1957 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday Coupe

Photo by Cliff West

 

Oldsmobile was redesigned for 1957, which was also the brand’s 50th anniversary, and the 1957 Oldsmobile 88 model was given the prefix “Golden Rocket.” The standard Rocket T-400 high-compression V-8 engine was increased to 371.1 cubic inches to produce 277 horsepower and 400 ft-lbs of torque. The optional J-2 package increased the horsepower to an even 300. Though the Wheelbases were the same as in 1956, the bodies and chassis were all-new, making the 1957 Oldsmobiles longer, lower and wider. Compared to the previous year, the wide-mouth grille was reshaped, the windshield pillars were more sharply angled, and the sweepspear came down from the middle of the belt and back to the finless rear fenders and peaked taillights to define a two-tone area. Holiday hardtops and sedans now featured wrapped rear windows with body-color twin vertical dividers. 

Photo by Cliff West

This Super 88 Holiday Coupe was photographed at the Northwest Car Collectors Association Car Show & Swap Meet at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center in Portland, Oregon, on October 18-19, 2003.

1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 Convertible Indianapolis 500 Pace Car

The Oldsmobile 4-4-2 was introduced in 1964 as an options package for the intermediate-sized Oldsmobile F-85 and Cutlass, consisting of, among other things, a 4-barrel carburetor, a 4-speed manual transmission, and dual exhaust. The 4-4-2 became a distinct model in, and reached a performance peak in 1970 when the 455-cubic-inch “Rocket” V8 engine became the standard 4-4-2 engine with 365 horsepower and 500 foot-pounds of torque, and an available W-30 option package that offered an increase to 370 horsepower. The 1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 Convertible was selected as the pace car for the 1970 Indianapolis 500, with the optional W-25 fiberglass hood and painted in porcelain white with black and red stripes on the sides and on top from the hood to the deck lid and white Super Stock II wheels. Oldsmobile offered the Y74 option package to replicate the pace car for both the 4-4-2 and the Cutlass Supreme. A total of 626 Y74 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car Convertibles were produced, with 268 being the 4-4-2 model, and the remaining 358 being Cutlass Supremes, 60 of which were powered by the 310-horsepower “Rocket” 350-cubic-inch V8 engine instead of the 455. This 1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car Convertible was displayed at the 2002 Chicago Auto Show by the Volo Auto Museum.

1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Convertible

1972 was the last year for the third generation of the Oldsmobile Cutlass and Cutlass Supreme. Oldsmobile's mid-sized line had been redesigned in 1968, and the styling had seen only minor changes since 1970. For 1972, the base in-line 6-cylinder engine had been dropped, making all 1972 Cutlass and Cutlass Supremes V8-powered, with the base engine being the 350-cubic-inch Rocket V8. 1972 was also the last year for the Cutlass Supreme convertible, as seen here.

This 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Convertible was in the Days in the Park Parade in Rainier, Oregon, in July 1996.