AUTO BREVITY
1972 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency Tiffany Clock
Gold Tiffany & Co. clock was distinctive component of the 1972 Oldsmobile
Ninety-Eight Regency option package, created to commemorate
Oldsmobile's 75th Anniversary. Just 2,650 Regency's were built.
Less famous than the Cartier Chronometer in Lincoln Continentals, the Tiffany
& Co. clock was created for the 1972 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency
to celebrate Oldsmobile's 75th Anniversary.
In 1972, the now defunct Oldsmobile Division of General Motors Corporation
celebrated its 75th Anniversary, the first American automobile manufacturer
to reach this milestone. To mark this achievement, a special limited edition
package was designed for the popular Ninety-Eight, Oldsmobile's top of
the line model. Dubbed the Regency, this distinctive option package was available only as a four door hardtop.
Painted a distinctive and exclusive Tiffany Gold metallic color, the Regency
was adorned with a choice of Black, White, or Covert vinyl roof and featured
several interior distinctions that set it apart from the regular Ninety
Eight Luxury Sedans.
The seats featured a pillowed, crushed velour fabric that was heavily tufted
and available in two color choices, Black or Covert. The center fold-down
front and rear armrests were adorned with a unique embroidered design stitched
in gold-colored thread. Without question, the interior of the Regency was
the most luxurious of any Oldsmobile, ever, and competed with the expensive
Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham interiors for sheer elegance
and class.
Each Regency featured a special clock created by Tiffany & Co. mounted
in the instrument panel in front of the passenger. It featured a distinctive
Tiffany Gold background that matched the exterior paint color, with Tiffany
& Co. spelled out in white lettering at the bottom. A white Oldsmobile
Rocket emblem was centered on the face of the clock, which had no numerals
on it to denote the hours, although two bars were placed at the 3:00 and
9:00 positions.
Each Regency was registered at Tiffany's, and every new owner received
a special sterling silver key ring with an engraved number that identified
their car. If the keys were ever lost, whoever found them could just toss
them in the nearest mailbox to be delivered postage paid to Tiffany &
Co., and Tiffany's would then forward the keys back to the owner.
Just 2,650 were built, making them extremely rare today. The Regency would
continue to be an upscale option for the Ninety-Eight for many years to
come, and would consistently challenge even mighty Cadillac for new car
buyers hungry for the ultimate in luxury motoring.
AUTO BREVITY is a single-topic, brief look into automotive history from
Automotive Mileposts.
