1956 Oldsmobile Super Eighty-Eight

The 1956 Oldsmobile Super 88 was marketed as 'The Car with the Power Personality.' In the immediate Post War era, General Motors, led by Charles Kettering, had conducted engineering research resulting in the discovery of the economic and performance benefits of using high compression ratios in combination with leaded fuels. This led to Cadillac and Oldsmobile designing their own compact, high-compression Overhead Valve V-8 engines. Cadillac had beaten Oldsmobile to developing the first modern V8, however, it was Oldsmobile's General Manager Sherrod E. Skinner who had conceived of the idea to install the Olds 'Rocket V8' into a mid-size, lightweight body, thus beginning a new performance age in America.

The 1956 Super Eighty-Eight was positioned above the entry-level Eighty-Eight and below the top-of-the-line Ninety-Eight. Body styles included a 2- and 4-door sedan, 2- and 4-door Holiday Hardtop, and a convertible. The total production of the Super 88 reached 179,000 examples accounting for nearly 40 percent of Oldsmobile's total 1956 sales. Standard equipment included a cigarette lighter, turn signals, rubber floor mats, aluminum door sill plates, sun visors, dual horns, lined trunk, rotary door latches, armrests, bumper guards, courtesy lights, carpeting, foam rubber seat cushions, and deck lid '88' script.

The 324 cubic-inch (3.87 x 3.45-inch bore/stroke), overhead valve V8 engine had a cast-iron block, hydraulic valve lifters, a Rochester Quadro-Jet carburetor, and 9.25:1 compression with 240 horsepower at 4,400 RPM and 350 lb-ft of 2,800 RPM.

Prices ranged from $2,300 to $2,730. The two-door sedan with seating for five was priced at $2,300, the four-door sedan at $2,365, the two-door holiday hardtop at $2,520, the four-door holiday hardtop at $2,570, and the convertible at $2,730. The most popular body style was the four-door holiday hardtop with 61,192 units built, followed by 59,728 of the four-door sedan, 43,054 of the two-door holiday hardtop, 9,561 of the convertible, and 5,465 of the two-door sedan.

Second Generation Oldsmobile Super 88
1956 was the final year of the second generation of styling introduced in 1954. The body shells of the GM B-body platform were now longer and lower, featured a one-piece wraparound windshield, a longer 122-inch wheelbase, and the displacement size of the Rocket V8 engine growing from 303 to 324 cubic inches. 1955 brought several significant styling updates with the addition of body side chrome, along with new taillights and grillework. Modifications to the engine brought horsepower from 170 hp to 202 hp.

Body styles offered with the 1954 Super Eighty-Eight included a two- and four-door sedan, a two-door holiday hardtop, and a convertible. For 1955, a four-door Holiday Hardtop joined the lineup.

1956 Oldsmobile Models
The 'entry-level' Oldsmobile model was the Eighty-Eight, the 'intermediate' model was the Super Eighty-Eight, and the 'top-of-the-range' was the Ninety-Eight Series. The Eighty-Eight rested on the same wheelbase platform as the Super Eighty-Eight, measuring 122-inches, while the Ninety-Eight measured 126 inches. Both the Super Eighty-Eighty and Ninety-Eight shared the same 324 CID V8 engine, while the Eighty-Eight used a 324 cubic-inch, overhead valve V8 with 230 horsepower at 4,400 RPM and 340 lb-ft at 2,400 RPM.

Eighty-Eight Standard Equipment
Exterior
- bumper guards
- twenty-one factory body colors with 26 two-tone color combinations
- 7.10 x 15 tires
- turn signals
- aluminum door sill plates

Interior
- rubber floor mats
- sun visors
- cigarette lighter
- rotary door laches
- armrests
- dual horns

Total Production: 216,019
Price Range: $2,170 - $2,400

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Super Eighty-Eight Standard Features (in addition to Eighty-Eighty standard features)

Interior
- carpeting (front and rear)
- foam rubber seat cushions
- courtesy lights
- pattern cloth and leather upholstery choices in many colors and combinations

Exterior
- 7.60 x 15-inch tires
- front fender medallions
- '88' script on the deck lid

Total Production: 179,000
Price Range: $2,300 - $2,730

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Ninety-Eight Standard Features (in addition to items from lower series)
Interior
- Deluxe steering wheel
- courtesy lights
- padded dash
- electric clock
- pattern cloth and leather upholstery choices in various colors and combinations

Exterior / Mechanical
- windshield washers
- power steering
- Jetaway Hydra-Matic Drive
- back-up light moldings
- 8.00 x 15-inch wheels wrapped with Firestone, Goodrich, or U.S. Royal tires.

Total Production: 90,439
Price Range: $2,970 - $3,380

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2020