Oldsmobile does not build many cars like the Oldsmobile Firenza: a 2-door coupé / 2-door hatchback / 4-door sedan / 4-door station wagon with 1841 cc OHV L46 I4, built from 1982 to 1988 in the age of turbocharging and the first electronic engine management.
The story
The Oldsmobile Firenza was a compact car which was produced by Oldsmobile from 1982 to 1988. It was based on the front-wheel drive GM J platform, which was shared with the Buick Skyhawk, Cadillac Cimarron, Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunbird. It was not based on the European market Vauxhall Firenza, but on the same platform as the Vauxhall Cavalier Mk 2 / Opel Ascona C. The Firenza name was previously used as a performance package on the previous generation Oldsmobile Starfire hatchback.
What is underneath
Under the skin sits 1841 cc OHV L46 I4; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 2343-2604lb. The gearbox is a 4-speed Muncie M17 manual / 5-speed Getrag 282 manual / 3-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 125 C automatic. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. The wheelbase is 101.2 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Where it sits in Oldsmobile's history is not in doubt: the Oldsmobile Starfire came before it; it was built at Leeds, Missouri (Leeds Assembly). On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Opel Corsa, the Porsche 944, the Toyota Camry. Nearby in the Oldsmobile catalogue sit the Oldsmobile 442 and the Oldsmobile 88.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Oldsmobile Firenza has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.