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Oldsmobile Starfire and the Rocket 88 Engine |
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Oldsmobile Starfire and the Rocket 88 Engine |
| The name
Starfire was used on Oldsmobile Ninety Eight convertibles from 1954 through
1956. Some sources say it was also used for 1957 models, but I do not
see the name Starfire on any pictures of 1957 models, just the
"Ninety Eight" script below. 98 Coupes were referred to as
"Holiday."
The name Starfire does appear on the front fenders of 1954 through 1956 Ninety Eight convertible models. These convertibles, rare and collectible, were powered by Oldsmobile's Rocket V8. The Rocket V8 was the subject of many first and lasts in the automotive industry. It was the first mass produced OHV V8 in 1949; and it was also the last carbureted V8 passenger car engine in 1990. The original Oldsmobile Starfire, named after Lockheed's F94 Starfire fighter jet, was introduced as a show car in 1953 at the GM Motorama along with the Buick Skylark and Cadillac Eldorado. These were GM's "dream cars" with fiber glass bodies and bucket seating for two. Two of the nameplates became special top of the line regular production models that resembled the dream cars in name only. All three turned out to be overweight, underpowered monstrosities that bore no resemblance to the sleek, sexy two seaters they evolved from. Typical Detroit mentality; take what made the stir and then refuse to produce it. Like that sleek Eldorado two seater, do you? Too bad; here's a 5,000 lb. convertible for close to 8 large.
The Starfire Show Car (Prototype) had a wrap around windshield and a combination bumper / grill. In many ways it was a Corvette for Oldsmobile, however it remained a "not for production" styling exercise. Also worthy of mention is the 1954 Oldsmobile F88 concept car, which really resembled the first Corvette. Interestingly enough, Oldsmobile's first specialty model was the 1953 Fiesta, below. They chose to save the Starfire name for later use as an add on to the 98 convertible.
Buick below opted to use the Skylark name, and shared a body with the Eldorado.
The 1954 Starfire 98 used a 324 CID V8 producing 185 horsepower. For 1955, higher compression raised power to 202. Nothing compared to the Chrysler C300 of course, but these were big luxury cruisers, not high performance cars, despite whatever reputation the engine had. For 1956, the 324 was up to 240 horsepower. In the big 98, it bordered on being underpowered. For modern day owners desiring more power for their daily driver, the later 371s and 394s will bolt right in. The Starfire reappeared in 1961 as a specially trimmed convertible. Both hardtop and convertible models were available from 1962 until 1966, when the Starfire ended and the Toronado took over as the top specialty model. The body was based on the Oldsmobile B Body 88 platform. Included for 1961 were leather bucket seats and special luxury and sport trim. Hydramatic transmission, sports console and tachometer, power steering and brakes, and dual exhausts with 'glass pack' mufflers were also standard equipment. Starfires were only built in Lansing. The standard engine for 1961 was the Rocket 394 V8 producing 330 horsepower. There was only one body style offered, a convertible, with a total of 7604 examples being produced. The Starfire's peppy 330 horsepower 394 gave it a power to weight ratio of 13 to 1, very good for the day. Most "C Stock" 396 Chevelles, etc. of the day had factory ratios of about 11 to 1. The Starfire could surprise you at a light if you took it lightly. Price $4,640.00
Make a Date with a Rocket 88 Oldsmobile Rocket V8 production started in 1949, with a new generation introduced in 1964. Like Pontiac, Olds continued building its own V8 engine family for decades, finally adopting the corporate Chevrolet 350 small block and Cadillac Northstar engines in the 1990s. All Oldsmobile V8s use a 90° bank angle, and most share a common stroke dimension: 3.4375 cid for early Rockets, 3.6875 cid for later Generation 1 motors, and 3.385 cid for Generation 2. The engine could be classified as a small block, but Oldsmobile used a higher deck height for a 4.25 cid stroke to boost displacement to 455 cid. To put things into perspective, the Olds Rocket 88 engine was a very good powerplant. Unfortunately, as mentioned elsewhere, it was vastly inadequate for the giant cars it was asked to power. A Rocket 88 Olds had zero chance against a 300 or D500 on the street, even though it made a respectable showing in organized racing. Where sales were concerned, however, Americans were only interested in high performance cars they could actually buy. The old trick of racing cars nobody could get was wearing thin, especially when killers like the Fury, D500, and 300 were readily available off the showroom floor with close to 100 more horsepower. It would be years before GM got the message; by then it would be too late, with Chrysler dominating virtually every phase of racing. Except, of course, where the Street Hemi was concerned; this was Chrysler's only major mistake.
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