The corking mid - Fifties boom period for medium - pricedcars– a fourth dimension that saw phenomenal sales for most manufacturers in the section , exhort large , plusher cars from the " Low - price Three , " and temptedFordto make theEdsel– pay back something of a late start at Oldsmobile , after the 1954 Oldsmobile designs were dispute .
Oldsmobile Image Gallery
The 1954 Oldsmobile 88 , Super 88 , and Ninety - Eight were insert on January 20 , 1954 . That was strange , because General Motors usually announced its new cars in the autumn of the previous calendar class , not after the first of January . At a press league , Oldsmobile General Manager Jack Wolfram offer what may have been a partial explanation for the postponement : " The raw 1954 Oldsmobile model were originally plan for release in 1955 . But original programme were scrapped early in 1953 when it was find possible to move the 1955 good example up to 1954 . "
Wolfram ’s statement set out a controversy among drive historians that continues to this sidereal day . For example , Dennis Casteele write in his book , The Cars of Oldsmobile , " This was probably just an advertising call as General Motors , with its interdivisional communion of body plan , did n’t operate that way . "
However , self-propelling diary keeper Jan E. Norbye and Jim Dunne were convinced it happened with the 1954s . As they stated in their historyOldsmobile 1946 - 1980 : The Classic Postwar Years , " [ T]he car that were first design for 1954 were shown to the top direction of GM in November 1952 . [ GM President Harlow ] Red Curtice fumble his muckle . The cars were chunky , warmed - over , unimaginative – worse than the ' 53 models , he is guess to have say . "
As for who hint junk the original 1954s and putting the 1955s into output a yr earlier than intended , Norbye and Dunne speculated about several possible action and in conclusion picked the most likely .
" One fib has it that Louis C. Goad , then executive vice - president with overall duty for the Car and Truck Group , plainly asked the question in a meeting : ' The designs for the 1955 cars are pretty well finished . Would it be possible to get them into production earlier ? ' No matter how it make out about , it was potential . And it was done . "
really , Oldsmobile was n’t alone at GM in terms of late starts and novel bodies . The 1954ChevroletandPontiacdidn’t pip showroom until December 1953 , with the Cadillac andBuickarriving the undermentioned month .
The latter two makes boast novel styling that had been in the works since 1950 . A new C - eubstance was fit to the Caddy and Buick Super and Roadmaster . However , the " next-to-last " Buick Special and Century were dressed in a redone B complex - body , which was to be shared by all Oldsmobiles . The motive to have this soundbox ready for the 1954 Buicks in all probability could have had a deal in helping the planners in Lansing move up their timetable .
For more information on different type of cars , see :
1954 Oldsmobile Design
As the 1954 models were being readied for the assembly line , Art Ross , Olds ' primary stylist , was redact the finishing touches on twoconvertibleshowcarsfor the 1953 GM Motorama – the Fiesta and the Starfire – that would work the 1954 Oldsmobile pattern .
The Fiesta was a limited Ninety - Eight lenient - top that went into modified production for 1953 as the Olds counterpart to the Buick Skylark and Cadillac Eldorado . The Starfire was a sleek , low - slung construct car that take over the name of an forward-looking fighter aircraft of the day , the Lockheed F94B.
Both of these cars previewed features of the 1954 - 1956 theoretical account , including wrap - around windshield and dip beltlines , along with three - bladed - spinner roulette wheel covers that would become darling of " kustom kar " buff .
They also divvy up a trim detail Ross had first used on the 1951 Super 88 , an angular chrome solidus that defined the lead bound of the rear wing area . On the Fiesta , the slash dropped from the dip in the beltline to a lilliputian more than midway down the fender panel , then turned rearward as a horizontal striptease . There was also a Harlan Fiske Stone safety forward of the rearward wheel well , which served no apparent purpose and gave the assemblage a cluttered look . On the Starfire , the rock guard duty was egest and the slash cast almost to the bottom of the wing panel before turning to the rear , for a much cleaner overall effect .
Another Starfire touch that would grace production Oldsmobiles – albeit not until 1956 – was a front bumper incorporating a horizontal oval air intake that historian Richard M. Langworth wittily look up to as " largemouth bass bass " grillework .
The B - dead body used by the 1954 - 1956 Oldsmobiles was easily distinguished from the larger carbon - soundbox by the tower of the wraparound windscreen . On the B - body , they were sloped ; on the blow - physical structure they were upright .
Generally , the 1954 Oldsmobiles were three column inch lower than the 1953s , giving them much sleeker profiles . Indeed the bodywork had been lowered so much that the beltline and cowcatcher line were no longer separate ; they had converge . Nonetheless , the new styling keep back a percipient Oldsmobile identicalness , reenforce in part with essentially the same grille purpose as in 1953 .
The influence of the Fiesta and , even more so , the Starfire were apparent in the windscreen , beltline and side trim . However , on the 1954s , the gash came only midway down the fender panel before bending rearward , leaving room under it for a square - cut rearward wheel well . The gore draft by the slash and its horizontal extension looked a little like stylized saddlebag on the car ’s rear flanks .
Two - doorway hardtop and convertible organic structure in the Ninety - Eight serial had a dissimilar side trim , with a chrome strip start just ahead of the front rack well and taper down slimly as it go to the rear . Just forward of the rear wheel well , that landing strip met an angular slash come down from the plunge in the beltline . The two - threshold Ninety - Eights also had rakish , semi - teardrop - shaped front and rearward steering wheel wells that gave the cars a speedy looking at even when park .
1954 Oldsmobile Components
The 1954 Oldsmobile 88 and Super 88 tantalise a 122 - inch wheelbase ( as did theBuickSpecial and Century ) , but the Ninety - Eight ’s wheel centers were stretched to 126 in . In overall length , the 1954 88 and Super 88 measured 205.3 inch and the Ninety - Eight was 214.3 in . ( In addition to its longer wheelbase , the Ninety - Eight ’s rear pack of cards was stretch another five inch . ) Annual changes in bumper design would cost all Oldsmobiles two inches in total distance by 1956 ; but for the most part , 1954 Oldsmobile component would be used through 1956 .
soundbox types in the nucleotide 88 series were two- and four - room access sedans and a two - door Holiday hardtop coupe . The Super 88 was available in those same styles , plus a convertible . Finally , the Ninety - Eight came as a four - door sedan chair , two - door standard and Deluxe Holiday hardtop coupes and a sofa bed . The 98 softtop hire more than just styling cues from the Starfire ; it adopt the conceptcar’svery name to become the Starfire sofa bed . The Fiesta convertible did not make the lineup for 1954 , but its name would be revive for a new Olds place wagon three days after .
The well - sell body types in all three series for 1954 were the four - door sedans .
The symmetric dashboard layout clean up on a theme begin in 1953 . Roundspeedometerand clock dials sit directly in front of the driver and front - seat rider , severally . However , for 1954 , novel offstage - like extension hold auxiliary gauge around the speedometer and the radio speaker above the clock . Grey , green , or gloomy fabric interiors graced shut models . Colorful leather upholstery was used in Super 88 and Ninety - Eight convertibles and hardtops .
Among engineering changes for 1954 , the Rocket V-8 underwent its first increase in displacement . However , that had been planned for . When the Rocket was originally developed in the late Forties , Wolfram ( then Olds ' principal engine driver ; he became general manager in 1951 ) urged the powerplant ’s architect , Gilbert Burrell , to set aside for bigger deracination . Burrell did so with such features as widely spaced bore centers and a generally heavy stop bodily structure .
One aftermath of the latter was that the stoppage , in lower displacement word form , was very lightly accent .
For 1954 , the cylinders were bored 0.125 inch over , up to 3 7/8 from 3 3/4 inch , while the stroke persist 3 7/16 inch . That raise displacement from 303.7 cubic inch to 324.3 three-dimensional inches . Along with the greater displacement , there was a high compression ratio , up to 8.25:1 from 8.0:1 .
For the standard 88 , theenginehad a two - barrel carburetor and an outturn of 170 gross horsepower at 4,000 revolutions per minute . The Super 88 and Ninety - Eight used a four - drum carb that boosted horsepower to 185 at 4,000 rev . Both version had 20 horsepower more than their 1953 counterparts . torsion for both 1954 Rockets was rate at 300 pound - feet at 2,000 rev .
Oldsmobile made one-year increases in horsepower and torsion throughout the mid - Fifties . Generally , they were the result of higher compression proportion , along with higher - rise camshaft grinds and big valves , specially for exhaust . compaction proportion hikes hinged on the accessibility of higher octane fuel , while the cam and valve limiting provide better breathing to take advantage of increase in contraction ratio .
A three - speed synchromesh transmission was consider standard on all line of descent , but the machinelike four - speed Hydra - Matic " Super Drive " unit continued to grow in popularity . With the lower dead body blueprint , a trouble developed in clearance for the Hydra - Matic , which was resolved by tilt the building block 22 degrees to the left wing . That had the added vantage of easing service access to the side cover and pressure regulator .
Oldsmobile bring on 354,001 cars during the 1954 framework year . That was below the part ’s model class disk of 407,889 in 1950 . However , the 1954 physique actuate Olds from 6th piazza in the industry in 1953 to fourth place behindChevrolet , Ford , and a stunningly potent Buick . It was Oldsmobile ’s best showing within the industriousness since 1905 , when it complete a three - year run as America ’s best - selling make .
1955 Oldsmobile
The 1955 Oldsmobile had a revised radiator grille , joining the oval outline of the Starfire conceptcar’sair intake with a horizontal crossbar and twin bumper " bombs " like those used on the 1953 and 1954 yield cars .
There was unexampled side trim , too . A comic strip of chrome similar to that used on the late year ’s Ninety - Eight begin ahead of the front wheel well and point back to assemble an stretch S - curved shape snaking down from the beltline . " Everywhere you take care , there ’s the magic touch of Oldsmobile ’s manifest and exclusive ' flying color ' styling ! " enthuse that year ’s sale folder .
The semi - teardrop bicycle wells , antecedently single to the Ninety - Eight , were now also used on the 88 and Super 88 , and seemed to blend well with the novel trim . However , on the next-to-last cars the gist was achieved with a skirt that gibe the rectangular outline of the opening as introduce in 1954 .
The most significant innovation in Olds design for 1955 was a steel - novel trunk type – not an everyday natural event in the Motor City – that appeared in March 1955 . It was a four - door hardtop sedan , and Olds was the first manufacturer to put up it in all of its line , reaffirming its reputation as GM ’s innovator .
The melodic theme was previewed at the 1953 Motorama with the Cadillac Orleans , a forerunner of that division ’s Sedan de Ville . However , initial output of the four - door hardtop was restricted to the B - body . Olds offered it as the Holiday sedan in its 88 , Super 88 , and Ninety - Eight serial , andBuickincluded it as the four - doorway Riviera for the Special and Century . The following year , it became available on all three GM chopine , from the A - bodiedChevroletandPontiacto the C - bodied big Buick and Cadillac .
The four - door sedan remained the preferred style in the Super 88 and Ninety - Eight kitchen stove , while the Holiday coupe was the best - seller among base 88s . But the new Holiday sedan would before long make its mark . Despite its mid - time of year introduction , almost 120,000 of the sporty Olds four - door were produce for 1955 .
Under the hood , combustion sleeping room volume was slim , conjure up the Rocket ’s compression ratio another quarter of a breaker point to 8.5:1 .
Output of the four - barrel carb version was boosted to 202 grosshorsepowerat 4,000 revolutions per minute and 332 pound - feet of torsion at 2,400 revolutions per minute , while the two - barrel rendering in the 88 go up to 185 gross horsepower at 4,000 revolutions per minute and 320 Egyptian pound - metrical foot at 2,000 rpm . The four - barrelenginealso became available as an option for the 88 , a enticing combining for those who might like the hotter Super 88 / Ninety - Eight engine in a lighter 88 body .
Some terse observance on how the 1955 Super 88 compare with the 1954 were offer by Al Kidd in the April 1955 issue ofMotor Trend : " Acceleration : Olds accelerates with the best ; ' 55 Super 88 nicks a piffling off ' 54 times in every department . Exceptional in 50 - 80 running play : 11.3 average is almost 4 full seconds less than last year . Covers 1/4 - mile in only about 1/2 second less than in ' 54 , but it ’s going 5 1/2 mph faster when it gets there . Has the spirit that it wants to go at all f number right up to its top of 109.7 mph . "
Kidd might wonder today , " Who want ABS ? " As he report on the Super 88 four decades ago , " Braking : Stops just as well as it accelerates . Power brakes operate from down - hung pendular pedal ; locked all wheels of test automobile evenly and pulled railroad car to full-strength stops . "
And , consider the wallowing route behavior of many full - size of it cars of the Fifties , Kidd had kind things to say about the 1955 Super 88 ’s suspension :
" Readability : near compromise between road - ability and soft riding caliber . Directional stability broadly good , but you ’ll have to correct in a crosswind . On tight , firm turns , car will drift a little and rearward end will break loose if you really push it . Here again , excellent road feel thru force steering piss chastisement soft and major power available at pep pill over 50 mph makes you master of just about any situation . Moderate amount of lean on good turn , and tubeless tire tires ( new this twelvemonth ) dissent even bourgeois cornering with a squeal . … drive : Ride ending of via media is better than average . Olds front end now has unmediated - acting shock absorber wax vertically within springs – event is smoother hinge upon . … At top speeds quilt is especial : utterly no vibration or front - end oscillation . With as good a ride as all but softest - sprung cable car , Olds is a safe wager for comfort . "
Despite its locking brakes and squealing tyre , the 1955 Oldsmobile was a arresting success , with production for the modelling twelvemonth of 583,179 unit of measurement . That was the highest in the division ’s account and a record that would stand up for 10 years .
To put that accomplishment in perspective , in July 1955 , Olds produce its 5 one-millionth auto since Ransom E. opened up store in 1896 . More than 11 pct of that 59 - twelvemonth sum were 1955 models .
Yet , despite the record output . Olds slipped a pass in the industriousness standing , dropping to 5th stead behind a resurgent Plymouth .
1956 Oldsmobile
For the 1956 Oldsmobile assembly line , styling modification include an ellipse front air aspiration without a horizontal crossbar , nigh selfsame to the " tumid - sassing bass " blueprint of the original Starfire .
As for side trim , on the 88 and Super 88 there was a chrome strip down the side from the trailing border of the front steering wheel well all the way to the rear of thecar . The rearward buffer slash was back , but this clock time it was slightly bowed , not square , as it dropped from the beltline inclination to the landing strip down the side . The trimming on the Ninety - Eight work a torpedo - comparable schema along the side of the elevator car – or would it be more appropriate to say a rocket - similar outline ?
The Holiday hardtop had arrived . The Holiday sedan became the advantageously - sell body type in the Super 88 and Ninety - Eight series , while the Holiday coupe was the favorite 88 .
Dash purpose switch slightly . The roundspeedometerand clock faces were replaced by large oval whole . The adjuvant gauges disappeared , however , give way to " imbecile lighting " at either oddment of the speedometer pod .
In theengine , thinner head gaskets were meld with a further reduction in combustion chamber volume to raise compression ratio to a new high of 9.25:1 . That boost the four - barrel - carb engine ’s output to 240 utter H.P. at 4,400 rev and 350 pound - feet of torque at 2,800 rev , while the two - barrel variance now made 230 gross H.P. at 4,400 and 340 pound - feet at 2,400 . The two powerplants were lie with as the T-350 and T-340 , respectively , after their torsion ratings . Dual exhausts were an alternative for the first meter and were tell to increasehorsepowerup to 7 percent and torsion 6 percent .
Manual transmissions were still stock in the 88 and Super 88 ranges , but for the first time , Ninety - Eights were fitted with the Hydra - Matic as standard equipment . It was a new rendering of GM ’s famed autobox , whichMotor Trend ’s Al Kidd describe in a " Drivescription " in the December 1955 issue :
" The boastful engine room lineament is the whole Modern Jetaway Hydra - Matic transmission on 98s and Super 88s . This new whole retains the desirable flexibility of last year ’s Dual Range H - M but with almost unheard of smoothness . essentially , the new Hydra - Matic differs from the 1955 version in that the front band and clutch have been replace with a 2nd little runny coupler and 2 sprag clutches ( one - way " clutch " that permit free - rolling at speed from 5 to 14 mph , depending on the range ) . This young 2nd coupling fills and empties with fluid to literally blend proportion change …
" Altho we were ineffective to make any clock runs , it is secure to say that the new Hydra - Matic is contributing considerably to added Olds slug …
" Service problems should be reduce since the new transmission eliminate the formerly necessary band adjustments and is designed to be generally more durable . "
Kidd wrote a more elaborated road test of the 1956 Super 88 for the April 1956Motor Trend , in which he establish the performance somewhat disappointing .
" The Rocket still has enough punch , but about all form of speedup times turned in by the ' 56 4 - threshold hardtop were either just about the same or a few tenths of a second boring than the figures we got last class , " he wrote . " With an increase of 38 horsepower we expect an improvement . Oldsmobile engineers say that they have turned in well clock time than the one we recorded . Our ' 56 examination motorcar was some 140 pounds heavier than the ' 55 4 - door we tested last year and of even more importance was the fact that the ' 55 test was conducted in even-tempered California conditions , while the current test hold seat on an extremely insensate Michigan Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . "
That ’s less an explanation of the differences – or lack of them – in the quickening of the 1955 and 1956 Olds Super 88s than it is an admission of the repugnance of route test conditions in the early day of the automobile magazines .
For 1956 , Olds yield drop down nearly 100,000 units , to 485,458 , but because of cut-rate sale slack elsewhere , Olds was able to apply on to its fifth place grade in the industry
The 1954 - 1956 Oldsmobiles were good motorcar – by mid - fifty standards , in fact , very good elevator car . They were powerful , decipherable , comfortable and fashionable . Oldsmobile Division had every right to be proud of them then ; aggregator still can be today .
1954-1956 Oldsmobile Weight, Price, and Production
