The mid-1950s were a golden era for the medium-priced car segment. Sales were booming across the board. Ford, Chevrolet, and Plymouth were all moving metal like never before. This pressure forced the “Low-priced Three” to build bigger, plushier machines. It even tempted Henry Ford II to launch the Edsel project. Oldsmobile, however, didn’t jump on the bandwagon right away.
Their 1954 designs were scrapped. The entire line was tossed out. This forced a late start for the 1955 models. But that delay paid off. The resulting cars were sharper and more aggressive. They captured the essence of the era without the bulk.
Oldsmobile played the long game. While competitors rushed to fill showrooms, they waited. The result was a car that felt fresh in 1955. It wasn’t just another year-old design. It was a response to the changing tastes of the American driver.
Why Oldsmobile Scrapbed the 1954 Line
It’s easy to assume that a manufacturer would just push forward with existing plans. Oldsmobile didn’t. They chose to scrap the 1954 designs entirely. This was a bold move. It meant a gap in their lineup. It meant lost sales in the short term.
The reason? Perfection. Or at least, what they thought was perfection. The team wanted to refine every angle. They weren’t satisfied with incremental changes. They wanted a complete overhaul. This decision isolated them from the initial rush of the mid-Fifties boom.
The Result: A Sharp, Aggressive 1955 Model
When the 1955 models finally hit the streets, they were different. The styling was cleaner. The lines were sharper. This wasn’t the bulky, plush aesthetic of the competitors. It was sleeker. More purposeful.
The 1955 Oldsmobile became a standout in a crowded market. It proved that waiting could be a strategic advantage. While others were caught up in the rush, Oldsmobile delivered a polished product.
Key Features of the 1955 Redesign
- Exterior Styling: Cleaner lines, less chrome clutter.
- Interior Comfort: Plush seating, but with a sportier feel.
- Performance: Improved engine options to match the new look.
This approach defined Oldsmobile for years to come. They weren’t afraid to make hard choices. They prioritized quality over speed.
Legacy of the Delayed Start
The late start at Oldsmobile became a defining moment. It showed that a manufacturer could survive a gap in the lineup. It also proved that consumers rewarded innovation. The 1955 model didn’t just compete; it set a new standard.
Today, we look back at this period with nostalgia. But for those who lived it, the wait was worth it. The 1955 Oldsmobile remains a testament to the power of restraint.
The announcement date for the 1954 Oldsmobile lineup defies standard corporate logic. General Motors typically reveals its next year’s models in the autumn of the preceding year. That’s the rhythm. January 20, 1954, is a different beat entirely.
Jack Wolfram, then General Manager of Oldsmobile, stood before the press and offered a convenient narrative. He claimed the cars were originally slated to be 1955s. The plan had been scrapped early in 1953 because it became possible to accelerate the 1955 models into the 1954 calendar year. It’s a clean story. It sounds efficient.
Historians aren’t buying it.
Dennis Casteele, author of The Cars of Oldsmobile, dismisses Wolfram’s claim as pure marketing spin. He points out the structural reality of General Motors at the time. Interdivisional sharing of body designs meant that a rapid, cross-divisional shift of this magnitude simply didn’t operate that way. You can’t just swap chassis and sheet metal across departments on a dime. The logistical friction was too high.
But Jan E. Norbye and Jim Dunne take a different view. In Oldsmobile 1946-1980: The Classic Postwar Years, they argue the acceleration actually happened. And they provide the drama behind the decision.
The GM executive meltdown
The story begins in November 1952. The cars first designed for 1954 were presented to GM’s top brass. They were meant to be the current year’s models. The reception was hostile.
Harlow “Red” Curtice, the GM President, reportedly lost his temper. His verdict? The designs were lumpy. Warmed-over. Unimaginative. Worse than the 1953 models he was sitting on.
“[T]he cars that were first designed for 1954 were shown to the top management of GM in November 1952. [GM President Harlow] Red Curtice blew his stack. The cars were lumpy, warmed-over, unimaginative — worse than the ’53 models, he is supposed to have said.”
So the 1954 design was dead on arrival. What happened next is where the timeline gets interesting.
How the 1955 model became the 1954 model
Who suggested dumping the bad design and pushing the 1955 prototype into production a year early? Norbye and Dunne investigated the power players. They settled on Louis C. Goad.
Goad was the executive vice-president with overall responsibility for the Car and Truck Group. He had the authority to make the call. The speculation is that during a meeting, Goad asked a simple question.
“The designs for the 1955 cars are pretty well finished. Would it be possible to get them into production sooner?”
It was possible. They just did it.
This isn’t just trivia. It explains why the 1954 Oldsmobile 88, Super 88, and Ninety-Eight look the way they do. They aren’t mid-cycle refreshes of the 1
The 1953 Oldsmobile didn’t just fade away. It stretched. The model year got a slightly longer lease on life, hanging around until the belated 1954s finally arrived.
Oldsmobile wasn’t the only one dragging its feet. Across the GM assembly lines, the timeline was messy. The 1954 Chevrolet and Pontiac didn’t hit showrooms until December 1953. Cadillac and Buick followed the next month. These latter two brands featured new styling that had been in the works since 1950. The delay wasn’t accidental. It was strategic.
The Body Shell Strategy
A new C-body chassis fitted the Cadillac and the Buick Super and Roadmaster. But the “junior” Buicks—the Special and Century—were dressed in a redone B-body. This was the same platform shared by all Oldsmobiles.
“The need to have this body ready for the 1954 Buicks likely could have had a hand in helping the planners in Lansing move up their timetables.”
Why the rush? Buick needed its new B-body ready. Olds needed to share it. The dependency forced a schedule shift. Lansing planners moved up their timelines. The 1954 Oldsmobile design had to catch up.
Motorama’s Ghost
As the 1954 models were being readied for the assembly line, Art Ross was busy. Ross was Olds’ chief stylist. He was putting finishing touches on two convertible show cars for the 1953 GM Motorama.
The Fiesta and the Starfire.
These weren’t just toys. They were blueprints. The design cues from these show cars would directly influence the 1954 Oldsmobile production models. The connection between concept and concrete was tighter than usual. Ross knew it. The planners knew it. The body style was locked in.
The rest of the lineup followed. But the B-body decision had already set the pace.
The Starfire Legacy and Body Styling Changes
The name Starfire didn’t just appear out of thin air in 1954. It came from a concept car that actually inspired the entire line. Before that, Oldsmobile had the Fiesta—a modified Ninety-Eight soft-top that went into limited production for 1953. It served as Olds’ counter to the Buick Skylark and Cadillac Eldorado. The Starfire was different. Sleek. Low-slung. It borrowed its name from the Lockheed F94B fighter jet.
Both concepts previewed features that hit the 1954-1956 production models. We’re talking wrap-around windshields. Dipped beltlines. Those three-bladed spinner wheel covers became absolute favorites among kustom kar buffs.
They also shared a trim detail Ross first used on the 1951 Super 88. An angular chrome slash defined the leading edge of the rear fender. On the Fiesta, this slash dropped from the beltline dip to just over halfway down the panel, then turned rearward as a horizontal strip. There was also a stone guard ahead of the rear wheel well. It served no apparent purpose. It just made the assembly look cluttered.
The Starfire cleaned that up. The stone guard was eliminated. The slash dropped almost to the bottom of the fender panel before turning rearward. Much cleaner effect.
“The Starfire was a sleek, low-slung concept car that borrowed the name of an advanced fighter aircraft of the day, the Lockheed F94B.”
Another Starfire touch made it to production Oldsmobiles. Not until 1956, but it stuck around. A front bumper with a horizontal oval air intake. Historian Richard M. Langworth called it “largemouth bass” grillework.
Distinguishing the B-body from the larger C-body was easy. Look at the pillars of the wraparound windshield. On the B-body, they were sloped. On the C-body, they were upright.
Generally, the 1954 Oldsmobiles sat three inches lower than the 1953s. This gave them much sleeker profiles. The bodywork was lowered so much that the beltline and fender line were no longer separate. They converged. Still, the styling retained clear Oldsmobile identity. Partly because they used essentially the same grille design as in 1953.
The influences of the Fiesta and Starfire were evident in the windshield, beltline, and side trim. But on the 1954s, things were different. The slash came only halfway down the fender panel before bending rearward. This left room under it for a square-cut rear wheel well. The panel outlined by the slash and its horizontal extension looked a bit like stylized saddlebags on the car’s rear flanks.
Two-door hardtop and convertible bodies in the Ninety-Eight series had different side trim. A chrome strip started just ahead of the front wheel well. It tapered downward slightly as it went to the rear. Just ahead of the rear wheel well, that strip met an angular slash coming down from the dip in the beltline. The two-door Ninety-Eights also featured rakish, semi-teardrop-shaped front and rear wheel wells. Gave the cars a speedy look, even when parked.
1954 Oldsmobile Dimensions and Chassis
The 1954 Oldsmobile 88 and Super 88 rode a 122-inch wheelbase. So did the Buick Special and Century. The Ninety-Eight’s wheel centers were stretched to 126 inches.
In overall length, the 1954 88 and Super 88 measured 205.3 inches. The Ninety-Eight was 214.3 inches. In addition to its longer wheelbase, the Ninety-Eight’s rear deck was stretched another five inches.
Annual changes in bumper designs would cost all Oldsmobiles two inches in total length by 1956. But for the most part, 1954 Oldsmobile components would be used through 1956.
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1954 Oldsmobile Lineup and Engine Evolution
Body style availability changed depending on where you sat in the hierarchy. The base 88 stayed modest. You could get a two-door sedan, a four-door version, or a Holiday hardtop coupe. No open top for the entry-level model. The Super 88 expanded the menu by adding a convertible to that same set of closed-body options.
The Ninety-Eight sat at the top. It offered a four-door sedan, a standard two-door Holiday hardtop, a Deluxe version of that hardtop, and a convertible. This soft-top model didn’t just borrow styling cues from the Starfire concept car. It adopted the name directly. The Ninety-Eight convertible became the Starfire. The Fiesta convertible didn’t make the cut for 1954. Its name would return three years later for a new station wagon.
Sales figures told a simple story. The four-door sedans were the best-sellers across all three series. People wanted practical transport. They didn’t want the drama of a drop-top or the stiffness of a hardtop.
Inside, the dashboard kept the symmetrical layout started in 1953. Round speedometer and clock dials sat directly in front of the driver and front-seat passenger. The symmetry was clean. But 1954 added new wing-like extensions. These structures bore auxiliary gauges around the speedometer. The radio speaker moved above the clock. It was a minor shift.
Interiors varied by trim. Closed models featured grey, green, or blue fabric. Super 88 and Ninety-Eight convertibles and hardtops got colorful leather upholstery. The difference was visible and tactile.
Under the hood, the Rocket V-8 saw its first displacement increase. This wasn’t a surprise. The plan had been in place since development began in the late Forties.
Wolfram, then Olds’ chief engineer, urged designer Gilbert Burrell to allow for bigger displacements. Burrell listened. He designed the engine with widely spaced bore centers. The block structure was generally heavy.
This heavy construction had a specific consequence. Even in lower displacement form, the block was very lightly stressed. There was plenty of room for growth.
Engine Swaps and Power Gains
The 1954 Super 88 had 15 more horsepower than the base model. That is 20 more than the 1953 model. The numbers tell a simple story of growth.
Oldsmobile bored the cylinders out by 0.125 inch. The diameter jumped from 3 3/4 inches to 3 7/8. The stroke stayed at 3 7/16 inches. Displacement climbed from 303.7 cubic inches to 324.3. It was a bigger engine. It breathed better.
Compression ratios rose to 8.25:1. That was up from 8.0:1. The result depended on the carburetor.
The standard 88 kept a two-barrel setup. It made 170 gross horsepower at 4,000 rpm. The Super 88 and Ninety-Eight got a four-barrel carburetor. Power jumped to 185 gross horsepower at the same rev count. Both versions gained 20 horsepower over their 1953 predecessors. Torque held steady at 300 pound-feet at 2,000 rpm.
Oldsmobile increased horsepower and torque every year in the mid-Fifties. They didn’t just guess. They changed hardware. Higher compression ratios were the main driver. But fuel mattered too. Higher octane fuel allowed for those ratios. Camshafts with higher lift grinds helped. Bigger valves, especially for exhaust, improved breathing. Better breathing let the engine use the higher compression effectively.
Transmission Tuning and Market Position
A three-speed synchromesh transmission was standard. All lines had it. But the automatic four-speed Hydra-Matic “Super Drive” was gaining ground. It grew in popularity.
The new lower body design created a problem. There was not enough clearance for the Hydra-Matic. Engineers tilted the unit 22 degrees to the left. That solved the fitment issue. It also made service easier. The side cover and pressure regulator were now accessible.
Production numbers reflected this momentum. Oldsmobile built 354,001 cars in 1954. That was below the 1950 record of 407,889. Yet the division moved up in the industry rankings. It jumped from sixth in 1953 to fourth in 1954. Chevrolet and Ford remained ahead. Buick put up a stunningly strong showing to take third. This was Oldsmobile’s best industry standing since 1905. In 1905, it completed a three-year run as America’s best-selling make.
1955 Design Shifts
The 1955 Oldsmobile introduced a revised grille. It blended two distinct design elements. The oval outline came from the Starfire concept car’s air intake. A horizontal crossbar cut across it. Twin bumper “bombs” matched those on the 1953 and 1954 production cars. The look was updated. It retained familiar cues while pushing forward.
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1955 Oldsmobile Styling and the Four-Door Hardtop Revolution
The 1955 Starfire convertible wasn’t just another year for Oldsmobile. It was a peak. The styling team didn’t just tweak the sheet metal; they redefined the side profile. A chrome strip, echoing the Ninety-Eight from the previous year, kicked off ahead of the front wheel well. Then it tapered back to meet an elongated S-curve that snaked down from the beltline. The sales brochiers went wild over it.
“Everywhere you look, there’s the magic touch of Oldsmobile’s unmistakable and exclusive ‘flying color’ styling!”
They weren’t kidding. The semi-teardrop wheel wells, which had been exclusive to the flagship Ninety-Eight, finally made their way down to the 88 and Super 88. They blended seamlessly with the new trim. The junior models? They stuck with the rectangular skirt introduced in 1954. It worked. But the real story wasn’t the chrome.
The Four-Door Hardtop: How Oldsmobile Changed Body Styles
The most significant innovation didn’t happen at the start of the year. It arrived in March 1955. A brand-new body type. In the Motor City, this wasn’t a daily occurrence. Olds introduced a four-door hardtop sedan. They became the first manufacturer to offer it across all their lines. This move reaffirmed their reputation as GM’s primary innovator.
The concept wasn’t new. It had been previewed at the 1953 Motorama with the Cadillac Orleans. That car was the direct forerunner to the Sedan de Ville. But initial production of the four-door hardtop was restricted to the B-body platform. Olds called it the Holiday sedan. It appeared in the 88, Super 88, and Ninety-Eight series. Buick followed with the four-door Riviera on the Special and Century. By 1956, the feature expanded to all three GM platforms. From the A-bodied Chevrolet and Pontiac to the massive C-bodied Buicks and Cadillacs.
Sales data tells the story of adoption. The four-door sedan remained the favorite in the Super 88 and Ninety-Eight ranges. The Holiday coupe still reigned supreme in the base 88s. But the new Holiday sedan made its mark immediately. Despite the mid-season launch, nearly 120,000 of these sporty four-doors were produced for 1955.
Rocket V8 Performance: Compression and Horsepower Gains
Under the hood, Olds didn’t mess with the basic architecture. They reduced the combustion chamber volume. That small change raised the Rocket engine’s compression ratio by a quarter point to 8.5:1. The result? More power.
The four-barrel carburetor version jumped to 202 gross horsepower at 4,000 rpm. Torque hit 332 pound-feet at 2,400 rpm. The two-barrel version in the standard 88 saw its output rise to 185 gross horsepower at 4,000 rpm and 320 pound-feet of torque at 2,000 rpm.
Crucially, the four-barrel engine became an option for the base 88. This created a tempting combination. You could get the hotter Super 88/Ninety-Eight engine in a lighter 88 body. It was the ultimate spec for enthusiasts who wanted performance without the premium price tag.
1955 Super 88 vs 1954: Acceleration and Braking Tests
Al Kidd tested the 1955 Super 88 for the April 1955 issue of Motor Trend. His observations were terse but damning for the previous year’s model.
“Acceleration: Olds accelerates with the best,” Kidd wrote. “‘55 Super 88 nicks a little off ’54 times in every department.”
The 50-80 mph run was exceptional. The average was 11.3 seconds. That was almost four full seconds faster than the previous year. The quarter-mile time dropped by only about half a second. But the car was traveling 5.5 mph faster at the finish line. It had the feeling that it wanted to go at all speeds, right up to its top speed of 109.7 mph.
Braking was another story. Did you need modern ABS back then? According to Kidd, no. “Braking: Stops just as well as it accelerates.” The power brakes operated from a low-hung pendular pedal. The test car’s wheels locked evenly. The car pulled to straight stops. No drama. Just physics and good engineering. The Super 88 didn’t just go faster. It stopped with the same authority.
The 1955 Oldsmobile 98 kept those semi-teardrop wheel wells. But it wasn’t alone anymore.
Kidd had plenty of praise for the 1955 Super 88’s suspension. Most full-size cars of the fifties wallowed. This one didn’t. He called it a good compromise between road-ability and soft riding quality.
Directional stability was generally good. You did have to correct in a crosswind though. Tight, fast turns made the car drift a little. Push it too hard and the rear end breaks loose. Power steering made correcting easy. Excellent road feel helped there too.
“Power available at speeds over 50 mph makes you master of just about any situation.”
Tubeless tires were new this year. They protested conservative cornering with a squeal. Moderate lean occurred on turns.
The ride end of that compromise was better than average. Olds front end now has direct-acting shock absorbers mounted vertically within springs. Result is a smoother ride.
At top speeds comfort is exceptional. Absolutely no vibration or front-end oscillation. With as good a ride as all but softest-sprung cars, Olds is a safe bet for comfort.
Despite locking brakes and squealing tires, the 1955 Oldsmobile was a stunning success. Production for the model year hit 583,179 units. That was the highest in the division’s history. A record that would stand for 10 years.
Put that achievement in perspective. In July 1955, Olds produced its 5 millionth car since Ransom E. Olds opened up shop in 1896. More than 11 percent of that 59-year total were 1955 models.
Yet, despite the record output. Olds slipped a notch in the industry standings. It dropped to fifth place behind a resurgent Plymouth.
1956 Oldsmobile
For the 1956 Oldsmobile line, styling changes included an oval front air intake. No horizontal crossbar. Nearly identical to the “large-mouth bass” design of the original Starfire.
The 1956 Oldsmobile 88: Refined Lines and Smoother Shifts
The front end got a trim. The new grille on the 1956 Super 88 ditched the horizontal crossbar. It was cleaner. Sleeker.
Side body lines shifted too. On the 88 and Super 88, a chrome strip ran from the front wheel arch to the back. The rear fender slash returned. This time, it curved. It bowed slightly as it dropped from the beltline to the side trim. The Ninety-Eight took a different route. Its trim created a torpedo shape. Or maybe a rocket. The distinction hardly mattered. It looked fast.
Hardtops changed the sales charts. The Holiday hardtop arrived. It became the top seller for Super 88 and Ninety-Eight models. The Holiday coupe won over 88 buyers.
Inside, the dashboard lost its complexity. Round speedometer and clock faces were gone. Large oval units took their place. Auxiliary gauges disappeared. They were replaced by “idiot lights” at either end of the speedometer pod. Simple. Direct.
Engine Specs and Torque Numbers
Under the hood, Oldsmobile squeezed more power out of the same block. Thinner head gaskets reduced combustion chamber volume. Compression ratio hit a new high of 9.25:1.
Power numbers jumped.
The four-barrel carburetor engine (T-350) now made 240 gross horsepower at 4,400 rpm. Torque stood at 350 pound-feet at 2,800 rpm. The two-barrel variant (T-340) produced 230 gross horsepower at 4,400 rpm. Torque was 340 pound-feet at 2,400 rpm.
Dual exhausts were optional. They added up to 7 percent horsepower and 6 percent torque. Small gains. Meaningful ones.
Manual transmissions remained standard for the 88 and Super 88. But the Ninety-Eight changed. Hydra-Matic automatic transmission became standard.
It was a new version of GM’s famous autobox. Motor Trend ’s Al Kidd reviewed it in December 1955. He called it the Jetaway Hydra-Matic.
“The biggest engineering feature is the entirely new Jetaway Hydra-Matic transmission on 98s and Super 88s. This new unit retains the desirable flexibility of last year’s Dual Range H-M but with almost unheard of smoothness.”
Kidd explained the mechanics. The old front bands and clutches were gone. Replaced by a second small fluid coupling. And two sprag clutches. These are one-way clutches. They allow free-wheeling between 5 and 14 mph. It depends on the range selected.
The second coupling filled and emptied with fluid. It blended ratio changes. Literally.
Kidd couldn’t time the shifts. But he was sure of the result. The new transmission added punch.
Service costs should drop. No more band adjustments. The design was built to last.
More durability. Less noise.
And that rocket-like trim? It stayed.
The 1956 models kept that signature chrome side stripe. It was a subtle touch, but in a sea of tailfins and brightwork, it helped define the look.
Kidd took the 1956 Super 88 out for a road test for the April 1956 issue of Motor Trend. He didn’t hold back. The performance felt flat compared to expectations.
“The Rocket still has enough punch, but virtually all phases of acceleration times turned in by the ’56 4-door hardtop were either just about the same or a few tenths of a second slower than the figures we got last year,” Kidd wrote.
They had added 38 horsepower. You would expect a car with more power to run faster. It didn’t happen.
Olds engineers claimed their own testing showed better times. But Kidd noted their test car weighed 140 pounds more than the 1955 model he had previously tested. That extra metal eats up acceleration. Then there was the weather. The previous test was in mild California sunshine. This one happened on a freezing Michigan day. Cold air is denser. It makes engines work harder. It also makes tires stiffer. The conditions skewed the data.
It wasn’t a masterclass in scientific control. It was a confession that early auto magazine testing was messy. Inconsistent conditions. Variable temperatures. Different car weights. The differences between 1955 and 1956 acceleration numbers meant less than the inconsistency of the testing environment.
Production figures tell a clearer story. Olds dropped nearly 100,000 units from the previous year. Total output settled at 485,458. Sales slumped across the industry, but Olds managed to hold onto fifth place in the rankings. They didn’t need to grow to stay relevant. They just needed to survive the contraction.
These mid-Fifties Oldsmobiles were good cars. By the standards of 1954, 1955, and 1956, they were very good. Powerful. Readable interiors. Comfortable rides. Stylish lines. The division had every right to be proud. Collectors still have reason to be today.
1954-1956 Oldsmobile Production and Pricing Data
The models moved quickly. Success came fast. The data below captures the weight, price, and production numbers for each trim.
1954 Oldsmobile
88
– 2d sedan: 3,699 lbs, $2,272, 18,013 produced
– 4 sedan: 3,719 lbs, $2,337, 29,028 produced
– Holiday hardtop coupe: 3,721 lbs, $2,449, 25,820 produced
– Total 88: 72,861
Super 88
– 2d sedan: 3,729 lbs, $2,410, 27,882 produced
– 4d sedan: 3,780 lbs, $2,477, 111,326 produced
– Holiday hardtop coupe: 3,775 lbs, $2,688, 42,155 produced
– Convertible coupe: 4,003 lbs, $2,868, 6,452 produced
– Total Super 88: 187,815
Ninety-Eight
– 4d sedan: 3,780 lbs, $2,552, 45,605 produced
– Deluxe 4d sedan: 3,895 lbs, $2,806, 2,367 produced
– Holiday hardtop coupe: 3,851 lbs, $2,826, 8,865 produced
– Deluxe Holiday hardtop coupe: 3,938 lbs, $3,042, 29,688 produced
– Starfire convertible coupe: 4,193 lbs, $3,249, 6,800 produced
– Total Ninety-Eight: 93,325
Total 1954 Oldsmobile: 354,001
1955 Oldsmobile
88
– 2d sedan: 3,688 lbs, $2,297, 37,507 produced
– 4d sedan: 3,707 lbs, $2,362, 57,777 produced
– Holiday hardtop coupe: 3,705 lbs, $2,474, 85,767 produced
– Holiday hardtop sedan: 3,768 lbs, $2,548, 41,310 produced
– Total 88: 222,361
Super 88
– 2d sedan: 3,720 lbs, $2,436, 11,950 produced
– 4d sedan: 3,762 lbs, $2,503, 111,316 produced
– Holiday hardtop coupe: 3,765 lbs, $2,714, 62,534 produced
– Holiday hardtop sedan: 3,825 lbs, $2,788, 47,385 produced
– Convertible coupe: 3,983 lbs, $2,894, 9,007 produced
– Total Super 88: 242,192
Ninety-Eight
– 4d sedan: 3,864 lbs, $2,833, 39,847 produced
– Holiday hardtop coupe: 3,924 lbs, $3,069, 38,363 produced
– Holiday hardtop sedan: 3,976 lbs, $3,140, 31,267 produced
– Starfire convertible coupe: 4,159 lbs, $3,276, 9,149 produced
– Total Ninety-Eight: 118,626
Total 1955 Oldsmobile: 583,179
1956 Oldsmobile
88
– 2d sedan: 3,691 lbs, $2,422, 31,949 produced
– 4d sedan: 3,748 lbs, $2,487, 57,092 produced
– Holiday hardtop coupe: 3,741 lbs, $2,599, 74,739 produced
– Holiday hardtop sedan: 3,797 lbs, $2,971, 52,239 produced
– Total 88: 216,019
Super 88
– 2d sedan: 3,717 lbs, $2,574, 5,465 produced
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