Having owned a new 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 red convertible, which was
essentially a Chevrolet body with coil spring rear suspension, 4 speed
hydramatic, and the first Kettering OHV V-8.
This car was dynamite, and was chassis dyno tested at 150 horsepower
through the rear wheels. Little known to most people, Oldsmobile was
the GM test horse, and got all the new experimental stuff to see how it
worked in the hands of the public. It got the "stuff" before Cadillac.
When most '49 cars were attracting flies, mine was attracting my High
School Cheerleaders. ;-) . Pretty good performance, where it really
counts for a geek engineer.
Steve
bmelusky@netscape.net wrote:
>I would vote for the 300B but many make a good case for the '49 Rocket 88.
>
>There were plenty of fast cars in the 30's from both sides of the pond, but
>post war brought the prosperity and the industrial base that allowed
>indulgence in speed for the masses.
>
>Bob Melusky
>
>
>
>
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Steve Laifman
Editor
http://www.TigersUnited.com
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