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Bob: I bought a new Delta 88 Royal in 1975, 455 with 4 barrel. Prior to that I ran Pontiacs and Binder pickups. I bought a second farm about that same time, vendor kept the house and a lot. He had a 72 and a 76 Olds both equipped the same as mine. He had a 24' Air Stream travel trailer. One Sat. I was plowing at that farm, I knew he had company as there were two New Yorkers in his yard. His brother and his son. At the end of 3,000' field I was plowing, was a steep grade. As I plowed I watched these guys hook each New Yorker and the 72 Olds to the Air Stream, go across the flat and up that big hill then back again. That 72 olds had 250,000 miles on it by then, one trip across Canada and back pulling the Air Stearm and the second across northern US, back across the south and home to Nova Scotia, again with the Air Stream. That night when I parked the tractor, he beconed me to the house. He said, "I suppose you think," his wife interupted and finished the sentence," they're a bunch of damn fools." They had taken each car across the flat and the goal was to see which car topped the hill at the fastest speed, with the Air Stream in tow. He told me the relatively new New Yorkers topped the hill at 45 to 50 mph, and his 72 Olds topped the hill at 75 mph. The wife was really upset to think the Past Warden (same as mayor) of our county, his brother an MD and their son a CA, could find nothing better to do on a Sat. afternoon, than see which car was best. I don't think I ever saw another woman so annoyed with her husband. She told him it bad enough to do it, let alone tell Hugh MacKay. Another day he was helping me plant corn, I had my Olds at the farm. I had to go for some parts. George timed me, and declared when I arrived back at field, " that is the beauty of having an Oldsmobile, next fastest thing to an airplane." He had calculated I averaged 75 MPH including my time at the IH dealer. They were truly great cars back in those days, my 455, 4 barrel would give me 22.9 miles per Imp. gallon. I traded that one for 79 Olds 98, 403, 4 barrel. It was a good car on smooth road, did even better on fuel milage, but it wouldn"t match the old 88 for handling on rough pavement or gravel road. Since that time I've switched to Buicks, same car as Olds over the past 20 years.
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