1949 Oldsmobile 88 Considered by some to be the first American muscle car, the ‘Rocket’ 88 marked the beginning of Oldsmobile’s performance history. The design was a simple idea of using combining Oldsmobile’s new Rocket V8 engine with the relatively light 76 chassis. Aimed at the youth market, the performance of the ’49 Oldsmobile was a resounding success. Later in the year became the official pace car of the 1949 Indianapolis 500 and Red Byron won five Grand National races […]
