OLDSMOBILE - The 1st Generation Rocket V8s Part 1 of 3
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 มี.ค. 2010
- THE FIRST GENERATION ROCKET V8 BLOCK was produced from 1949-64. It started as a 303 in 1949, then grew to a 324, then a 371--(which also came in a special J2 Rocket version that came out in 1957), and finished off with it's largest displacement---a 394 that came out in 1959 (the 394 was produced until 1964). But after the 394 in 1959, the lastly developed engine of this "first generation era" was a special smaller lighter 215v8 with a turbo charger produced in the early 60s. The first intermediate sized musclecar came in 1964 "The Pontiac GTO". But prior to the Intermediate sized musclecars, the early 50s OLDSMOBILE ROCKETS can strongly be argued as being THE FIRST MUSCLE CAR (especially the 88's because they were a few hundred pounds lighter than a 98). My dad was blessed with getting a 303v8 1950 Olds 4dr 88 handed down to him in 1955 when my Grandpa got a new 55 Olds.
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Respect The Rocket,,, thanks for sharing
Rip Oldsmobile we lost pure merican history in 04
I bought a 64 dynamic 88 and it's my daily driver I do all my own work to it and I found this video by accident while looking up other things. I love these old cars
I miss watching these old SPEED channel episodes in tv with my grandpa
Thank you for posting these videos, I remember watching American Muscle Car on SPEED as a teenager and I love how I can watch these episodes again. I really appreciate it, keep up the great work.
Great to see this vintage footage. I do think it overstates the Olds case for engineering leadership . Both Nash and Buick had OHV engines for years before Oldsmobile. Then Cadillac (as noted) came out with their OHV V8 the same year as Olds.
The Ford flathead was hardly a "high-performance " engine; though, as with other engines , it could be modified to make much more power. As for the 88 being a "light" car--depends what it's compared to. It was about the same weight as its Mercury, Dodge, DeSoto, and Nash competitors. Yes, it had the heavier 98 engine, but the smaller Lincoln had the Cosmopolitan engine, the Buick Super the Roadmaster engine, the Saratoga had the New Yorker engine, the Cadillac 61 had the Cadillac 62 engine, etc.; nothing unique about that. Another exaggeration was that Olds established a "dynasty" in '50s stock car racing. They were successful, but so were Lincoln, Chrysler, and Hudson, not to mention Chevrolet and Ford.
The term 'muscle car' usually refers to a mid-sized car with a big block engine (along with a special name and accompaning trim ) made from 1964-1972. The term wasn't used in the '50s. That's not a legal term; but calling any fast car a muscle car is a bit misleading.
I greatly enjoyed the video. Not expecting it to meet all my expectations.
303 Olds, the world's first small block V8.
Cadillac also came out with their first OHV V8 in 1949. But the 1955 Chrysler 300 is really the first American muscle car...the first American car with a 300 horsepower factory rating since Duesenberg in 1928. The Olds Rocket 88's were fast in their day but those engines really only put out about 150 horsepower tops...a big number in 1949 but not really muscle car type numbers by any stretch
I bought a 1950 olds 88 in Oklahome , Drove it to California Seldom below 90 miles an hour , Great car , Wish I had it today !!
I am placing an order for 2025 Oldsmobile next week.🥰
That is Really COOL
Came for Oldsmobile V8 history, stayed for the comments.
I love the price of gas at 23 cents per gallon @0:48.
The first muscle cars from Oldsmobile were the 1957 371 Tri Power J2 cars. Lee Petty drove for Oldsmobile in 1957-58 and part of the 1959 NASCAR season before switching back to Mopar...Plymouth in particular
My cousins ex father-in-law ( passed away about 4 yrs ago at age 95) Used to race semi -pro ( name Augie Walaskis) He swore by Olds Power.
Research shows that the first muscle car was likely the 1938 Buick Century. A 141hp, 320ci OHV Buick Roadmaster engine and 3-sp trans was installed into the small Buick Special chassis and renamed the Century. Police got on to using the Century as there was nothing that could outrun it. Hot rodders of the 40’s also used this engine in coupes and roadsters.
You're correct. I believe Buick named it the Century because it could do an honest 100 mph.
m dogg !
Not...
With the demise of Oldsmobile we lost a great deal of our American heritage!
Wasn't in NASCAR that required rocker studs instead of rocker rails ? The rumor I remember was because the Olds and Chrysler engines were kicking patutti out on the track.
That's why a flathead s_it on them about 3/4 of the time
The OHV V8 first appeared in a handful of 1948 Oldsmobiles as prototypes. Oldsmobile was the test bed for Cadillac. Any new technology was fitted on the Olds to be debugged before it was used on the more prestigious Cadillac. A few of these are auto transmissions, V8s, front wheel drive.
I'm old. In 1948, if you wanted cheap performance you got a v8 Ford. If you had more money and wanted more performance you got the new Hudson Super Six. For more money you could get a Buick Century, as fast as any mass produced car then. Oldsmobile was nowhere. With the 135 hp V8 in 1949 Olds offered very near Buick Century performance at Hudson prices. This hp doesn't sound like a lot, but Ford had 100hp, Hudson 121, and the heavier Buick 150.
Even the OHV Chevy straight 6's made more power than the flathead Ford V8's... Louie Chevrolet was a race car driver and only offered OHV engines right from the start in 1911... no flatheads... Even an OHV V8 w/ airgap intake manifold in 1916 - 1918... though mostly Chevy 4's in the old days... Pontiac Motor Car Company was invented by GM to be an upscale 'Chevy' with 6's(but flathead)... Buick got straight 8's... Cadillac V8's, V12's, and up to V16's...
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Please use the term "Engine, not Motor
High octane. Fighter airplane engine fuel.
Blown off the track by the straight six L-head (side-valve) engined Hudson Hornet!
I'd like to see your "straight six L-head (side-valve) engined Hudson Hornet!" go up against a 1970 442 W-30!!!!! INSTANT MASSACRE!!!!!
@@Marc816 I'm not talking 1970, I mean the 1950's. Even after the arrival of V8's the Hudson Hornet continued to be the car to beat on the track.
@@geoffreypiltz271 Hudson's last year was 1957. For Olds, it was 2004. That sort of tells you something!!!!! BTW, the first Daytona 500 was won by a 1959 Olds Super 88 driven by Lee Petty!!
----- Wasn't the Hudson the first muscle car?
Back in the day it was a crap shoot who had the winner on any given race. After all even the worst car had a good day eventually.
but they were very heavy, and only made like 200 HP, they were sluggish
tunnelportterror but they were way above the rest - gotta take them in context of the times.....
Fuel wasn't hi-octane yet so high compression was 7.25 ---- you call it sluggish but performer started here
The 1955 Chrysler 300 is the first muscle car. It's the first car to carry a 300 horsepower factory rating since Duesenberg in 1928. Then in 1956...DeSoto, Dodge, and Plymouth all released their own high performance models...the Adventurer, the D-500, and the Fury. Mopar invented muscle cars in 1955..not Oldsmobile in 1949 or Pontiac in 1964. The 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 may have been fast in its day compared to other cars...but 180 horsepower doesn't really put it in muscle car territory. At least not in my book. You could also call the 1932 Ford V8 the first muscle car because they were faster than any other car at that time...but the 85 horsepower Flathead V8 doesnt really qualify in my opinion
Wrong , 1949 olds was the first High Performance car , 135 Hp , It would outrun anything on the Hiway , I outran a CHP in one , left him in the dust
@@jamesadams3458 Nah not really. They weren't even making 200 horses. I outran the cops once in my 86 Chevy C10 pickup. I wouldn't really call it a high performance machine though lol
I had a rocket V8 in my 71 cutlass. I didn't think it was a big deal , the transmission was a piece of shit
THE FIRST OLDS V8 WAS JUNK..ASK ANY OLD MECHANIC..