1950 Olds Rocket 88 Ride-along
The group's design was heavily influenced by experiments Charles F. Kettering was performing at the GM Research Center with high-compression, short-stroke, stiff-crank engines. Kettering's work showed that a boost in compression from 6.25:1 to 12:1 could improve fuel mileage upwards of 40 percent and horsepower by 25 percent.
Oldsmobile's first step toward the Rocket was a 288-cu.in. V-8 prototype known as SV 49. Four of these engines were successfully built and tested before higher-ups within General Motors yanked funding for the project over objections from the Cadillac division which was working on a new V-8 of its own. Oldsmobile changed tack and developed a V-6 as well as 60- and 70-degree V-8s, but GM brass soon relented and, by March 1947, greenlighted the Olds 90-degree V-8 project out of which the Rocket was born.
The Rocket found the perfect home in the engine bay of the 88, with its Harley Earl-inspired styling that drew cues from wartime fighter planes. Up front, there were pontoon-like fenders, with the headlights mounted above air intakes and a full-width grille. The roof was rounded like a cockpit canopy, and there was an abundance of glass with curved panes front and rear.
The 88 dominated NASCAR's inaugural 1949 season, winning five of eight races that year and carrying Red Byron to the series' first championship. An 88 convertible paced the field at the 1949 Indianapolis 500, and, with Hershel McGriff behind the wheel, an 88 won the inaugural Carrera Panamericana in 1950.
If all of that weren't futuramic enough, the 88 played a starring role in the future of rock and roll music when the song "Rocket 88" topped the Billboard charts in June 1951.
#Olds88 #TwoGuysandARide #Rocket88 #Oldsmobile #HolidayCoupe #RED
Comments
Post a Comment