[1] Oldsmobile during this time period was one of the most popular brands selling, and the company saw an opportunity to benefit from the Space Race of the 1960s.

[2] After a two-year hiatus the Starfire name returned for 1961 as a separate model, offered in a single convertible body style.

Intended to compete in the growing personal luxury car market, from 1961 to 1965 the Starfire Convertible was the highest-priced model offered by Oldsmobile.

While it shared most of its sheet metal with other full-sized Oldsmobile models, the Starfire wore unique trim and luxurious interiors.

The Starfire nameplate returned for the 1975 model year as Oldsmobile's first subcompact, powered by a Buick V6 engine.

The Starfire name was first used by Oldsmobile on a one-of-a-kind dream car that was shown at the 1953 Motorama auto show.

Later in 1953, the luxury, limited-production 98 Fiesta convertible, Spanish for "festival", or "party", offered some of the features on the Starfire concept car and was a top trim package for the Oldsmobile 98.

[1] Mechanically, the Fiesta had a special version of the Ninety-Eight engine which gained 5 horsepower to 170 hp (130 kW) through manifold streamlining and compression increased from 8.1:1 to 8.3:1.

[1] Introduced in January 1961, the Starfire was a performance-oriented grand tourer[6][7][10] convertible, separated into its own model line and shared its body and wheelbase with the Super 88 and the lower-priced Dynamic 88.

It was loaded with standard equipment including leather bucket seats, center console with tachometer[11] and floor shifter for the Hydra-matic transmission, and was the first U.S. full-sized production car to feature an automatic transmission with a console-mounted floor shifter, brushed aluminum side panels, fender skirts on the rear wheels, power steering, brakes, windows and driver's seat.

The standard 394 cubic inch V-8 Skyrocket V8 engine - Oldsmobile's most powerful in 1961 - used a 4-barrel Rochester carburetor and generated 330 hp (246 kW) at 4600 rpm.

For the 1962 model year, the convertible was joined by a two-door hardtop, which featured a new convertible-styled roofline shared with other Oldsmobile 88 coupes.

[15] The Starfire now shared its basic bodyshell with the new and lower-priced Jetstar I hardtop coupe which competed directly against the Pontiac Grand Prix.

A new version of the Rocket V8 engine was offered for the 1965 model year, this one measuring 425 cu in (7.0 L) displacement, still using a Rochester 4-barrel carburetor, and generating 375 hp (280 kW) at 4800 rpm.

Added to the option list for the first time on Starfires and other B-body cars was a four-speed manual transmission with Hurst shifter that was rarely ordered.

The second-generation Oldsmobile Starfire is a subcompact four-passenger automobile which was introduced in September 1974, and produced for the 1975 through 1980 model years.

The Starfire, Chevrolet Monza, Buick Skyhawk and Pontiac Sunbird were among the first vehicles to adopt the newly approved quad rectangular halogen headlamps.

Late in the year, Oldsmobile added the Starfire Firenza package which included special rallye suspension, a front air dam, rear spoiler, flared wheel openings taking the width to 67 in, sport wheels and special paint and trim.