General Motors started the industry’s OHV revolution in 1949 with Cadillac and Oldsmobile. Racers loved the ‘49 OLDS ROCKET 88: GM’s FIRST MUSCLECAR!
Decades before 1964 when Pontiac created the GTO by putting a big motor in a Tempest, and even before 1949 when Cadillac and Oldsmobile introduced powerful overhead valve (OHV) V-8 engines, carmakers had been keenly aware of the public’s need for speed and responded accordingly. Low-volume, high-performance cars debuted shortly after the turn of the 20th century when most cars were little more than horseless buggies. It was a time when Mercer and Stutz ruled the roads and were also feared on racetracks.
The Flathead’s domination of hot-rodding and drag racing was seriously challenged in 1949 when Oldsmobile introduced an all-new 303-cubic-inch OHV Rocket V-8 and the ‘49 OLDS ROCKET 88: GM’s FIRST MUSCLECAR! Priced at approximately $2,000, a showroom-stock 135-horsepower V-8 Olds 88 had a top speed of 100 mph. In 1949 an Olds 88 coupe won six of nine NASCAR Grand Nationals and in 1950 Hershel McGriff drove a borrowed Rocket 88 Olds to First Place honors at the first Carrera Panamericana road race. Check out the NASCAR Hall of Fame @ https://www.nascarhall.com/blog/oldsmobiles-rocket-88
Cadillac and Oldsmobile’s introduction of powerful OHV V-8s in 1949 led to the creation of a new hot rodding sub-culture called “engine swapping”. Yanking out an old Flathead Six or Eight and replacing it with a new OHV V-8 became the least expensive, most effective method of increasing a vehicle’s power and performance. In 1949, legendary racer Wilbur Shaw drove the Olds Pace Car at the Indy 500.
For archival facts, figures, and history of the ‘49 OLDS ROCKET 88: GM’s FIRST MUSCLECAR! Please visit OVER-DRIVE Magazine @ https://over-drive-magazine.com/2024/06/29/1949-oldsmobile-fact-sheet/