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Motor's Auto Repair Manual 1962. Either was a good value, the Super 88 costing $2894 and the 98 listing for $3276.

Big Engine and Small Body Add up to 1949 Olds 88

None of the manufacturers were willing to sit it out and the 1956 Olds boosted the 324's horsepower to 240. The Super 88 again shared the 98's version at 160, while the new Fiesta convertible in the 98 line received the 170. Efficiency was improved as size decreased; the new 304-cubic-inch engine produced 135 horsepower, according to Motor's Manual, compared to the earlier inline eight's 115 horsepower from 257 cubic inches, and the years would see it grow.. The Deluxe 88 and Super 88 replaced it, according to the Standard Catalog, and with the 98, continued to use the same Rocket V-8.

The Super 88 continued to benefit most, given that its 122-inch wheelbase was four inches shorter than that of the 98 and it weighed less than the bigger car with the same engine. Motor's Auto Repair Manual. It wasn't just the weight difference, of course; to become the 88, the 76 body gave up a 105-horsepower six that, according to Setting the Pace, coincidentally displaced the same 257 cubic inches as the old eight.

No one ever formally declared the start of the horsepower race, but it was as much a part of 1950s cars as tailfins and two-tone paint. The smaller 76 chassis naturally was also lighter - about 300 pounds lighter in the case of convertibles - so giving it the new V-8 guaranteed that the new 88 would be fast. It would be an especially good time for Rocket V-8s in particular.

Rocket V-8 was About to Take Off

Oldsmobile made a major impact on automotive engineering in 1949 when it introduced its Rocket V-8. The 1949 Oldsmobile 88 had helped to launch it and that car's descendants were not about to give up, so according to Motor's Manual, 1955 saw the 324's output raised to 185 horsepower in the 88 and 202 horsepower in the Super 88 and 98.

Blanchard, Harold F., Ed. The 1954 Oldsmobile went back to two offerings, according to Setting the Pace, but both the 170- and 185-horsepower engines were now displacing 324 cubic inches. Lansing, Michigan: Oldsmobile Division of General Motors, 1996.

Gunnell, John, Ed. Oldsmobile's First 100 Years. The Super 88 and the 98 once again had the higher-output unit.

That the V-8-powered 88 was the right idea was illustrated by the 76's disappearance after 1950, but having made its point, the 88 was gone before the end of the 1951 model year. New York: Motor, 1949.

Early, Helen Jones and Walkinshaw, James R., Setting the Pace. Things only got better, as Setting the Pace puts the 1957 Oldsmobile J-2 option at an even 300 horsepower from what was now a 371-cubic-inch Rocket V-8.

http://evilannex7430.yolasite.com 160 and then 170 as the possibilities in the 1953 Rocket V-8, which was still at 303 cubic inches. The difference between the convertibles in the two lines was only about 170 pounds, according to Setting the Pace, but for those drivers who esteemed performance, 170 pounds mattered.

1955 Olds Stands Strong as More Competitors' V-8s Arrive

Oldsmobile used two wheelbases for its 1949 models, with the six-cylinder 76 series measuring 119.5 inches and the V-8-powered 98 measuring 125