31-01-2025
1993 Oldsmobile Silhouette: a Wacky Minivan with a Hollywood Past
The aerodynamic replacement for the Chevy Astro, this generation of GM minivan is sometimes called the Dustbuster.
The Oldsmobile version found some unexpected fame in 1995's .
This example has low mileage and an all-California history, and the auction ends on Monday, February 3.
"I ordered a Cadillac."
"Oh, well, you got the Cadillac of minivans."
And just like that, an Oldsmobile Silhouette became the unlikely transportation of John Travolta's Chili Palmer in Get Shorty, a lighthearted mid-Nineties comedy that sees a mafioso romping through Hollywood, breaking all the rules (and a nose or two). It's great fun, and the Oldsmobile is always either in view or just offscreen, as much of a character as Danny DeVito's slightly clueless movie star or the wonderfully scenery-chewing performance by Dennis 1993 Oldsmobile Silhouette in gorgeous Medium Garnet is up for sale on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos). It's got just 69K miles on the odometer and has a sunny California history since new.
Also known as the Dustbuster van (because, well, look at it), this Oldsmobile was one of a trio of three GM products that was aimed at ending Chrysler's dominance of the minivan segment. The previous Chevy Astro and GMC Safari hadn't quite done the job, and so GM's design department tasked Pontiac with coming up with an exciting did they. The Trans Sport concept van was first shown at the 1986 Chicago auto show, and it featured futuristic styling—with rear gullwing doors, decades before the Tesla Model X. There was even an integrated onboard Nintendo system. Of course, the production version was a lot more conventional.
As usual, GM spread the product among its brands, giving each version slightly different flavors. The Chevy Lumina APV was the workhorse. The Pontiac Trans Sport was the sporty one. And the Olds Silhouette, that was the luxury which version didn't sell very well. Part of the joke in Get Shorty is that a Silhouette is exactly something you'd find in a rental lot, because plenty of them went to fleet sales. Those vans were chewed up and scrapped, but this example has remained in the same family since new, and it shows like it's been cared that aerodynamic hood is a 3.8-liter V-6 that was good for 170 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque. It has had some recent service including replacement of the water pump and serpentine belt, and it passed California emissions testing last year.
With leather, air conditioning, cruise control, and plenty of power features, this is one loaded-up minivan. Sixteen-inch alloy wheels add a further element of bling. A sliding-door Escalade? Perhaps not quite, but it's still a very tidy example.
The auction ends on February 3.
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