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The Rocket 88 vaulted Oldsmobile from a somewhat staid, conservative car to a performer that became the one to beat on the NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) circuits. It won six of the nine NASCAR late-model division races in 1949, 10 of 19 in 1950, 20 of 41 in 1952, and was eventually eclipsed by the low-slung, powerful ...
In short, the 88 was the first American car to combine a relatively smaller, lighter body with a powerful V8 engine. Something Chrysler didn't do until six years later. The engine in question was...
There are 7 new and used classic Oldsmobile Rocket 88s listed for sale near you on ClassicCars.com with prices starting as low as $10,750. Find your dream car today.
The Oldsmobile 88, soon nicknamed “Rocket 88” due to its Rocket V8 engine, was first released in 1949. The 88 employed a number of mechanical elements which were new to Oldsmobile and GM.
The first domestic performance car to be introduced after World War II was the Oldsmobile Rocket 88. This hot-running “small” Olds came about as the result of an afterthought, rather than a master plan.
An 88 convertible served as the pace car for the Indy 500 in 1949, and the Ike Turner/Jackie Brenston hit “Rocket 88” is one of the very earliest rock and roll songs. But despite all that rich history and performance street cred, fewer and fewer people seem interested in actually owning one.
Introduced in 1949, the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 emerged as a trailblazer, wielding one of the first overhead valve V8 engines in a power struggle that would come to epitomize the muscle car ethos. Its combination of a potent V8 engine with a lighter body set a precedent for performance that would define the muscle car genre.
When introduced, the 1949 Olds Rocket 88 was one of the first power-war OHV V8-powered cars. It sported a large V8 that carried a lighter body, the key formula that would define the term ‘muscle car’ later on. It would spend its first very early years winning road races.
Weighing 350 lbs. less than the 98 model, the 76 was unremarkable on its own, but as the V8-equipped “Rocket 88,” it became a serious performer. The ’49 model had a top speed of 97 mph and a 0-60 mph time of 13 seconds, giving it sports car performance in a straight line with all the usability of a family car.
Oldsmobile 88 Classic cars for sale near near you by classic car dealers and private sellers on Classics on Autotrader. See prices, photos, and find dealers near you.