Vehicle Description
1957 Oldsmobile 88 Coupe
Oldsmobile showed a real propensity for power in the '50s. The
304-cu.in. OHV V-8 that the division introduced in 1948 ran 7.25:1
compression and had only 135hp on tap; by '57, less than a decade
later, the base Rocket T-400 V-8 displaced 371-cu.in., sported
9.5:1 compression, and was rated at 277 horsepower-more than double
the earlier 88's output. That was the base engine.
For an extra kick in the pants, you could order the J2 option (code
W). J2 had been around as a performance option since the early
'50s, but for 1957 and '58, J2 ran three two-barrel carburetors.
Historically, Oldsmobile's J2 beat Pontiac's Tri-Power to market by
a matter of weeks. Olds had been developing 3x2-bbl carburetion for
a couple of years under Pete Estes, an engine-development engineer
and assistant chief engineer at Olds before he became chief
engineer at Pontiac in September 1956. In December of '56, Pontiac
announced Tri-Power for a spring release-no doubt prepared with
information Estes brought with him from Oldsmobile. It caught his
former co-workers off-guard, and they had to scramble to ready the
J2 intake for a late January/early February launch as a mid-year
option.
This is one gorgeous 1957 Oldsmobile, and best of all it has the
371ci J-2 engine with three 2-barrel carburetors and the Hydramatic
automatic transmission. The J-2 engine was rated at 300hp and 415
ft lbs of torque. This car doesn't have power steering or power
brakes but that because when it was new it was ordered to go fast
and didn't want the extra weight and power drain. In 1957 this was
one of the fastest production cars on the market, and today is
still such an iconic car. It has an older restoration but still
looks like it was done yesterday. It has a striking black and white
paint job with a complimentary black and white interior. Check this
car out today and pick it up tomorrow.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 100 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. A 450 barn find
collection is currently on display.
This vehicle is in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania,
conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76
Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and
our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for
more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
