1950 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight

The 1949 model year had been monumental for Oldsmobile as they introduced its newly restyled post-war line, wearing an aircraft-inspired design theme of Harley Earl's Art and Colour Studio, highlighted by a modern one-piece windshield. Along with new styling, changes were made under the hood, with a V-8 engine that was called the 'Rocket.' It had a 303 cubic-inch displacement and was one of the first overhead-valve small-block V8s introduced by an American automaker. It was initially offered with a low 7.25:1 compression ratio, and designed for levels as high as 12:1, in anticipation of higher-octane fuels for the heady days to come. It developed 135 horsepower at 3,600 RPM, 263 foot-pounds of torque, and was backed by a column-shifted three-speed manual transmission. A Hydra-Matic was optional.

The Rocket V8 helped established the very foundation of Detroit sanctioned competition and soon Chrysler introduced a Hemi and Hudson would build their Hornet and Wasp models. Moonshine and back roads racing soon evolve and progressed to oval tracks and what came to be known as NASCAR. The Rocket V8 was used to power Oldsmobiles to first place finish in the inaugural Carrera Panamericana of 1949 and the first NASCAR championship. In 1953 they racked up nine Grand National victories including a win by Buck Baker in the Southern 500.

The 1950 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight Series entered its second year of production with only minimal changes, as the prior-year had introduced an entirely new design. It was positioned above the Seventy-Six series and body styles included a club sedan, club coupe, 2- and 4-door sedan, convertible, and station wagon. The 2-door Holiday Hardtop Coupe was one of the original three General Motors 'hardtop convertibles' introduced in 1949, alongside the Buick Riviera and the Cadillac Coupe deVille. These were the first body styles to introduce the major American market to the pillarless door design, which gave the cars the appearance of being convertibles with the top-up. Chalmers and Chandler had used this styling during the 1920s, but it was new to major automakers.

Styling upgrades for 1950 included a one-piece curved windshield. Both Standard and Deluxe packages were offered and included the same equipment in the Seventy-Six line. The Stanard line included dual horns, parking lamps, bumper guards, rubber front floor mats, aluminum sill plates, and a dome light. The Deluxe line added stainless steel gravel shields, additional chrome molding, robe rails, and foam rubber seats cushions. The interior upholstery choices included striped cloth, nylon, broad-cloth, and leather in various colors.

The Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight used the same new Futuramic B-body platform as the six-cylinder Model 76 but equipped with the new Rocket V8 engine. The 88 enjoyed great success, inspiring a popular 1950s slogan, 'Make a Date with a Rocket 88,' and also a song, 'Rocket 88' by Ike Turner.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2020