsmobiles of the time. The upper portion of the Firenza front end featured quad rectangular
headlight A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term fo ...
s separated by signal lights in recessed housings, with a sloped body-color panel between the recesses. The dashboard unit was shared only with the Buick Skyhawk and was a updated version used in the previous generation, H-body design. A horizontal-barred grille was mounted in the lower portion of the front
fascia A fascia (; plural fasciae or fascias; adjective fascial; from Latin: "band") is a band or sheet of connective tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that attaches to, stabilizes, encloses, and separates muscles and other internal organs ...
. The rear featured nearly square
taillight The lighting system of a motor vehicle consists of lighting and signalling devices mounted to or integrated into the front, rear, sides, and in some cases the top of a motor vehicle. They illuminate the road ahead for the driver and increase th ...
s with a slight wraparound at the outboard ends of the upper rear panel. The suspension was shared with the front-wheel-drive Omega and Cutlass Ciera, which consisted of MacPherson struts, lower control arms, coil springs and a stabilizer bar for the front, and a torsion-beam rear axle, along with coil springs and rear stabilizer bars. The Firenza was launched with a 2.0-liter OHV inline four-cylinder engine as the sole powerplant, but an overhead-cam 1.8-liter engine was added during the model year. Oldsmobile did not utilize turbo on these engines, while Buick and Pontiac offered a turbo. Wraparound amber turn signal lights were added immediately outboard of the headlights for 1984. In 1985, the 2.8 L LB6 V6 was added as an option with the GT package. For the Firenza's last model year in 1988, it received a new open grille, aerodynamic composite headlamps, and tail lights, styled after those of the Cutlass Ciera. Also for the Firenza's final year, the hatchback was dropped along with the V6, leaving just the four-cylinder notchback coupe, sedan, and wagon models. Also for 1988, all previous trim-level designations were dropped. All Firenza body styles came in a single unnamed base model that could be equipped with six various option packages. The Firenza was never a strong seller for Oldsmobile. In keeping with its premium image, Oldsmobile always had better luck selling larger, better equipped cars, most notably its wide range of Cutlass models. Sales of the Firenza were also hampered by Oldsmobile management who fought hard not to have to sell the J-body cars but had to, in order to keep the division’s EPA average fuel economy ratings up to meet General Motors’ corporate standards and in compliance with Federal
CAFE A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-c ...
regulations. Thus, Oldsmobile did not promote this car very well, instead, choosing to put more marketing effort toward the Cutlass Calais. Also to blame was competition from the Firenza’s rebadged J-body siblings. Sales of the Cavalier and Sunbird annually dwarfed the Firenza, as they better fit into Chevrolet and Pontiac's value-oriented brand portfolios. Due to this, the Firenza was not replaced in Oldsmobile's lineup, leaving the Cutlass Calais as the division's smallest car. The Cimarron was discontinued that year as well.
Leeds Assembly Leeds Assembly was a General Motors automobile factory in Leeds, Missouri. It was closed in 1988. The factory produced the A-bodies and J-bodies. The Leeds Assembly Plant is located in the Leeds district of Kansas City, Missouri, at 6817 Sta ...
, which built the Firenza, was closed. The Skyhawk lasted another year, while GM kept the first-generation Sunbird and Cavalier in production until 1994.


Trims & options

*Sedan: **base • 1982–1988 **''LX'' • 1982–1987 *Hatchback: **''S'' • 1982–1987 **''SX'' • 1982–1985 **''GT'' • 1983-1987 *Wagon: **''Cruiser'' • 1983–1988 **''LX Cruiser'' • 1983–1985 *Coupe: **base • 1986–1988 **''LC'' • 1986–1987


GT

The Firenza GT was only available on the S Coupe hatchback, unlike the Chevy Cavalier Z24, Buick Skyhawk T-Type, and Pontiac Sunbird GT, which could be had as either two-door hatchbacks, two-door and four-door sedans. Four door hatchbacks of the J-platform were offered in Europe. GTs first were introduced in 1983, 65 were built; red with silver lower panel accent color, sold as "Brass Hat" promotional cars for dealerships, most were equipped with the "new" 1.8-liter overhead cam motor, with either a three-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission. FE3 suspension was included in the package with a rear-stabilizer bar, heavier struts all the way around, with a wider tire offering on the polycast wheels as standard for the GT package. 1984; red/silver carried over plus white with silver lower body color was added. 2312 GTs were produced, less than 20% were white. Engines either were the 2.0-liter (four-speed manual or three-speed auto) or the 1.8-liter (five-speed manual or three-speed auto). For 1985, 498 GTs were built, body colors were changed to either black or gray with silver trim (not as pronounced as with the 1983-84s.) A fiberglass hood with a pronounced center bulge was included, the 2.6-liter V6 was offered with only the four-speed manual or the three-speed auto, the wheels were changed to aluminum from the previous polycast wheel, this was to be the same for 1986 GT. 1986 was the only year the GT as its own separate trim level (with 1032 built), and the body color red became available again with silver accent. For 1987, the GT model (of 783 built), went back to an option on the hatchback and was the last year offered, essentially same as 1986, but added the availability of the heavier five-speed manual transmission than was previous on the 1.8-liter offering three years previous, along with three-speed auto. Interesting note; The "GT" was used on the Calais and Ciera in 1987, replacing the "ES" (EuroSport) designation the previous two years, 1984-1985. The Firenza ES (EuroSport) sedan was introduced in Canada for 1984, and the U.S. in 1985. Not much is known of this offering, it had blacked out headlight bezels and blacked out trim on the tail lights, the interior upholstery used the same two color gray combo and red piping as with all the GTs. This was offered as a four-door GT trim, with the same polycast wheels, heavier suspension, used on the 1983 and 1984 GT hatchbacks. They were only offered in a dark-silver body color.


Sales


Engines

* 1982: 1.8 L '' L46'' carbureted OHV I4 * 1982–1986: 1.8 L '' LH8'' TBI SOHC I4 * 1983-1986: 2.0 L '' LQ5'' TBI OHV I4 * 1987–1988: 2.0 L ''
LT2 The Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule ("LT2ESWTR" or simply "LT2") is a 2006 regulation promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pursuant to the Safe Drinking Water Act. The rule required public water sy ...
'' TBI SOHC I4 * 1987–1988: 2.0 L '' LL8'' TBI OHV I4 * 1985–1987: 2.8 L '' LB6'' MPFI OHV V6


References


External links


MSN-autos.com
- 1988 Oldsmobile Firenza model overview
MSN-autos.com
- 1988 Oldsmobile Firenza Cruiser model overview {{Authority control Firenza Compact cars Front-wheel-drive vehicles Hatchbacks Coupés Sedans Station wagons Cars introduced in 1982 1980s cars