Gerald Nickels

My first car was a 55 88 2 Dr Ht and was fast in its day on the street in 1967. So my question was is it faster than Mopar, GM cars, Fords back in 1955. Stock for stock.

Ozzie

Before anyone can answer the question "faster" has to be defined. Is that the ability to accelerate more quickly from one certain speed to another? Or does it mean ultimate maximum speed? Then another question would be how the car was equipped. In 1955 Oldsmobile offered different transmissions, different axle ratios, different engines. There are too many unknown variables to provide an accurate answer.

edzolz

Can't really answer that question but can relate. In 1955 my dad bought a new 98 four door sedan. One night in 1957 we were returning home from my grandparents that lived ten miles away. A punk kid driving his daddy's new 57 Ford Fairlane 500 was tailgating us very close so my dad sped up a little. Dad never drove really fast unless he was agitated. This youngster sped up too. Dad went a little faster, same thing. But this time the kid tried to pass and dad floored it. Ran away so fast it looked like the Ford was not moving. Of course I was just 13, but it seemed to me like we were in a real rocketship.

okie88

I would imagine that because you mentioned the street you are referring to the 'stoplight grand prix', and because the Oldsmobile had more horsepower and the 4 speed hydra-matic it would smoke any comparable car in 1955 !

61Bat

http://www.automobile-catalog.com/pe...per_drive.html


Shows 0-60 in 11.7 seconds and the quarter mile in 18.7. Those times seem slow by todays standards but in 1955 the corvette ran low 16's and that was crazy quick for a production car then.

Charlie Jones

They didn't call them "Rockets" for nothing .

redoldsman

Quick and fast are two different things. Quick is acceleration and fast is top end. It is like comparing the quarter mile to the Bonneville salt flats. The Super 88 Olds was probably both for its time. I have never seen a comparison to a 55 Chevy. Olds only had two versions of the 324 in 55. One had a 2 barrel carb and the Super 88 and the 98 had the 4 barrel carb. The only two transmissions were the 4-speed hydra-matic and the 3-speed standard which was pretty rare. Several rear end rations were available but most were probably 3:36. It was a fast car in its day. Charlie you are correct in that there was a reason they called them Rockets. Lee Petty did petty well with them

Tedd Thompson

Couldn't a 3:64 be ordered or came in the convertibles? Seems read that some where.The hard part of being quick in a fifties Oldsmobile was weight, they has a bunch of it.... Tedd

redoldsman

Tedd I know there were several rear end ratios available in 54 and I am sure the same ones were in 55. My point is that most cars came with whatever was standard for the car. As you and I both know these cars are not light. There is no telling what a convertible frame weighs. They look like a section out of a bridge.

1969w3155

I am not sure about who was the fastest/quickest, but the early Hemi's put out more hp than just about anyone else.

Ancient Iron

Maybe so but their transmissions were crap.

Ozzie

The '55 Olds shop manual says that the convertibles usually came with a 3:42 or a 3.64 depending on series, transmission, with or without A/C, and the type of terrain it was expected to operate in. For your Hydramatic S88, it normally would have been 3.42 unless it has A/C and was expected to be operated in hilly terrain. Then it would have been 3.64.

Ozzie

To quickly summarize what rear gears were available in 1955, here are the possibilities in ring and pinion tooth counts as per the shop manual and parts book:

40-13 (3:08)
42-13 (3.23)
41-12 (3.42)
40-11 (3.64)

These were applied to 45 different combinations in 1955 of series, transmission, bodies, tire sizes, with or without A/C, and expected operational terrain.

The one in mine checks out at 40-13.

okie88

in 1984 SIA did a comparison drive report between a 55 Super 88, a 55 Mercury and a 55 Dodge Royal with a hemi (270). They stated that in a drag race the 88 would win it going away. In drive reports from 55 the Chrysler 300 with the 331 hemi and two fours (300 hp)did the quarter in 17.8 where the Super 88 did it in 17.6. The hemi may make more horsepower and have a higher top speed (by about 10 mph) but the Olds would take it in the quarter.