Vehicle Description
Before, and immediately following, World War II, Oldsmobile may
have had a reputation for building sturdy and very well engineered,
if not exciting cars, but that quickly changed with the release of
the all-new, top-of-the-line Futuramic 98 introduced in 1948. Based
on the all-new GM C-body chassis shared with Cadillac, the
Futuramic 98 models were definitely worthy of their name, with
fresh Harley Earl-directed styling and clear design cues taken from
Lockheed's sleek P-38 Lightning fighter plane of wartime fame.
Thanks to their new X-member frame and 4-wheel coil-spring
suspension, the low-slung 98 provided impressive ride and handling
characteristics for the era. Given Oldsmobile's long-standing
heritage as GM's "engineering" division and its stellar record of
industry firsts, it took another giant leap forward with the
release of its all-new, compact, and powerful Rocket V8 engine for
1949. Developing 135bhp when introduced, the Rocket produced an
even more impressive and highly useful 263 ft/lbs of torque. The
excellent Hydramatic automatic transmission became standard on the
98 for 1949 and that year, new B-body Series 76 and 88 models
joined the 98. Oldsmobile sales grew rapidly as a direct result of
these welcome developments and exciting, stylish, powerful and
well-equipped models like this 1952 98 Convertible played a major
part in that success. Powered by the famed Rocket 303ci V8 engine,
this completely restored 98 Convertible features red-on-red colors
with a black canvas top and numerous options including a Hydramatic
automatic transmission, power steering, power windows, a power top,
AM radio, clock, heater and wire wheel covers. It has 53,875
original miles (mileage not indicated on the title).
