Oldsmobile 88

The Oldsmobile 88 was a fullsize car from General Motors produced from 1949 until 1999. Although it was never the marque's top-seller, the 88 was an image leader for the company from its introduction.

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 and was usually spelled out in the later.

The Oldsmobile Eighty Eight was produced in Wentzville, Missouri, Flint, Michigan and Lake Orion, Michigan.

Contents

1 1949 2 1951 3 1958 4 1961 5 1964 6 1965 7 1967 8 1969 9 1977 10 1986 11 1992 12 External links

1949

Oldsmobile introduced the 88 badge in 1949. It was named to complement the already-existing 76 and 98. The new car used the 76's platform with a powerful new Rocket V8 engine. This combination of a relatively small body and large, powerful engine made it a precursor to the muscle car.

The 88 enjoyed a great success, inspiring a popular 1950s slogan, "Make a Date with a Rocket 88", and also a song, "Rocket 88", often considered the first rock and roll record. In the 1960s, Oldsmobile would adopt the rocket as its logo, and the 88 name would remain in the Olds lineup until the late 1990s, virtually until the end of Oldsmobile itself.

1951

The new Super 88 model was introduced in 1951 and produced until 1964.

1958

The Dynamic 88 debuted in 1958 and lasted through 1966 positioned just below (and very close to) the Super 88.

1961

A smaller Jetstar 88 shared the midsize car platform with the Oldsmobile Cutlass in the 1960s. The 1961 Jetstar 1 shared a notchback body style from the Starfire but was included less standard equipment. The Jetstar used the smaller 330 V8 and Jetway transmission.

1964

1964 saw the introduction of the Jetstar 88. This model was produced for just two years.

1965

The Delta name appeared for the first time in 1965 as an upscale trim line of the Dynamic 88, the Dynamic 88 Delta.

1967

The Delmont 88 was produced for just two years, 1967 and 1968. It replaced the Dynamic 88 and featured the 330 V8 in 1967 and the 350 V8 in 1968. The 425 V8 was optional on the Delmont.

The Delta package became Delta Custom.

1969

The 1969 88 series dropped the Delmont and replaced it with the Delta 88. The Royale line appeared.

1977

There were now two body styles of 88 on the GM B platform - the town sedan and coupe. The 1977-1979 Custom Cruiser wagon was a Chevrolet clone.

The Royale name was removed from the trunk to become a simple interior trim option, the Royale Brougham in 1979. The next year, this became the high-line model of the 88, a position it occupied through 1983.

From 1978 through 1981, a Holiday 88 model featured a floor-mounted shifter and console between the front seats of a Delta 88 coupe.

The new front wheel drive 98 debuted with a major redesign in 1984, and the new Delta 88 Royale Brougham LS model of the 88 took its place as Oldsmobile's most luxurious rear wheel drive car.

1986

For 1986, the Delta 88 switched platforms from the GM B platform to a much smaller GM H platform, with only 110.8 in wheelbase. In 1989, "Delta" was dropped, leaving the model to become simply the "Eighty-Eight". The Eighty-Eight was redesigned again in 1992.

Engine:

• 1986-1991 3.8 L (231 in³) V6

1992

The Oldsmobile Eighty Eight was redesigned for 1992. This would prove to be the last Eighty Eight or 88 model from Oldsmobile when it was replaced by the Aurora in 2000.

It was available as four different models:

• 1992-1999 Oldsmobile 88 - A mainstream American sedan
• 1992-1996 Oldsmobile 88 Royale - A special trim model, replaced by the Regency
• 1996-1999 Oldsmobile LSS - A "sports sedan" targeted to male European car buyers
• 1997-1998 Oldsmobile Regency - A luxury model that replaced the Royale, and the 98

All four vehicles used the same 110.8 in wheelbase and shared an updated version of the GM H platform. The suspension tuning, interior appointments, and certain exterior trim was used to differentiate the three models.

Engine:

• 1992-1999 3.8 L (231 in³) V6

From 1992-1999, the Eighty Eights were produced in Lake Orion, Michigan. The last Oldsmobile LSS was produced on September 23, 1998. The last Oldsmobile Eighty Eight 50th Anniversary Edition was manufactured on January 6, 1999.

The Oldsmobile marque itself has since been retired by General Motors, after several false starts, in 2004.

External links

• '96 Sedan review (http://www.nctd.com/review-intro.cfm?ReviewID=264)