1952 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight

Oldsmobile established a reputation for building sturdy and well-engineered, but often not exciting cars. In 1948, that quickly changed with the introduction of the top-of-the-line Futuramic 98. It was based on the all-new General Motors C-body chassis that was shared with Cadillacs and wore Harley Earl-directed styling inspired from Lockheed's P-38 Lightning fighter plane. With the new X-member frame and four-wheel coil-spring suspension, the low-slung Ninety-Eight delivered a smooth and comfortable ride with equally impressive handling characteristics.

Oldsmobile's was often considered GM's 'engineering' division and had introduced many 'industry firsts.' In 1949, Oldsmobile unveiled its all-new, compact, highly efficient, capable, and powerful Rocket V-8 engines. It featured modern overhead-valve technology and was capable of coping with increased compression ratios. Based on principles established by Charles Kettering, the Rocket engine was capable of developing 135 horsepower and 263 lb-feet of torque, when first introduced. The Hydra-Matic automatic transmission became standard on the Ninety-Eight for 1949, the same year the new B-body Series 76 and 88 models were added to the Oldsmobile lineup.

With fresh styling, a powerful engine, and industry-leading technology, Oldsmobile sales grew rapidly. For 1952, Oldsmobile was ranked fourth in the industry, a new high for the company.

Body styles on the Ninety-Eight series included a four-door sedan priced at $2,530, a $2,750 2-door Holiday hardtop, and a convertible priced at $2,940. The sedan, like the other Oldsmobile models, was the most popular body style, finding 58,550 buyers. 14,150 of the 2-door Holiday Hardtop were purchased and 3,544 of the convertible. The combined Ninety-Eight sales accounted for 35-percent of Oldsmboile's total 1952 production.

By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2020