Minneapolis Stree Sighting: Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale

Much like today, GM was seen a company known for "budget" luxury cars if you will; cars that obviously didn't cost Jaguar money but held their own in the luxury camp. At the top of the GM food chain sat Cadillac. Next in line was Buick, and then Oldsmobile. That's not to say Oldsmobiles were cheap by any means; they weren't. With the exception of their smaller offerings, (ala Omega,Calais, Ciera, Alero) Olds' lineup consisted primarily of big, brash RWD cruisers that competed heavily with vehicles from the other two Domestic automakers, namely Ford's Mercury line, along with several Chrysler divisions. With the downsizing of cars in the 1970s, it seems that luxury cars still held their own, even at a smaller size. Just as Ford downsized its LTD/Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis twins, GM downsized its B Body vehicles too, albeit two years earlier.
Unlike many example of these cars I see, this particular one looked showroom fresh. The paint was in amazing shape; no rust, no bondo, and if you can believe it, nary a scratch. If none of the modern cars made their way into the pictures, it'd be a tough sell to tell you these pictures were taken in 2010 vs. 1990. These cars are prone to severe rust, especially around the rear wheelwells and under the doors. Thankfully, this car didn't suffer from that symptom. As with the paint, the trim, too, was in spectacular shape. Not only was all the trim there, it too seemed showroom fresh. Honestly, the only thing wrong I could find with this beautiful Olds sedan was the lack of logo on a couple of the hubcaps. Even that isn't too bad, considering the stunning shape this example is in.
However, I fear for this car. It's the type most donkrydaz go after. To make matters worse, this Delta 88 was spotted outside of FNR Custom Whipz, and it has no tags. That suggests that the homeboy copped da whip strictly to ghettofy it. Nawmean? Sick shizzle yo. It makes me sad to think this car will be painted an obnoxious color with a disgusting mural of someone being raped on the side. 'Oh but it pimpin, yo.' Way to ruin what little classic cars we have left, playaz.