Oldsmobile introduced the Starfire in mid-1961. It was a high performance, high style, luxury automobile that was true to the company's rich performance history. The car rested on a 123-inch wheelbase which it shared with the Eighty-Eight line and offered a host of distinctive features. The Starfire returned for 1962 to include a hardtop variant. Priced around $4,000, the Starfire Hardtop Coupe was equipped with all the features found in the Super Eight-Eight plus brushed aluminum side panels, a sporty cockpit featuring bucket seats, leather upholstery, floor console and power-operated front seats. Power was from a 394 cubic-inch V-8 engine that offered 345 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque, courtesy of a Rochester four-barrel carburetor, 10.5:1 compression, a revised camshaft profile, an efficient combustion chamber design and a free-flowing dual exhaust system