Oldsmobile 88
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The Oldsmobile 88 was a full-size car sold by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors and 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.
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 as the entry level model below the Super 88.
1964
The Jetstar 88 shared the many of the mid-size car components with the Oldsmobile F-85 line in the 1960s. The Jetstar 88 used the smaller 330 V8, Jetaway (Super Turbine 300) transmission, and 9.5 in (241.3 mm) drum brakes. 1964 also saw the introduction of the Jetstar 1. This model was produced for just two years. The Jetstar 1 shared a notchback body style from the Starfire but included less standard equipment.The Jetstar I is distinguishable from the Starfire and Jetstar 88 in that the rear window on the Jetstar I is concave, rather than convex.
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 and 455 V8 was optional on the Delmont. The Delta package became Delta Custom.1969
The 1969 88 series dropped the Delmont name and replaced it with the Delta 88. The Royale line appeared.1977
There were now two body styles of the 88 on the GM B platform - the town sedan and the coupe. The 1977-1979 Custom Cruiser wagon was a Chevrolet Caprice 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 1985, 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 the much smaller front-wheel drive GM H platform, with only 110.8 in wheelbase. In 1989, the prefix "Delta" was dropped, as was the hood ornament, leaving the model to simply become the "Eighty-Eight". The Eighty-Eight was given a mild facelift in 1990 before being redesigned again in 1992.
Its model range during this time was the standard 88, the 88 Royale, and the 88 Royale Brougham, in upscale order.
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 Oldsmobile Intrigue in the Oldsmobile lineup for 2000, after 2 years of overlapping.
It was available as four different models:
- 1992-1999 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight - A mainstream fullsize sedan
- 1992-1995 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight Royale - A special trim model, replaced by the Eighty-Eight LS
- 1996-1999 Oldsmobile LSS - A "sports sedan" targeted to male European car buyers, available with a supercharged V6, replacing the Ninety-Eight in the lineup.
- 1997-1998 Oldsmobile Regency - A luxury model that also replaced the Ninety-Eight
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
External links
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| SUVs/Minivans: | Bravada | Silhouette | |
| Oldsmobile road car timeline, 1980-2004 American market | [[http://encycl.opentopia.com/ edit]] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||||
| Compact | Starfire | Firenza | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Omega | Cutlass Calais | Achieva | Alero | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mid-size | Cutlass | Cutlass Ciera | Cutlass | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cutlass Cruiser | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cutlass Supreme | Intrigue | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full-size | Eighty-Eight | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nintey-Eight | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toronado | Aurora | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Custom Cruiser | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minivan | Silhouette | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SUV | Bravada | Bravada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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