The Oldsmobile 98 was a full-size

Full-size car

A full-size car is a marketing term used in North America for an automobile larger than a mid-size car. In the United States, the EPA uses "large car" to denote full-size cars....

 automobile

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 and the flagship model of the Oldsmobile

Oldsmobile

Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. It was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory...

 division of General Motors

General Motors

General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

. The name first appeared in 1941 and was used again after American consumer automobile production resumed post-World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. It was, as it would remain, the top-of-the-line model, with lesser Oldsmobiles having lower numbers such as 66

Oldsmobile Series 60

The Series 60 was a model range of automobiles from General Motors Oldsmobile Division during the 1940s. In Oldsmobile's naming convention, the Series 60 occupied the entry level position for Oldsmobiles sold in the United States beginning in 1939 and throughout the 1940s.Series 60 were built on...

 and 76

Oldsmobile Series 70

The Oldsmobile Series 70 Dynamic Cruiser was an automobile from General Motors introduced in 1939 as the mid-range model. Two models were produced, the 76 which used a straight-6 engine and the 78 which used a straight-8. The wheelbase was in 1949...

. These were replaced by the Oldsmobile 88

Oldsmobile 88

The Oldsmobile 88 was a full-size car sold by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors and produced from 1949 until 1999. From 1950 to 1974 the 88 was the division's top-selling line, particularly the entry-level models such as the 88 and Dynamic 88...

 in 1949, and the two number-names would carry on into the 1990s as the bread and butter of the full-size Oldsmobile lineup until the Aurora

Oldsmobile Aurora

The Oldsmobile Aurora was a full-size sports sedan made by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors and launched in 1995. The Aurora rode on the same Cadillac-derived G platform as the 2-door Buick Riviera....

 would replace it for 1996.

General Motors developed a system of sharing body panels between models of its different makes, but the Ninety-Eight broke ranks several times with this system.