1954 Oldsmobile F-88 Concept

The Oldsmobile F-88 Concept Car, known as the XP-20 project, made its debut on January 21, 1954, at General Motors Motorama in New York at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The preliminary sketches were created by veteran designer Bill Lange with the final designs performed in the main Oldsmobile studio under the direction of Art Ross. It is believed that three or four design studies were built and each was slightly different, but all had concealed folding tops. The sole surviving example was known by its styling order #2265.

The Oldsmobile F-88 Dream Car rested on the 102-inch wheelbase platform of the Chevrolet Corvette, and like the Corvette and Pontiac Bonneville Special, the F-88's body was made from fiberglass. Beneath the bonnet was a 324 cubic inch Super 88 V8 engine with a four-barrel carburetor, with a small, flat air cleaner. The engine was paired with a four-speed Hydra-Matic transmission and used a 3.55:1 rear axle ratio derived from the Corvette. The instrumental panel, later used on a Cutlass, was from the 1953 Oldsmobile and included a tachometer.

The lifespan of the F-88 Concept was shortened due to its resemblance to the Chevy Corvette. With fears that it would outsell the Corvette or possibly siphon some of its sales, Chevrolet - which produced more GM products than any of its other divisions - convinced the GM board of directors to keep it from reaching production. The Corvette's lukewarm sales helped convince GM from pursuing the project, fearing the market could not sustain a similar product.

The Corvette's 235 cubic inch 'Blue Flame' inline six-cylinder engine and 2-speed automatic transmission were anemic, lacking the performance to back up its sporty image. Oldsmobile's F-88 came equipped with the Rocket V8 engine, capable of producing upwards of 250 horsepower, and delivering the performance of a proper sports car. The Corvette would eventually get a proper eight-cylinder engine and would survive the chopping block. The F-88 was not as lucky, and although most concept cars were destroyed following years of service, the F-88 escaped that fate. At some point, it was disassembled and that is the condition it was in when it entered the care of the famed E.L. Cord. It would change hands over the years, was given a restoration during the 1990s, and was sold at Barrett-Jackson's auction in 2005 for over three million dollars (USD).

After being shown in New York, the F-88 was displayed four more times in the Motorama shows held in Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and San Francisco.

A second version of the F-88 was built in 1957 and was known as the 'F-88 Mark II.' The first F-88 Concept had been painted gold while the second version (the F-88 Mark II) was painted in silver. The fate of the F-88 Mark II is not known but it may have burned while being loaded onto a transporter.

The third version of the F-88 was known as the Mark III and was built by Oldsmobile in 1959 and wore a red paint scheme.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2008