Oldsmobile does not build many cars like the Oldsmobile 88: a 2-door Holiday hardtop / 2-door coupe / 4-door sedan (car) / sedan / 4-door station wagon with 303 cuin Rocket V8, made in small numbers.
The story
The Oldsmobile 88 (marketed from 1989 on as the Eighty Eight) is a full-size car that was produced by the Oldsmobile Division of GM from 1949 until 1999. From 1950 until 1974, the 88 was the division's most popular line, particularly the entry-level models such as the 88 and Dynamic 88. The 88 series was also an image leader for Oldsmobile, particularly in the model's early years (1949–51), when it was one of the best-performing automobiles, thanks to its relatively small size, light weight, and advanced overhead-valve high-compression V8 engine. This engine, originally designed for the larger and more luxurious C-bodied 98 series, also replaced the straight-8 on the smaller B-bodied 78. With the large, high-performance Oldsmobile Rocket V8, the early Oldsmobile 88 is considered by some to be the first muscle car.
Naming conventions used by GM since the 1910s for all divisions used alphanumeric designations that changed every year. Starting after the war, Oldsmobile changed their designations and standardized them so that the first number signified the chassis platform, while the second number signified how many cylinders. A large number of variations in nomenclature were seen over this long model run — Super, Golden Rocket, Dynamic, Jetstar, Delta, Delmont, Starfire, Holiday, LS, 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 numerals in the earlier years ("Delta 88", for example) and was changed to spell out "Eighty Eight" starting in 1989. In p
What is underneath
Under the skin sits 303 cuin Rocket V8. The gearbox is a 3-speed Manual transmission / manual / 4-speed Hydramatic / Hydra-Matic Automatic transmission / automatic. The wheelbase is 1949–50: 119.5 in / 1951 88: 119.5 in / 1951 Super 88: 120 in / 1952–53: 120 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Where it sits in Oldsmobile's history is not in doubt: the Oldsmobile L-Series came before it; the Oldsmobile Aurora followed it. Nearby in the Oldsmobile catalogue sit the Oldsmobile 442 and the Oldsmobile 98.