The Oldsmobile 88 (a.k.a. Eighty-Eight) was a full-size car sold by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors and produced from 1949 until 1999. From 1950 to 1974 the 88 was the division's top-selling line, particularly the entry-level models such as the 88 and Dynamic 88. The 88 series was also an image leader for Oldsmobile, particularly in the early years (1949–51) when it was one of the best performing automobiles thanks to its relatively small size, light weight and advanced overhead-valve high-compression V8 engine originally designed for the larger and more luxurious 98 series but dropped into the smaller six-cylinder Oldsmobile 76 body, creating what was considered the predecessor of musclecars of the 1960s.
A large number of variations in nomenclature were seen over this long model run—Delmont, Delta, Dynamic, Jetstar, Starfire, Super, Holiday, L/S, LSS, Celebrity, and Royale were used at various times with the 88 badge, and Fiesta appeared on some station wagons in the 1950s and 1960s. The name was more commonly shown as numbers in the earlier years ("Delta 88", for example) and was changed to spell-out "Eighty Eight" starting in 1989.
The Oldsmobile Eighty Eight was produced in Wentzville, Missouri; Flint, Michigan; and Lake Orion, Michigan.
Fifth generation 1961-1964
An all-new body and chassis with perimeter "Guard Beam" frame and all-coil suspension replacing the previous leaf springs highlighted the 1961 full-sized Oldsmobiles, which were joined by the new compact F-85. All full-sized Oldsmobiles were now powered by the 394-cubic-inch Rocket V8 with the Dynamic 88 getting a two-barrel, 250 hp (186 kW) version that used regular gas, while the Super 88 was powered by a four-barrel "Ultra High Compression" 394 Skyrocket V8 rated at 325 hp (242 kW). The Skyrocket engine was available as an extra-cost option on the Dynamic 88. A new three-speed "Roto" Hydra-matic transmission that was smaller and lighter than the previous four-speed unit was introduced as an option.
The 1961 Oldsmobile body design represented the after-effect of the 1958 recession. While wheelbases remained the same as in 1960, the overall length and width were reduced slightly – a trend seen throughout all of GM's marques. Body design focused on a trimmer, fuselage design. At the bottom of the rear quarters, a "skeg"—a downward fin—jutted outboard to counterbalance the rearward point of the quarter panel. Round tail lights, one on each side, were set into the rear cove. For 1961, GM retired the compound curve windshields that it introduced in 1954, and the much hated body dogleg necessitated by the shape of the windshield. Instead of adopting the cleaner straight angled "A" pillar, Harley Earl, who was nearing the end of his tenure at GM, pushed for a small curved switch back, used in 1961–62, at the outboard base of the windshield.
ike for the previous model year, there were six body styles: a 2-door sedan, the Celebrity Sedan 4-door sedan, the Holiday Sedan 4-door hardtop, the Holiday Coupe 2-door hardtop, the Convertible Coupe drop-top and the Fiesta station wagon, available in both 2- and 3-seat models. All body styles but the 2-door sedan (which was the price leader) were offered both as Dynamic 88 and Super 88. In general all models had thicker pillars than the extremely thin ones found on previous generation models. The Holiday Coupe 2-door hardtop continued the "bubble top" look. The 1961 Holiday Sedan 4-door hardtop had thicker, parallelogram-shaped rear pillar than its predecessor. The extreme "floating roof" look of the 1959–1960 4-door hardtop, with wrap-around panoramic rear window and overhanging roof, had been passed on to the pillared Celebrity Sedan—which had switched from the previous year six-window to a four-window greenhouse. Six-window sedans continued to be offered in the 98 line.
At mid-year, a sporty and luxurious convertible called the Oldsmobile Starfire was introduced. It was based on the Super 88 ragtop and featured leather bucket seats, center console with floor shifter for the Hydra-matic transmission (incidentally the first U.S. full-sized production car to feature an automatic transmission with a console-mounted floor shifter) and many other standard items such as power steering, brakes, windows and driver's seat. The Starfire was also powered by an even higher-performance version of the "Ultra High Compression" 394-cubic-inch Starfire V8 rated at 335 hp (250 kW).
For 1962, the Oldsmobile 88 received a "second-year" facelift that included a revised grille and front bumper. Length was increased somewhat to give the '62 Olds a longer look. Changes to the rear included the removal of the rear fender skegs (personally ordered by GM's Vice President of design Bill Mitchell, who disliked them), and oval taillights, one on each side for Dynamic and Super 88 models replaced the 1961's round units. 1962 Starfires received two oval lights per side, much like the concurrent Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight models. Changes to the greenhouse included new roof lines for the four-door Celebrity Sedan—which relinquished the panoramic rear window—and for the Holiday Coupe two-door hardtop, which received a new fashionable convertible-inspired roofline abandoning the "bubble-top" appearance. The two-door sedan, made redundant as entry-level model by the previous year's introduction of the F-85 compact, was discontinued. Lastly, the Fiesta station wagon was only partially restyled, retaining most of the 1961's rear styling; the 3-seat wagon was now only available as Dynamic 88.
Engines were uprated to 280 hp (209 kW) for the standard engine in the Dynamic 88 thanks to a higher compression ratio that demanded the use of premium fuel (a regular-fuel 260 hp (194 kW) version was offered as a no-cost option), 330 horses for the "Skyrocket" V8 standard on Super 88 and Ninety-Eight and 345 horsepower for the top Starfire Rocket V8. Oldsmobile marketing continued to use the trade names of "Roto-matic Power Steering" and "Pedal-eeze Power Brakes". All Oldsmobiles featured the "speed bar" speedometer. Introduced in 1959, the speedometer used a rolling black cylinder with sections painted brilliant green, yellow and bright red. As the car went from a standing stop forward in speed, the cylinder rolled, first exposing the green in a window that matched the numeric speed on stationary speed dial for low speeds, yellow at moderate speeds, and finally red at highway speeds. Drivers who topped the car over 100 mph moved the cylinder into an area where only the black base color was visible. For 1963, Oldsmobile would revert to a standard speed needle sweeping over a calibrated set of speeds instead.
1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88s and Dynamic 88 Fiesta wagons each had their own upholstery patterns in single and dual-tone colors. Super 88s received tri-tone upholstery and trim. Heaters became standard equipment on all models, and the push-button controls were located to the right of the steering wheel column. Vehicles not equipped with air conditioning received push-button vacuum-operated fresh air vents, called "Summer Ventilation", which replaced the pull level type vents. This control panel was located on the left of the steering column. Cars equipped with factory air conditioning replaced the vent control panel with the air conditioning panel, which also contained its own blower switch. These cars also sported round dash vents for the delivery of A/C airflow. Dynamic 88s received aqua dashboard panel inserts with "OLDSMOBILE" lettering, while Super 88s received panels with that model's nomenclature on the insert.
Source: wikipedia.org
Last edited by Man of Steel; 11-06-2019 at 11:46 PM.
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