In 1949, Oldsmobile inserted a new model into the lineup. Between the 76, with its flathead inline six, and the deluxe long-wheelbase 98, came the new Oldsmobile 88. It replaced the model 78, which had a flathead straight eight.
Both the 88 and the top-of-the-line 98 sported an entirely new engine, an overhead valve V-8 dubbed the "Rocket" by Oldsmobile. Where the 257 cubic inch flathead had been rated at 115 horsepower, the new Rocket V-8 displaced 303 cubic inches and put out 135 SAE gross horsepower at 3600 RPM.
The Rocket V-8 in the shorter wheelbase 88 was an instant hit, being capable of running to sixty in a few ticks under twelve seconds and topping out at close to a hundred. They won six of nine NASCAR races in which they were entered in 1949.
In 1950 there were only minimal changes, including the chrome taillight housings becoming tiny fins, with the number "88" emblazoned on them, echoing the fins that GM stablemate Cadillac was then popularizing. If you enlarge the lower photo of the Ivy Green 1950 sedan, you can just make that detail out.
For 1950 the Olds 88 won 10 of 19 NASCAR races as well winning the inaugural Carrera Panamericana ahead of rival GM Cadillac 62's, and taking four of the top ten places total, besting notable competitors like the Alfa Romeo 6C and Lincoln Cosmopolitan. By 1951 the song "Rocket 88" was a radio hit and the car's place as a legend was assured.
(Oldsmobile fans will often insist on referring to it as the first Muscle Car, but as a nerdy purist I have to stand firm on insisting that a muscle car is technically a midsize coupe with a full-size engine, marketed as youthful performance ride, and the Detroit midsize coupe was still over a decade in the future at this point.)
The one in the photos was snapped in July of 2024 using an Olympus OM-D E-M1X and a Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4 zoom lens.
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