Glass Panel Hood! 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88
The year 1949 was a big one for GM. Both Oldsmobile and Cadillac introduced overhead valve V8 engines and with that, the Detroit horsepower race was fully on. It is said that the Oldsmobile version was introduced ahead of the Cadillac variant because if something in the design were to fail, GM didn’t want to tarnish Cadillac’s image and reputation (they should have stuck with that practice long term). Anyway, whether that’s true or not, or just urban automotive legend doesn’t matter because both were monstrous hits and today we’re going to examine the Oldsmobile version courtesy of this 1949 Model 88. It’s located in Conroe, Texas and is available, here on craigslist for $31,500. We have Pat L. to thank for this discovery.
When you come up with something new and special, you want to show it off, especially if you want to sell whatever it is just as fast as you can crank it out. To aid in the promotion of Oldsmobile’s new 135 gross HP, 303 CI V8 engine, Old’s came up with a dealer display showroom hood which featured two plexiglass windows so that prospective buyers could see for themselves all that was there to marvel. These paneled hoods still, to this day, turn up on auction sites and are said to fit ’49 through ’51 models.
Now the windows in this Oldsmobile’s hood have us looking at something a bit beyond stock as this 303 has been equipped with an Offenhauser intake manifold, a pair of Edelbrock four-barrel carburetors, and headers. It also looks as if anything in the engine compartment that couldn’t get out of the way fast enough, got chromed. It all looks great but there’s no mention as to how this rocket lifts off. No Hydramatic here, this 88 has a three-speed manual transmission actuated via a Hurst floor shift.
With the exception of the spinner wheel covers and the red-painted wheels, the exterior of this Oldsmobile shows as stock – and in very nice condition. The seller claims that a frame-off (it’s really a body-off) restoration has been bestowed upon this two-door sedan and it has “ALL NEW GLASS, WEATHERSTRIP, SOUND DEADNER, ALL NEW BOLTS EVERYWHERE, NEW COKER (wide-whites) RADIALS AND ALL NEW CHROME PLATING“. It certainly resembles its era!
The interior is as resplendent as the exterior. The blue vinyl upholstery, carpet, door panels, and dash are all in excellent condition. There are two different interior images and one reveals an aftermarket wooden steering wheel while the other shows the original – it’s not stated which one is included in the sale. Additionally, a tachometer and under-dash gauges have been added. Note the brake pedal – it looks like one from an automatic transmission-equipped car.
Some car enthusiasts, generally more senior members, like to wear tee-shirts or have license plate frames that proclaim, “Lost in the Fifties”. With this Olds 88, one could make that sentiment close to reality, right?
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Comments
Haven’t we seen this here previously? The second thing I lost when my daughter was born was my memory the first was my….was it patience or money!?
Regardless I’ll bet a dinner at Denny’s that this was here awhile back-but it’s still a unique show car.
I like it and if it was in my budget it’d be here; however daughters are VERY expensive-but in the end, worth every penny…..
There was a sweet black 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 with the display hood making the rounds on the internet a while ago. I think that this one is even better. I believe that it is new to BarnFinds.
Weddings can put in the poorhouse
I look at this and I see an awesome lowrider. All you need to do is to bag it. Maybe add some trick pinstripes. Or ghost flames. You feel me?
OH, Nevadahalfrack the thing about daughters is as they grow up, the daily/weekly expense gets lower, but in their 20’s and 30’s when they do call the $ figure tends to be higher. And don’t get me started about the weddings.
I always search first and I couldn’t find it.
JO
My sincere apologies, Jim. It was the car Jack mentioned I remembered…
https://barnfinds.com/rocket-88-1950-oldsmobile-club-coupe/
No worries!
JO
One thing I have always noticed about these Olds, is they always look so sad. This one also has tears too.
Following up on Joshs thoughts on the 1st muscle car, he claims the GTO, which is partially true, I claim the ’57 Rambler Rebel, but this car has the unmitigated honor of the 1st muscle car. It was a heavy car, but not much else like that motor was offered, when some makes were still struggling along with in line 6’s,Olds was THE hottest stick. Lose the clear hood, I think that’s silly, in a classic “look at me” deal, it detracts from the beautiful lines of the car, droopy face and all. This car changed everything., I feel. Should be in a museum, “looky kids, when gas was .21 cents a gallon, this is what our parents drove,,,,gas,,,GASOLINE, it was widely available and powered our vehicles for decades”.,,( crickets)
With all due respect Howard, this was the car that Hudson ate for lunch at AAA and NASCAR events back in the day. I think the term ‘muscle car’ is thrown around a bit too much. Nice car though.
Hi Lance, I thought of the Hudson, and they held their own, but more of a racing version, and with respect back at ya’, this car was way more popular than the Hudson and on the street, not much could catch a Rocket 88. With 2x4bbls. on top of a V8, in a car that was probably lighter than the Hudson, GM meant business. The Twin-H was probably the flatties finest hour, but the Rocket 88 signaled a new dawn in motors, and the rest is history.
Among many historians, the 1936 to 1942 Buick Century is considered the 1st “muscle” car. It was established by mating the shorter wheelbase and lighter Special bodies to the Roadmaster’s larger displacement straight-eight engine.
The Century moniker was because it could hold sustained speeds over 100mph.
I agree with Harold that the Rambler Rebel should be considered for the modern era. Just check with contemporary road tests of it.
Hudson had the 1st muscle car but it wasn’t the Hornet. Google the ’33 Essex Terraplane 8
Gorgeous car and probably worth all the money being asked. I’d definitely keep the hood as that is a real conversation starter at any cars and coffee. This Olds really seems to present beautifully; the color is very attractive and helps make the chrome and trim really stand out. The engine is a thing of beauty, and the interior is stunning. Even the undercarriage looks great. While no mention is made by the seller on how the car runs, if it doesn’t, it may not need much to get it up and running again.
Nice car. Curious about the three speed manual. If you really want to go fast in this car the 4 speed Hydromatic with a B&M shift kit will do the job. If that’s the factory unit those 3 gears are really long ones. Wonder why they didn’t put a 40 over job on the block to take it up to 311 ci. Either way, great looking ride.
I absolutely love this car. I’ve always had a thing for the post WW2 cars that were before 55-ish when all the fins and enlarged everything started. This car is perfect in that it retains it’s stock good looks, but enough has been done to it that you wouldn’t feel too bad doing a little more to make it more driveable and reliable. I’d throw in a 4 or 5 speed along with a HEI/MSD distributor and call it a day.
Back in the late 50’s when I was about 10 my father being a hot rod type car guy had a ’49 Olds but it was the 2 dr fast back model and i remember he had flipper hubcaps and had pin stripe, it was all white car. Wish I had that car today. I recall that the ’49 Olds was the fastest car in the 1/4 mile back in the 60’s. I asked the person claiming this how this could be, and word was it was launched off an Aircraft Carrier deck. To this day I don’t know if there was any truth to this, anyone else ever hear this tale?
I would like to have this listed Olds but like others here I would ditch the hood.
My BIL was 20 years as a contract analyst for the Navy, primarily at the shipyard in Bremerton WA. When I asked him about the Olds being launched off a carrier he said he’d heard something like that years ago, as one of the tests performed on carriers was a catapult launch often using a car or truck.
I couldn’t find any of the old films he talked about but I did find this..
https://www.thedrive.com/news/7414/watch-the-u-s-navy-launch-trucks-off-an-aircraft-carrier
I wonder if the contractors in the San Diego shipyard had to file a Prop 65 warning before each test?
First off…I don’t claim to know all that much about old cars, but I do have an reasonably intact memory. My old maid aunt (is that term even allowed nowadays?), had either a ’48 or ’49 Olds, which she bought when she retired. But I’m not recalling vinyl seats at all. Definitely cloth. Other than the clock and the rope across the back of the front bench seat and the pale green exterior color, I don’t recall much about it. It always seemed like an old car to me. Nobody in the family even wanted it in 1966 when she junked it. It had absolutely nothing wrong with it. Still ran fine. Clock still worked. Ah, the lack of foresight of youth.
Ha! Old maid, by gar, it’s been a while. I’m sure you’ll offend someone today saying that. We called those popcorn kernels at the bottom that didn’t pop, “Old Maids”,,you know that’s what’s fun about featuring cars like this, Thom, is all the stories. Better than any $10,000 dollar Chevy LUV truck anyday. Thanks for your story!
I had a 1949 Olds 88 with the 265 6 cylinder , hydromantic transmission in it, was also a 2 door sedan but was a torpedo back !! cloth interior , nice car . wish I still had it !!!
Had a ’50 88 long ago. They were known as the “Chevy bodied” Olds and were lighter than the 98’s. The subject 303 really looks good but 2x4s are a bit much for 303 cubes on the street. But for those of us that remember the Stone Woods Cook Willys, the first version had a punched out Olds. In these early 88s swapping in a 371 was common or the final version of the Olds first gen V8 the 394 (’59-’64) so one had to BEWARE back in the 60’s lest your Chevy’s reputation got tarnished on Saturday night. :-) Terry J
Where are the front shocks?
The front shocks are “knee-action” and are part of the upper A arm.
Thanks Howard A
I’d bolt in a 4-speed Muncie and a proper bench seat shifter then go eat up some Challengers, Mustangs and Camaros! Best looking engine I’ve seen on Barn Finds in a while. (at least there’s an engine pic! lol) Great, solid looking Olds and if I hit the lottery, I’ll be heading to Houston!
“Muscle car” must be the most misused moniker ever. Anything with a v8 has been tagged a “muscle car” by someone, sometime. Technically, the category was born with the ‘64 GTO and is only correctly applied to intermediate American coupes packing big-block V8s.
I agree with Onebigfig….almost. Muscle Cars in my day & area (60s Eastern Oregon) were certainly mid sized cars with HOT motors but not limited to “big blocks” especially considering the 389 GTO that started the term was just a Pontiac engine and not necessarily called a big block, since there was no small block Pontiac at the time (though I often argue them to be B.B. s). Were hot 327 4 speed Malibus “Muscle Cars” ? Yup. Had a pal with a 390 Fairlane GTA another with a ’67 Olds 442. Muscle Cars? Yup. Not called Muscle Cars were 409 Impalas, 390 Galaxies and the big Pontiacs and Olds’. Then came the Mustang and the “Pony Car” term which fit Camaros, Firebirds, maybe even Barracudas & AMX/Javelins. Kind of lost in the shuffle were V8 Novas, 340 Darts, 289 Falcons and the like. Formidable on the street to be sure, but they really weren’t in either category. :-) Terry J