1958 Oldsmobile Dynamic Eighty-Eight

By the mid-1950s, the General Motors lineup included the entry-level Chevrolet, the mid-level Oldsmobile, and the top-of-the-line Cadillac. Oldsmobile bridged the gap between Chevy and Cadillac by offering a unique combination of contemporary styling, luxury, and performance. 1958 was a special year for General Motors as they celebrated 50 years of production, earmarking the celebration with a line of vehicles from each brand that closely resembled one another in a nod toward corporate-styling alignment. Among the design features were new quad headlamps and plenty of chrome, stainless and aluminum trim. Oldsmobile styling exercise was advertised as 'The Mobile Look and 'OLDSmobility, the pleasurable way of going places in the Rocket Age!'

Oldsmobile's lineup for 1958 included the Dynamic Eighty-Eight, the mid-level Super Eighty-Eight, and the Super Eighty-Eight. The Dynamic Eighty-Eight was similar, with both sharing the same 122.5-inch wheelbase platform and length of 208.2 inches. While the Super 88 shared its 371 CID V8 engine with the 98 Series, the Dynamic 88 was equipped with a 371 CID, overhead-valve V8 with an 'Economy' two-barrel carburetor delivering 265 horsepower and 390 lb-feet of torque. Both the Dynamic and Super Eighty-Eight series had a three-speed manual transmission or optional Jetaway Hydra-Matic.

Body styles on the entry-level Olds included a 2- and 4-door sedan, 2- and 4-door Holiday Hardtop, convertible, and station wagon. The sedan accounted for 60,429 sales and the 4-door Holiday Hardtop was the second most popular style, with 28,241 sales. The convertible found 4,456 willing buyers. The total Dynamic Eighty-Eight sales for 1958 accounted for nearly 50-percent of Oldsmobile total sales. With sales approaching 311,000 units, Oldsmobile was solidly positioned fourth (behind Ford, Plymouth, and Chevrolet) in industry ranking, and was acknowledged as the leading marque of the American medium-priced market segment.

To accent the considerable length of the Oldsmobile line, the restyling included a dramatic use of chrome trim on the sides. A vast array of seventeen standard colors were offered, plus five optional metallic colors. The selection of colors continued to the interior, with buyers able to select from a variety of colored morocceen and cloth combinations. The list of standard features included turn signals, four headlights, an oil filter, 8.50 x 14-inch tires, and an aluminum anodized grille. Power brakes, power steering, deluxe radio, rear radio speaker, and the electric antenna were a few of the options.

Oldsmobile successfully combined high-impact styling, performance, and a large dose of luxurious amenities to help it achieve a fourth-place ranking for the 1958 model year, with the Dynamic 88 leading the way in regards to sales and popularity.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2020